I Shudder To Flutter

By David Hollender - April 11, 2009

As an April fools joke, Slate Magazine posted a video on YouTube promoting a (fictional) new service, Flutter, that pokes fun at the microblogging craze powered by Twitter.

According to the video, subscribers are limited to sending 26 characters at a time and don't have to think about what they are sending because messages can be sent automatically. Kidding aside, this April Fools prank brings to the surface a big question of concern to many organizations: How do you deal with individual communication needs and preferences in a growing online community?

With the message of Slate's April Fools joke still fresh in my mind, I heard a similar quandry expressed this week on a listserv. It seems that some participants were feeling overwhelmed by the flow of messages coming from an organization to which we all belong. Associations and other organizations that strive to build their following by fostering a strong sense of community face the challenge of knowing not just how much communication makes sense, but how to deliver it.

In communities where individuals have different interests, prefer varying frequencies of communication, and favor different kinds of media (text, audio, video, interactive, etc), organizations can improve response to their offerings by providing highly customizable methods of communication for those they serve. Because active stakeholders may receive communications for many reasons from an organization, you may find that integrated approaches are warmly welcomed.

As for the Slate's poke at nano-blogging, perhaps just as well that it is a fiction. Not all new new ideas deliver a breakthrough. But it cannot hurt to look out for innovative new tools that may help you communicate more efficiently and effectively.

Primary links