Multimedia Tools

According to Wikipedia.org, “multimedia refers to content that uses a combination of different content forms. Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, or interactivity content forms” (retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia). This week in class we’re studying the benefits of multimedia in our messaging. I believe multimedia is a very powerful means of communication. It allows your audience the opportunity to grasp a feeling for what things look like, keeps them engaged, and it can communicate the speaker’s passion for the subject. 

There are some multimedia techniques that are more effective than others, depending on what you’re using it for. For example, in an educational setting, demonstrations that students may not otherwise have the opportunity to see can enhance the lesson. This makes me think back to middle and high school science class. We learned from our books and teacher lectures, but the information all came together when we spent time in the lab doing it ourselves, or the teacher did a cool demonstration. 

Multimedia can be a combination of tools used to enhance the audience’s experience. There are a lot of websites that use a variety of multimedia resources. For example, celebrity entertainment sites like http://www.people.com/people/ use multimedia very well. Not only does this site provide written material, but video http://www.people.com/people/videos/0,,20866632,00.html, and photos http://www.people.com/people/photos/. 



We also see it used daily on news websites like http://www.cnn.com/. Multimedia assists in telling a story. Even the White House has gotten in on multimedia! You’ll notice on http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room links to blogs, speeches and the weekly address, among other things. 


The point is…it’s nearly impossible to have an effective online presence without some form of multimedia. It can only enhance your brand while engaging an audience.  And in the end, isn’t that what we all want to achieve online?    

Fig. 1. Tapbookauthor.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2014 from

http://tapbookauthor.com/presentationPage/tapbookauthor/index.jsp?pageId=multimedia

Fig. 2. Science Lab (n.d). Retrieved October 27, 2014 from

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-3

Fig. 3. People (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2014 from http://www.people.com/people/

Fig. 4. CNN Logo. (n.d.) Retrieved October 27, 2014 from http://www.cnn.com/

Multimedia. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia