Advantages and Disadvantages of
Multimedia Tools
I don’t know about you, but I
appreciate reading blogs and websites that include multimedia to enhance
messaging. There’s something about electronic pages drenched in text that can
present a level of resistance to reading; no matter how focused you are or how
much you are grasping a concept, the words seem to run together with no end in
sight. However, when I am able to access a link on a page or in a paragraph that
leads to more details related to my current reading, my attention span magnifies
and my understanding is heightened.
Thus, adding multimedia to enhance
messaging can make the difference between the reader scanning through the site
or actually concentrating on the overall content. While utilizing multimedia
tools can assist in attracting visitors and holding their attention, according
to one small business writer, doing so can also enhance SEO (search
engine optimization) strategies by improving a site’s position and rank, increasing
its click-through rate, in addition to greater immersion
and support for branding (Poretsky, 2014).
On the other hand, there are some
disadvantages. A colleague of writer, Poretsky, states that “Adding multimedia
increases the number of codecs and plugins a browser needs to load the page.
The number of opportunities for bugs to creep into your site goes up, as well.
Multimedia also leaves you open to a third-party problem, such as a video being
removed from YouTube, which will leave a blank space in any post in which you
have embedded the video (Nield, 2014).”
The Effectiveness of Multimedia
Tools
In my research, I found that there are
no multimedia techniques more effective than others, as there is no one size that
fits all, and every web site or presentation has its own purpose. So, what works for one, may
not work for the other. For instance, there are multimedia tools specific to
education and helping students learn challenging subject areas such as science.
An example of this tool is www.stellarium.org,
which is a free open source planetarium for computers that features a realistic
sky in 3D. This media tool is one that could be listed in a syllabus and
featured on the instructor’s web site for easy access by and interaction with
their students.
Another resource for educators is www.animoto.com, an online video maker that allows
teachers and students to produce videos for almost anything i.e., research,
projects, public service announcements using photos,
video clips and music. Here is an example featuring a
video produced by 8th graders on the topic of World War I -- http://youtu.be/ZlYMu8c8waw.
Finally, there is www.imovie.com, supported by MAC and Apple, which
allows producers to use audio and video clips to create a movie. This is what I
meant by one size not fitting all. This particular application can be a
multimedia tool for education and businesses, as shown in this example -- http://youtu.be/dl8XNgtnPuk.
There are a host of applications
that can turn your basic web site or presentation into your … WOW! Check out Photostory, Keynote, Glogster, and yes, even PowerPoint
for your next electronic project in cyberspace, and do your research to
determine the best tool for your needs.
References
Nield, D. (2014). Advantages &
disadvantages of using multimedia on web pages. Demand media. Science. Opposing
views. Retrieved from http://science.opposingviews.com/advantages-disadvantages-using-multimedia-pages-1215.html.
Poretsky, S. (2014). Advantages
& disadvantages of using multimedia on web pages. Demand media. Small business chron. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-using-multimedia-pages-46642.html.