Dynamic Media and "InterNetworks"

Web Culture September 20, 2007

Static media is fading.

People want to be able to control and interact with the media now. They don't want to be presented with content as though they are watching from behind a glass wall.

When the Internet first emerged, it served essentially as a large encyclopedia or newspaper. People browsed websites searching for information. But now in this new age of networking, no longer do we approach the Internet purely to "look something up." No, we use it to engage with the world, with our friends, with companies and individuals.

Websites that purely present static content aren't in their prime anymore. If you're considering creating a website to display information about your organization , think carefully. You'll want to create a site that will draw people to it again and again, and often. You do this with dynamic media.

What is dynamic media? Just go by the definition: media that is changing. But don't go by the book to define "media." Initially you might think of media as advertisements, television, movies... but as we've seen in top-viewed websites these days, media also includes blogs, photo galleries, instant messagers, social-networking websites and we're constantly creating new ones.

But adding dynamic media to your site is only step one. Put up an often-updated photo gallery and you'll have visitors coming back to check the new material. That's not enough, however, to throw your site among the best. Your content may be changing, but you're still presenting information to the viewer. The key is building a community with your content - or better yet, making your site generate its own community and content.

"InterNetworking" - that is, networking with the world via the Internet and web applications - is growing fast. And all internetworks are not necessarily complicated code-wise. Yes, they include some new-age dynamic media, but even basic versions of most of those aren't terribly difficult to create.

Provide a way to make your site a hub for communication and you're on your way to something far superior than what you may have initially considered.

More to come on this topic...

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