It seems to me that Web 2.0 is telling us it's time to talk with supporters, not at them.

It's no secret that broadcast TV is losing viewers to the internet. People are turning away from a device which broadcasts one-way messages at them, to one where they can have conversations. On the internet, we can ask questions and share opinions - TV can't provide that kind of active involvement.

There's no escaping it: TV is a 'talk-at' tool. Communication is one-way; it wouldn't be TV if you could ask it a question and expect some kind of response. While broadcast media is 'talk-at', the telephone is an early example of a 'talk-with' tool - for obvious reasons.

The point of the distinction is that most communications media fall easily into the 'talk-at' or 'talk-with' categories, and charities can use this distinction to foster a dialogue with supporters. Or rather, charities can avoid opting for 'talk-at' tools without considering whether they've neatly ensured that it's impossible for supporters to talk with them.

In the charity world, we're seeing the transition from one major donor demographic to another, from Dorothy Donor to the Baby Boomers. One key difference between Dorothy and the Boomers is that Dorothy didn't mind being talked at. She trusted and respected authority. Her media choice was - and largely still is - newspapers, radio and TV. With the exception of the telephone, 'talk-at' media (mass, broadcast media) was all there was.

In contrast, Boomers are typically described as more individualistic and less trusting of authority. They want accountability. They want to ask questions. But they can't do that when the institution or organisation they want answers from will only communicate through the one-way messaging of talk-at media.

So it seems there is a confluence of trends: Dorothy Donor is happy to listen while she is talked-at, her children, the Boomers, want a conversation. There is a general migration from talk-at media to the talk-with tools of the internet. And Web 2.0 means that the explosion of talk-with tools made possible by the internet are becoming much more powerful, easier to use, more democratic and more community-oriented.

In my next post, I'll talk (with you) a bit more about talk-with media, and how we can take any medium and make it more Boomer-friendly. See you there.

Brad Bell