There is no doubt an element of the personal touch is lost with replacing a phone call with technology. Vocal inferences can add richly to a conversation. However, with that replacement comes a whole new cache of personal possibilities.
Simply writing our thoughts and responses can add a rich element in building and establishing relationships. Think of a time when you have pulled the shoe box, stuffed with old notes and letters, out of the closet to read over and savor the words another person took the time to write down. The conversation has been captured however poetic it may or may not be.
Even the look of a blog can be very personal and representative of a group. The color scheme, the font type and size, the order of posts, the addition of pictures of each team member all play a role in the personal touch.
Audio, video, and pictures can be added to a blog to accent any element of a conversation, or even as an artistic contribution to give spice and life to the blog. Think of it as a motivation for people to contribute, who are as creative as hair stylists, and to return often to enjoy their team member's contributions to their "on line gallery".
As in the post "What is Blogging and Why Blog?", the possibilities for personalizing a team's blog are only limited by their own creative constraints.
To finish, a quote from Dennis Perkins book Leading at the Edge says, "I have frequently heard the lament that electronic media are depersonalizing the workplace, draining organizations of the personal quality that is such an important part of human connection. There is growing evidence, however, that people can work together effectively in ways that were never thought possible before the advent of these new technologies (emphasis mine)."
It's Ritch...with a T!
Posted by: Derek Brandow | December 15, 2005 at 01:35 PM