Basic communication is changing rapidly.
Unless you recognize and address these changes, the effectiveness of your communications efforts within and outside your community will be greatly diminished.
Here are the increasingly less effective ways of communicating:
- Face-to-face meetings
- Telephone conversations
- E-mails
- Voice mails
When you look at this list, the obvious question becomes “what’s left?”
Hold onto your seats because what’s left is developing exponentially. The leaders of your community need to grab hold of and utilize these changes.
I recently was in a meeting in which we discussed a strategy for increasing broadband coverage in Arkansas. One of the participants said the new methods of communicating with each other are having the biggest impacts on the world since the discovery of electricity.
That’s quite a claim. I happen to think it’s right.
If you want a snapshot of how communication is changing, of how various age groups view those changes and of how some businesses are responding, I’ve found an excellent article that will open your eyes: Why No One Under 30 Answers Your Voicemail.
— Dan Cowling
New FoundNation 
Hi Dan,
As a product of generation Y, I have to say community building is increasingly virtual. I know some would say that the internet makes us more impersonal, but on the other hand it can really be a place to reach out to like-minded people and be totally honest about our view points.
And there’s a community for everything under the sun- from mommy bloggers to comic book collectors to high tech. If you want to find people for your community, I suggest tapping in to these groups. You can do it all from your computer.
There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed. Any tips? Appreciate it!