Nora Young…podcasting live!
Back from reading week for the final three weeks of CC&PR. I can’t believe how quickly the program has flown by. Like a flash and in no time we’ll be applying our new skills and talents in a real world setting. But before our internships begin we have a podcast to present, a final speech to deliver, a mock board meeting to preside over, a final Design & Layout assignment to complete, a…well you get the point because you’re living it, aren’t you?
Speaking of podcasts, as I mentioned in a previous post, our team interviewed Nora Young, host of Spark.ca, a podcast on CBC radio. Our topic of discussion was the impact of social media on human interaction. We are actively working on linking the interview on my blog and this should happen very soon. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
In the meantime, however, a little more on Nora Young’s views on social media. She argues that perpetual connectivity represents both the biggest downside and upside of social media, at least for now given its infancy. Young agrees that a persistent problem is a lack of manners and online civility because some social media enthusiasts get hung up on the technology behind the medium and forget about the rules of civil engagement. Some users don’t give the benefit of the doubt they would in person and this is why Young calls social media a reactive media.
She even touched on one of my favourite subjects: the issue of transparency and how social media values may encourage deception by advocating ghost blogging. Reminds me of the transparency piece I posted not too long ago where I slammed the practice. Young says Spark is very careful to release information about the show including transcripts and other pertinent material to ensure accountability. To know Nora shares my views regarding this topic makes me even more passionate about it.
Bottom line, she says that social media has a purpose, in fact many purposes. It can help you get out there, be seen online and heard but not at the expense of valuable interpersonal networking relationships.
Perhaps, this is why many introverts and wallflowers prefer this method of communication. But, please don’t put all your eggs in one basket; leave something for those in-person meetings. Remember: online networking can’t replace the special connection one gets from face-to-face networking events. Strike a balance between your online presence and in-face existence and you’ll be cruising!
You can learn more about Nora on her podcast website.
