Villegas Views: Digital Content is Not the Only Content Out There

While at the STC Summit in Phoenix last month, I had an opportunity to do something I couldn't do elsewhere, which was have a face-to-face conversation with Dr. Miles Kimball from Texas Tech University. I'm interested in getting my technical communication PhD from Texas Tech, but have been hesitant to apply for the degree because of cost, time, lack of ideas for a thesis topic, and terror in doing certain types of research. Only after talking to him did I find out that several of my fears were unfounded. The kind of research I do like to do can still be done, the program would help me figure out how to pursue topics that would work for me, and many students in the program take one class at a time per semester on a part-time basis because of work obligations, so my situation is not unique. Now, it's just the cost and the GREs I have to pass as my obstacles!

The conversation provided me with quite a bit of relief, but it made me realize that while I could get most of that information via email with other program directors, having a regular conversation with Dr. Kimball was highly beneficial for me. The content he gave me was not digital in any way, but rather interpersonal. It was much more interactive than having an email conversation, or even having a phone conversation about it. That interpersonal connection clinched it for me, and yet made me think—have we lost sight of content off the grid? “Off the grid” is being non-digital, and my definition of non-digital is content received through print (as in a book or periodical, not an ePub), in-person, and not instant messaging or email. A phone call can still be better than an email in some instances, although I'm guilty of being the last person to pick up a phone. I've often thought that a carefully written email message could be clearer than a phone conversation because the messages are thought out without interruption, one can edit before sending, and there's less “he said/she said” confusion because it's all been written out for all to see and interpret more clearly. But, I'm wondering if I've missed the point with this method over time.

We all work in circumstances where content is the focus of what we do, whether we are writing the content or are manipulating the content. While we are encouraged to use multimedia-related content in our work, how often do we do it? We mostly rely on words and the occasional image to relay our messages. Why isn't more being done to use interactive content? There are only a few reasons I can think of, namely cost (to do video or something else interactive along those lines), time, and resources, all of which are always the reasons why these things don't push through sooner. Having digital content definitely connects us in ways that we couldn't have even imagined as few as ten years ago, but we need to not lose sight of the personal touch. This means not only personalizing content in a way that's relevant to the end-user, but also making it truly personable and relate-able. Digital connects us, yet alienates us from each other on a personal level at times, so we have to keep in mind that people are on either end of the information exchange, and use that human element to our advantage whenever possible. It makes connections, like the one I had with Dr. Kimball, all that more rewarding.  It can also bring you (or your company) closer to your client/customer base, and providing a better service and relationship with those customers, both internally and externally.

What do you think? Are we losing sight of what human contact can do, or is the digital world enhancing it? Put your comments below.

Danielle M. Villegas writes the blog TechCommGeekMom.com. She graduated with her MSPTC degree from NJIT in 2012, and is currently a Web publishing consultant for BASF North America and an instructor for World Learning teaching business and technical writing.