Question

Research and answer the following questions:

1. What are some of the communication channels in use today?
   
2. Name some of the advantages and disadvantages of communication channels.
   
3. How has technology influenced the way we communicate?
   
4. In your own organization, what channels are in place? How effectively are they used?  

Your Discussion posts should be a minimum of 250 words in length and not more than 750 words. Use APA citations and references for the textbook and any other sources used.

Answer 1

What are some of the communication channels in use today?

Some channels of communication in use today are; electronic mail, chat rooms, blogs, newsgroups, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and social media websites in general.

Name some of the advantages and disadvantages of communication channels.

Advantages of digital media communication channels

• Information is easily accessed, linked and searched
• It has the potential to be more influential and make a greater impact
• Its fast, convenient and has a wide reach
• Absence of face to face pressure and intimacy
• It is an efficient means of disseminating information
• It enables fast and efficient facilitation of the searching of information for opinion seekers.

Disadvantages of the traditional communication channel

• Information access is limited and laborious to link and search
• Its reach is limited and slow. Its also limited in size and scope
• It is an inefficient means of disseminating information
• Requires a large footprint to store information e.g physical files and tapes.

How has technology influenced the way we communicate?

Technology has greatly influenced the way we communicate such that we are now able to reach our target audience or demography more accurately and quickly.

In your own organization, what channels are in place? How effectively are they used?

In my organization digital media channels such as; electronic mail, skype, Yammer (blog), web portal and communicator (chat messenger) are in use. These channels are extremely effective for disseminating information and collaboration between teams, members as well as executive management and employees. Traditional channels such as word of mouth, face to face and written communication are also used and they have varying levels of effectiveness.