“Video Social Media: A Reference for Integrating and Applying Video Social Media as a Technical Communicator”

by Danielle Rose | Xchanges 8.1

Applications for VSM

Technical communicators work with a variety of information on a regular basis. The roles and work of a technical communicator can have a variety of applications. VSM sites appeal because they are visual — they are about the delivery of information and the visual impact that a video has as a delivery mechanism. This section will present ideas for adapting VSM and harnessing the visual impact through discussion of three areas of focus for technical communicators: research, documentation, and presentation on a specific topic.

a.) Research

VSM can benefit technical communicators who are conducting research by creating a more open forum for the gathering of information. By taking the visual format which is the purpose of VSM sites, and through proper integration of VSM site features, a researcher can harness the “tacit knowledge” of the viewer (Nikolova-Houston 6). The comment section of a video allows for quick feedback, and once the feedback has been incorporated, a technical communicator can link to a new video and reply to comments asking the audience for more feedback. This integrated system of response can build a participatory design loop.

As an example, a VSM site could be used by a technical communicator to develop a questionnaire to research a future paper. Instead of the researcher sending the potential questions to peers through email, the researcher could develop a video that presented the questions in consideration. The researcher could ask viewers to comment with more questions, concerns, or for clarification. The benefit of using a VSM site in this situation is that instead of several dialogues from a multitude of emails, the researcher has the information contained within the comments for a single video.

b.) Documentation

A large portion of documentation, whether it be for technical manuals or user manuals, focuses on designing around the needs of the audience. Many of the products and applications that technical communicators are designing documentation for now have a multicultural audience. Blair-Early argues that “Design is a complex interplay of audience, information, [and] client and aesthetics. In addressing a multicultural audience, designers must consider both the audience’s and their own cultural orientation” (210-211). VSM has the ability to reach across the globe, and a video can display information where textual instructions may have difficulty.

Technical communication documenters can post images of the documentation that they have created and ask for feedback. The act of changing settings and the documentation for the act are visual and feedback can be left from viewers all across the globe. This particular use of VSM can show an action without needing words, avoids language and translation issues, and quickly reaches and receives feedback from the global audience.

c.) Presentation on a Specific Topic

With VSM, technical communicators have a global audience not just for documentation but for any other videos that they can find a use for. Students and professionals can use VSM to help present information on a specific topic. Using VSM in this way allows them to “have unprecedented access to information and international audiences for the purpose of research and critique” (Blair-Early 210). “Universities are becoming increasingly international and multicultural through cheap and accessible technology like the Internet and social networking tools” (Blair-Early 210). By harnessing these tools, they are reaching a large, multicultural audience quickly, and more effectively interacting with their intended audience.

VSM can also help present information that would not normally have been seen. If a student or a practitioner has developed a presentation on a specific topic but the conference or forum they were to present at was canceled, the student or practitioner could still record the presentation and post it on a VSM website. A VSM presentation allows a presentation to be viewed by a larger audience, across the globe, and reach farther than it would have as a live presentation. The video can also be formatted in a variety of ways — a specific topic presentation does not have to include visuals of the speaker. Instead the speaker’s voice can present, and slides or visuals from the presentation can be shown to the viewer.