Digital Media is Overtaking Traditional Media

DIGITAL MEDIA IS OVERTAKING TRADITIONAL MEDIA

“The medium is the message” – Marshall McLuhan

Absolutely! Digital Media is overtaking traditional media!! To “overtake” simply means to overwhelm, catch up with and possibly overtake, travel past, overcome, sweep over and overpower.

What today is termed “traditional media” is what as media practitioners, we had over the years referred to as the mass media of communication – namely, radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, outdoor, etc. Referring to the mainstream media of communication as “traditional” simply means there is a new order of media communication.

Nature of Message/Content

The units of analysis for mass communication are the messages, the mediums and the audience. First, we consider the messages. Traditional mass media messages are usually homogenous, directed at heterogeneous audience. It includes pages, columns, features, articles, time and/or programme slots, texts, advertisements, audios, videos, etc.

For digital media, however, the reverse is usually the case; with heterogeneous messages directed at one user. Digital media “content” is dynamic, multifaceted, much more engaging, with feedback almost instantaneous, fast and engaging; and permeates both space and time, visual and auditory, interactive and participatory, and again exists in a continuum, usually with no determinable end. And, contains much more than the traditional media, namely: textual content, dynamic texts, animations, posts, audios, videos, entries, hyperlinks, comments, queries, tweets, likes, tags, pages, feeds, links, shares, codes, etc.

Nature of Channels of Delivery

Secondly, let’s consider the medium of communication in the traditional and digital media. Traditional media platforms incorporates the Television being a medium for powerful dramatization, the Radio, with the highest possible reach in mass media appealing largely to the rural populace, the Print Media (of newspaper and magazine amongst others) appealing to the elites, the literate and the political and socio-economic upper class, and the ubiquitous Outdoor, always in your face.

Digital media messages come in various forms on multi-various platforms: websites (and microsites), portals, blogs, emails, social media networking platforms (popularly amongst which are facebook, twitter, youtube, linkedin, google+, flickr, picasa, scribd, skillpages, visible.me etc.)

The Nature of Audience, Reach and Measurement

The traditional mass media audiences are large, scattered and heterogeneous, and sometimes anonymous i.e. the media cannot accurately decipher the characteristics of the audience. Conversely, digital media platforms audiences can be accurately tracked, measured, predicted, and presumably satisfied with unique, user-tailored contents. Matter of fact, many digital media platforms will keep track of users’ history, likes, interests and the like; in order to provide unique features.

And, in considering Reach (a prime element for media metrics; something of utmost use in advertising), one wonders how fast-paced and mind-boggling it took the digital media to reach the same number of audiences. What print media could not achieve since the days of Johann Gutenberg (who invented the movable type i.e. press, in about 1850), and radio of the 20th century combined with Television (with its dramatic powers to intertwine sound, vision and other elements) taking 38 years and 13 years respectively to reach an audience of 50 million; digital media platforms achieved the feat in a fraction of that time. Of note is the fact that Internet reaches more people in less than four (4) years of its mass appeal, compared to any other media platform combined.

Imagine: It took Twitter five (5) years to reach 90 million people; Facebook, only four (4) years, and Google+ achieved the feat of over 90 million registered users in less than one year. [Mark Milan of CNN] Today, on facebook alone (a social media platform which started in 2004) there are over 550 million people (of which over 43 million are Nigerians). [Inside Facebook]

Measuring audiences on traditional media is as traditional as it is slow, grossly inaccurate; while measuring same on digital media is up-to-the-minute, real time, precise and absolute.

Customer/User Experience/Control

There is largely a great control in the hands of the user on digital media platforms, determining what to be delivered, how content is to be delivered, when it is to be delivered, and on what channels and/or platforms it is to be delivered. The platform is as dynamic as the user can make it to be. The user can receive content on desktop and/or mobile devices (phones, smart phones, tablets, blackberries, and other connected devices); with or without animations, advertisements, images, flash, etc. Even when the user does not know how to do it, Google of course will do it for them. Content is on demand and delivery could be customized.

On traditional media platforms, on the other hand, consumers control is limited, constrained and restricted. Gate keeping mechanism is rifle and many user control and/or feedback can be controlled.

Summary

It is clear from the foregoing that digital media has overtaken traditional media in many respects: content, channels, delivery, user experience, reach, characteristics, feedback mechanism and the like.

Bottom Line

Media convergence will be the future of mass media of communication; where all channels, be it “traditional” or “digital” are all interconnected. Digital media will then be the nexus, and all other media mass communication (of the present and the future) will be the appendages.

Embracing Digital Life in Nigeria

Embracing Digital Life in Nigeria

An Insider’s Perspective of E-commerce in the African Sub-region

O. Oluwasina Gbenga

The Nigeria digital space is a gold-mine!

Considering Nigeria’s population of over 160 million, 47 million online and growing at geometric proportions; the Internet has definitely come to revolutionize the way we live, the way we work, the way we socialize and meet, and the way we do business. And given the Government’s Cashless Policy backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the 25 capitalized banks, the mobile data operators, the over 125 million phones (of which 75 million are active), a myriad of mobile money operators, hundreds of retail outlets, e-commerce platforms and shops, and the like; it is crystal clear that e-commerce has come to stay in Nigeria. It is even reported that the mobile money market alone, has a capacity of N1.17 trillion worth transaction in six months given certain infrastructural arrangements.

Array of E-commerce Platforms

There are numerous e-commerce platforms springing up on the digital space with diverse business offerings; some fledgling, some moribund and many others promising. Regardless of the circumstances, there have been attempts at building digital platforms comparable to Amazon and e-bay in Nigeria. These e-commerce websites offer a delightful and engaging virtual shopping experience to its growing enthusiasts.

        

Amongst these platforms is Jumia, which is one of the most visited e-commerce sites in Nigeria, with an Alexa Traffic Rank of 19. Jumia is the online retailer of electronics, computers, books (with over 40,000 titles in its archive), fashion and beauty products. Also of prominence is Konga, which concentrates on fashion products, apart from gadgets and electronics. DealDey also shot to significance after receiving a substantial investment portfolio from J. P. Morgan Asset Management, which has helped it become a premier group-buying site offering Nigerians the best discounted deals. There are also specialist e-commerce sites like Wakanow concentrating on flights, Cheki which deals in cars, buyright, buy now now, sunglasses, kasuwa, gafunk specializing in computers, bead emporium featuring jewelry and beaded works, egole shopping and the moribund Kalahari and taafoo. In fact, I came across a thread discussing Circuit Atlantic with promising services in freighting large concerns from across the globe. The list is endless and in fact, more platforms are being launched.

In fact, there are products and/or services information platforms providing data, product description and even price comparisons. Two of such are Price Hunter and the newly launched PriceCheck. Price Check is a price comparison engine, set to replicate its success in South Africa here in Nigeria; and now boasts of 30 million products, in 6,000 categories with 400 retail shops on the line and counting.

A critical look at many of the prominent e-commerce platforms shows that they generate revenues from mixed sources. These include digital content sales, advertising revenues, fees for services, fees for transactions, web catalogs amongst other revenue models.

Easy Does It.

According to a MasterCard Survey conducted in Nigeria, there is a growing propensity to shop online, as more citizens now opt for the comfort zones of their homes and offices, and have goods and service delivered to their doorsteps. It is becoming increasingly easier to make payments via many of the e-commerce sites with integrated payment getaways like MasterCard, VISA Card, Verve Cards from Interswitch, and other electronic banking or funds transfer platforms.

Despite the booming of e-commerce in Nigeria, there are still some drawbacks which can be nipped in the bud through greater Platform Security, continuous Process Innovation, higher Platform Visibility, better Digital Asset Management, better alignment with global Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and best practices, improved technology infrastructure, firmer Government Policies on Identity Management, Internet Penetration and Cyber Ethics. There are also the needs for content localization, user acceptance testing, and platform scalability which enables greater accessibility via different connected devices like personal computers, mobile phones and/or tablets.

Above all, the e-commerce platforms should leverage the social media networking sites with phenomenal traffics even Nigeria as with other parts of the globe. Thus, driving visits to their platforms and turning leads into customers. Notably, facebook is still the most visited social networking site with over one billion users. A cross-media marketing strategy for the e-commerce platforms should take this into cognizance.

The future is digital…embrace it!

Web Project Management

Web Project Management 

When working on a new web design project with a client, especially a new site launch, it is vital to have a clear definition of the project’s scope and the expectations of the future website owner. It’s far too easy for corporate politics and personal preferences to drive the features and processes of a website unless you consciously force the client — and yourself, at times — to focus on the needs of the users and the purpose of the site. Outlining the basic requirements and goals also helps to limit scope creep later on in the project.

Especially because many clients are non-technical, they struggle to explain what they want in the context of websites. By providing them with a list of questions, they can fill in the blanks for you without feeling like they are expected to know how to design a website. After all, that’s what they’re paying you to do, right?

How to Avoid Website Project Disasters

To help create the appropriate focus, I have developed a list of 20 questions you should ask prior to building any website. These questions are meant to get the client thinking about their core business, their differentiators, and their users. It also gives them a chance to get all their ideas on the table up front. That helps position you as a good listener, which is always a smart move.

This list of questions is intended for small agencies and freelance designers who are working with small- and medium-sized companies. I’ve also used this list of questions with large companies and it’s helped to fast-forward things early in the process. These questions should be used as early in the process as possible, prior to providing an estimate and a rundown of the project’s scope.

For many designers, the answers to these questions might even disqualify some prospective clients. Sometimes it’s OK to decline a potential project if it looks like it will be a disaster even prior to the onset.

It’s best to customize these questions per client. Depending on the customer, some of these may not be relevant, and others may be added, but I hope this set of questions at least gives you a solid foundation for constructing your design questionnaires with.

1. How do you describe your organization/business in one sentence?

Amazingly, many small businesses have never taken the time to answer this one simple question. By getting this insight from them, you’ll have an anchor to tie together the entire project. If the client can’t do this, the project is likely to end up as a messy site that lacks focus.

2. What three words describe your organization/business?

Tough? Yes. Important? Extremely. Users need to quickly understand what a business website has to offer, and why they should care. These three key words will help develop a clear message for the site’s users and can drive everything from the website color palette to information architecture. They can also help with SEO in some cases.

3. What makes you unique?

In marketing lingo: "What’s your value proposition?" Helping the client define what makes them stand out from their competition can be one of the most helpful insights you can attain at the forefront. If you know what makes them unique, you have a great basis for building a website on.

4. How do you describe your primary site audience?

Is the audience young? Old? Web-literate? Knowing the audience can influence everything from the font size and style to the navigation approach.

One word of caution on this one: Many clients will describe their ideal audience rather than the one that actually visits their site. Take their input as opinion and validate whatever you can through analytics reports if they have an existing site. If it’s a new site, you may be able to gain some insights by studying competitor sites through web tools like Compete.com.

5. How much time do you think the average visitor spends on the site per visit?

This question can help determine the width/depth of the site and the navigation structure, as well as the site features that are needed. For example, if the site you’re building is a community-driven site, then you’ll want to consider some game mechanics that will help increase user participation and have them stay longer on the site. Again, check this against real web analytics results whenever possible.

6. What is the primary purpose of the site? What’s the secondary purpose?

Many clients want their site to be everything to everyone. By writing down a single primary purpose, they’re setting direction for the site. Is the purpose to generate a contact? Sell an item? Inform the visitor? Induce some other action?

7. Is your primary focus on long-term repeat visits or short-term single visits?

With this information, you can help the client determine whether the content of the site will drive their focus. A brochure-ware site won’t encourage repeat visits because the content will be static for long periods of time. A daily blog might not make sense if one-time visits are the primary focus. Questions like this position you as an expert so you can help them reach their goals.

8. If a visitor spends 2 minutes on your site, what three things (in order of priority) do you want them to know?

This question is all about limiting scope creep and defining the goals of the site. With this information, and the answers in some of the questions from above, you should have a crystal-clear picture of what the site needs to do from the client’s perspective.

9. Who are your major competitors?

As part of your research phase, it’s helpful to know and look at who the competitors are to see what works and what doesn’t in their particular industry. The goal here is to see if you can produce a product that outdoes the competition, which is something your clients will love you for.

10. What sites do you like?

It’s helpful to see what good sites are in the eyes of your client: sites that have features, layout, content or design that appeals to them. Almost every experienced designer has run into a case where multiple mockups are provided, only to find out that they want a site that looks a lot like one that already exists. Get this information on the table early and you’ll avoid headaches and wasted time.

11. What sites do you dislike?

On the flip side, allowing the client a chance to vent about sites they don’t like will provide you with a better idea of what to avoid. Many clients have a hard time describing what they like/dislike unless they see it. This gives them a chance to do that, as well as educate you in the process.

12. Are there specific site features you would like to see included?

This is another question to help you gently set the scope of the project and make sure that the expectations are discernibly explicit. Don’t let client assumptions turn your project into a money-losing proposition. Site features could be blogs, search features, social media integration, and so forth.

13. What do you find most annoying about using websites in general?

Give the client a chance to vent! It’s better to find out that they hate certain things now rather than after you’ve included them in your designs.

14. Are there any colors or features that should be avoided?

Defining colors that need to be avoided can save you from embarrassment later. Few things are as embarrassing as accidentally using a color palette from a major competitor. Never assume you know the answer to this one.

15. Will you need to update the content of the site on your own?

Geek speak: Do you need a content management system? Should we consider building the site on a platform like Drupal, WordPress or Joomla? This one could clearly impact the scope of the project.

16. When would you like this project to go live?

It seems obvious, but this is a biggie. Assuming you know how long it will take you to complete the project — and if you’re a professional designer, you better! — this will help you define the key deadlines, deliverables and benchmarks.

It also puts some responsibility back on the client. Who hasn’t been burned by a client who fails to deliver content and approvals in a timely manner, but still wants the launch date to remain the same?

Last, but not least, it will keep the client from calling you every day for status updates.

17. Will this site need user registration and be able to save data?

Geek speak: Is there any database work that will need to be done? Most projects with dynamic components and databases will require more work and discussion to define specific requirements and deliverables. This is good to know up front so that you don’t get hammered by massive feature creep.

This question also enables you to assess if you are able to do this project based on your skill set and whether or not you’ll need to contract someone who can.

18. Who is the single, primary point of contact for this project?

I am sure that some of you are smiling at this one. Nothing spells disaster like having more than one client making decisions about a site (i.e. designing by committee). It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be given conflicting direction at some point when this is the situation. Therefore, it’s important to establish who has the final say for times when the project comes to a screeching halt because of decision paralysis.

19. Will your site need a way to contact you via a web form?

Simple stuff: but it’s so common that many clients assume it’s a freebie and doesn’t take any work at all. Make sure you define this type of stuff up front.

20. Is there anything else you would like to communicate to me?

"Let’s get it all on the table now." Some clients are so full of ideas that they have trouble making decisions until they feel that you’ve heard all their ideas and suggestions. Rather than fighting that throughout the process, give them a chance to share their ideas up front.

What Do You Do If a Client Can’t Answer?

If you can’t get the client to provide any of these answers, I’d strongly suggest that you consider declining the project. If they can’t clearly explain their core business and the purpose of the site from their perspective, it doesn’t bode well for the project overall and you know that this will be a tough project to complete. You have to think about opportunity costs: By taking on a disaster-bound project, you can be affecting your chances in completing existing projects (as well as taking up new ones).

If you use this list on a project or have used similar lists of your own, we’d love to hear how it helped your projects succeed. We’d also like to hear some of the horror stories about failing to get these answers early on.

Are there key questions missing from this list? Are there questions you’d remove?

Related Content

 7 Things Web Designers Hate Hearing from Clients

 How to Get Your Ideas Across to Clients

 Convincing Your Clients to Use Open Platforms

 Related categories: Project Management and Web Design

About the Author

Jason Schubring has built more than 100 Websites and delivered e-mail campaigns for companies of all sizes. His strategic, design, and Web development background creates a unique perspective on effectively combining digital and traditional marketing. To connect with him, follow him on Twitter @jasonschubring or find him on LinkedIn.