living in an information society

insights from an online discussion

contents1. changing lifestyles

2. case study: health

3. new criteria

4. the personal touch

5. ‘online’ concerns

6. summary

7. implications

purpose of discussion

• to find out how you might be able to better communicate with your stakeholders

• to discover the what, how and why of their daily engagement with information

• to isolate any potential shortcomings or concerns

changing lifestylesnavigatio

nbanking televisio

n

1. saving time

tickets high st

2. saving money

lifestyle: findings‘we can save cash on train fares, books, DVDs, clothes, household goods, and that means we can do more of what we want.’

[community member]

• time is money• huge opportunities for advocacy• why so popular?• key question: love for the technology v.

quality of the information or service?

case study: healthfirst

visits

exploration

subsequently

loyalty

new criteria

• how relevant is the information to me?

• how easy is it to find?

• is it unbiased and good quality?

• how often is it updated?

• are there people like me I can talk to?

‘I joined their forum and from there I was told about the pain relief site which is also excellent. I tend to look on both every day.’

[community member]

the personal touch

• virtual v. ‘real’

• levels of service?

• social networks v. social elements

‘it also affects business.. the decline of the post office; people being made redundant because a computer can now do the job; reading newspapers online instead of buying a paper!’

[community member]

‘online’ concerns

• neutrality

• the junk mail approach

• identity fraud and ‘other criminal activity’

‘The trouble is, they are trying to sell you something, so their information is always going to be skewed.’

[community member]

summary

online physical

corp

ora

te

ind

ivid

ua

l

impersonalobjective (dep. on brand)efficient

main site / home page)

personalsubjective (vested interests)inefficient

company outlets

personalsubjective (many viewpoints)inefficient

discussion forum

personalsubjective (one viewpoint)inefficient

man on the street

targ

et

are

a

gathering information

‘pull’

suspicion

(information)

‘push’

corporate(website)

individual

(viewpoint)

corporate(junk mail)

individual(personal info)

enthusiasm

attitudes towards online

key insights• personal as well as efficient• different attitudes towards individual and

corporate information • access to objective and subjective

information• online routines – what will yours be?• social engagement must be clear and limited

implications1. what kinds of service do you offer?

2. categorise according to need, e.g. rules & safeguards

3. different methods / media

4. a clear framework for social engagement