What sorts of emerging media are you exposed to and how do you feel about it?

As I begin to explore more types of new media, I actually am becoming quite fascinated with the various types of emerging media. Over the last few weeks I’ve began dabbling in the use of blue-tooth technology which is quite fascinating. I purchased a new cell phone and my 15 year old daughter took it from me to activate the Bluetooth so she could share with me different ring-tones, etc. That was an education in itself and I'm not totally sure if I even halfway understand it but it appears to be remarkable technology. However, that topic will need to wait until I have a better understanding of its capabilities.

One emerging media, however, that I am starting to understand, partake in, and see the value of, is blogging. Blogs, in my opinion, allow an informal, unstructured, exchange of information that is an incredible opportunity for marketers. This new media opens a door to two-way communication and allows a “no barriers” feeling with participants which allows them to openly express their likes, dislikes, concerns, and ideas for improvement. Many top corporations have set up blogs which their CEOs/COOs actually take part in giving participants that “connected” feeling and are having great success with feedback.

One blog that I have found very interesting is the General Motors Corporation (GM) FastLane blog (http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/). This blog is set up to discuss GM vehicles but because of GM’s aggressive alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle developments, the discussions of the blog ultimately end up on the alternative vehicle options; GM and its competitors’ involvement; and participant views on what Americans need to do to reduce our energy dependence and to clean up our smog-filled skies.

Another positive thing about blogs is that they bring together an abundance of information on the topic being discussed. With all of the information and the number of comments and different opinions, a visitor can get a lot of information on a topic in one area. However, it is always important to remember postings and comments in a blog are “opinion” based and not always “fact” based.