In Weller’s Ed Tech book each chapter has a wealth of information. I have found it quite interesting how he describes the evolution of technology and its impact in Education. In chapter 12 Weller talks about the origins of YouTube and how, along with the use of the internet, video sharing became relevant to education. I find the use of video of huge relevance in the Automotive Industry which is the sector where I currently work. Marketing research shows that car buyers prefer to watch a video demonstration or a video ad before they even consider taking an actual look at the vehicle they are thinking of buying. Furthermore, some car buyers go as far as watching video reviews online to fact-check what car manufacturers and dealers advertise. Video is a powerful tool that allows shoppers to discover, compare and contrast their different available options, all of this accessible at their fingertips. My employer and the Auto Industry in general, have realized how potential buyers are exploring, engaging and making decisions based on their video experience. Understanding that videos are helpful in the decision process when car-shopping, vehicle manufacturers and car dealerships continue to invest their marketing dollars in good quality videos of their inventory with the expectation to increase sales. Weller argued that “what accompanied and reinforced the online video sharing revolution was a drastic reduction in the cost of production. It has become possible to produce a good quality video using mobile phones” (p.88). This is so true today, not only sales seem to be going up with the use of video but also costs went down by implementing the use of new digital technologies such as online video advertising instead of traditional paper and radio ads. To reaffirm Weller’s statement, some of our Sales Team members are currently able to record a quick video of a newly arrived vehicle using their cell phones and share it on social media or other means within minutes.
On a different note, Weller refers to WordPress as a “blogging tool”(p.73). While I understand his perception of it due to his professional background and use of WP in Education, I find that term to be quite subjective and not necessarily contradicting but contrasting with what I have learned through my work experience. I have used WordPress for website creation and website management. I find the platform fascinating and easy to use. It is user friendly, free, open-source, and easy to integrate with third-party platforms. Yes, it has a built-in blog feature and it was originally created for online blogging and similar online publications. However, I think of it as a very complete platform with endless possibilities currently being used worldwide to create responsive websites. Although I never used WordPress for blog purposes before joining the MALAT program, I can certainly see the benefits of using it for blogging and its practicality in academic environments.
References:
Weller, M. (2020). 25 Years of Ed Tech. Athabasca University Press. Retrieved from: https://www.aupress.ca/books/120290-25-years-of-ed-tech/
Hi Luis,
I too am intrigued by the ongoing increase in applications of video media. I recently booked a car rental and was surprised to be provided almost immediate with a video tour of the car I had booked. There’s an interesting level of transparency and accountability inherent in this use of media. I wonder if maintenance and storage of videos may become cumbersome, or if ongoing “disposal” of old files will take care of this. I have noticed a tendency to hoard digital data for “records” or future reference, though.
Thanks,
~Alisha
Hi Luis,
Interesting points you bring up regarding video. I am amazed to see and hear the endless possibilities of what we can learn via video! I am curious to know if there have been any experiences in which the potential buyer viewed videos and then shared those concerns or objections prior to viewing the vehicle? Perhaps they were in conflict based on what they saw in the video and their personal preferences. Thanks.
Hi Gail, thank you for your questions. The short answer is yes, it happens all the time. Car buyers are much more informed these days than they were back in the day before social media and video sharing were available. In some cases the Sales guys are shocked of how much the customers know about the vehicle features, pricing comparisons, availability and more. The moment a customer comes through our doors they already have done a very thorough research of what they want, they come with specific questions and concerns, and if the Sales team answers them right, they may end up closing the deal.
I am curious about the expanded use of WordPress as not only a blog but for other uses also. In the reading, Weller talked about how WordPress can actually do many of the things my institution relies on the LMS to do. For instance I have a teaching blog that I send my students to from the LMS at times to pick up content pieces but I have never considered adding plug ins for interactivity because our LMS hosts that (not very well in my mind). The more I learn at MALAT and through discussion with the ed tech community the more I think I should take my learning space out of the LMS and just use the LMS for grading. What can WordPress do if you don’t use it for blogging? Are you using it for customer service data? I am curious how you use it. Thanks!
Hi Karen, thank you for your comments. I can tell you that WordPress is present in most websites nowadays. It is one of the strongest website building platforms out there. You can create landing pages and customize them any way you want, to put it simply, everything you see on any website can be or is probably being done within WordPress. WordPress website rank higher on Google because of their responsiveness and their SEO enhanced features, which is what, as a business, you definitely want. I can also share that the integration with third-party software is excellent, credit application forms, inventory listings, parts and accessories catalogs, online appointment scheduler, etc are all third parties, you as the end user won’t notice but each one of them is actually a third party company that is embedded within the website you are seeing, where I work, all that information is also exported, saved and secured in our DMS (Data Management System). I have also helped friends setup their websites with Shopify, that’s what some entrepreneurs are using to do online sales and could link it to their Amazon account, that’s how you, me and millions shop off Amazon, all that back-end work is happening in WordPress.
Thank you for this post, Luis. The use of video (And the web in general) by consumers to gather information from multiple sources is an important aspect of ideas surrounding web 2.0. Beyond consumers using video in their research of a product, and beyond advertising, in what additional ways have you seen video being used in the auto industry over the years? For instance, is it used in the training of customer service workers and mechanics,? In what ways is it used?
Hi George, and thanks for asking those questions because it was hard to narrow down the use of Video only for the purpose of increasing Sales. There is so much more being done with Video, for parts and accessories customers have the expectation to have a video of how some accessories may look on their vehicles, some dealers go as far as creating How-To videos. Most of the training we are required to have for all departments is mostly happening online and through video recordings, from mechanic/technician certifications to Sales monthly strategies or certifications through VSA (Vehicle Sales Authority). For our Service department we made possible to add pictures and/or video of the necessary repairs that your vehicle may need. For example, if you brought in your vehicle in to replace your brakes and the technician finds a leak elsewhere, the Service Advisor would bring his tablet record it, upload it into our DMS and text it to you from his PC, this creates a sense of transparency and honesty in our practices. The same How-To videos are also appreciated by customers who are not tech savvy but try to keep up with all the features their new vehicle offers, an example is How-To connect your smartphone to your truck, or How to add your new vehicle to your Alexa app. While I don’t participate in the video production side of things at work anymore, I have always had an interest and admiration for video production. Good video production is hard work and time consuming. However, it is often not given the merit it deserves.