Not to be a douche...

[Ryan Jerz]

But if we're going to crusade for New Media, let's define what it is. I have two pretty different ideas about what I consider New Media, but they can sometimes be confused with one another, especially when someone thinks they're making a point.

Here are my possible definitions:

• New Forms of media - Using online video and audio to get a message out. (probably this one, but the distinction should be made)
• The transformation of The Media - The ability for regular people to break news and report, as well as for companies to not be reliant on the news media to get things out

They're different, but I see way too many people think they're the same. I actually think the first one should be called, simply, multimedia, but that's just me. It's also not "new".

[Ryan Jerz]

That's the second definition.

[Wolfy]

New Media is more than that. It's not only the tools, and the transformation, it's the ability to break a story via a twitter post linking to a flickr picture that contains news and the ensuing discussion that evolves over twitter, blogs, comment, facebook and even pints @ the pub. In my opinion New Media and Social Media are the stories, links and conversations that we can initiate and participate in that were not possible before.

-M

[Jim_S]

I vote for the first one.

[Mike McDowell]

Yes, let's define it.

Per your two categories, Jerz - I don't think that these two things are the same, but I certainly think they have common veins. I will also agree that I don't necessarily like using "new media" but I like using "social media" even less. Yes, all new forms/tools of communication can be considered "new media" - but when does that "newness" expire? A blog is still considered new media! Maybe "multimedia" is the route to go. But, you have to realize that most people simply have no idea the possibilities of what that could include - and so using that term could be equally confusing. Perhaps we're not doing ourselves any favors by referring to it as new media. Perhaps we're just glamorizing it? But if not "new media," what do we call it?

As for the shift in The Media - I don't think that is "new media" (in fact, I typically use new media to refer to the communication tools, and not the [news] media). I think that the transformation of news delivery (citizen journalists, etc) has been a result of new media communication among the general public (Joe The Plumbers, if you will). But the bottom line is that the transformation isn't new media - the new media tools have caused the transformation.