Since its launch last November, AZOOMA.org has generated a wave of support and interest in both Arizona Opera and the Arizona Opera Orchestra. As a part of its three-pronged mission, AZOOMA aims to reach out to the community and spread the word, both locally in Arizona and nationally across America.
Towards this aim, we continue to explore the many excellent avenues available on the Internet. Since many online services are free (!) the only real expense is time and energy. While still a valuable outlet, the once dominant power of "traditional media" - where television spots and newspaper articles were the sole sources of information and outreach - are behind us.
Welcome to the "new media."
In the beginning..
AZOOMA's venture began with a main web site, has branched out to this blog, which then lead to several popular social networking sites and lately, to YouTube videos.
A decade ago, this kind of thing would have been unheard of, but these days as more and more people of all ages gain access to high-speed Internet connections, the Internet has become a powerful tool for effective public outreach - especially for musician organizations like AZOOMA.
In a short time AZOOMA has managed to rise from being nearly anonymous, to establishing itself as a widely-known, branded organization.
Since November, the main AZOOMA site has reached hundreds, if not thousands, of unique visitors. And because of its deep content, they often return to learn more - a small example of "brand loyalty."
The average amount of time that a visitor stayed in November was about 2-3 minutes and they looked at an average of about 4 pages. Today, these averages are much higher and continue to climb. The average visitor stays about 8-9 minutes, and looks at about 11-13 pages.
Visitor traffic tends to fluctuate depending on what is happening locally with the Arizona Opera.
The actual numbers range from about 150 unique visitors per day to about 20 unique visitors - a general average of 30 to 40 unique visitors every day. While these numbers may not seem like much for an EBay or CNN.com, for the specialized focus of a regional opera orchestra reaching out to the 5th largest community in the U.S., these numbers are very encouraging and are quite good.
The AZOOMA blog shows equal strength in both its content and in its number of visitors. A wide range of topical postings has attracted a small, but loyal band of regular visitors who check in often to see what AZOOMA has to offer.
Web 2.0 Networks
Our social networking sites - especially MySpace - began as an experiment and has blossomed into an excellent tool for reaching new audiences. For example, upon posting the latest video, "Now is the Time," a new MySpace friend took the initiative and posted a video bulletin to all her friends in support of AZOOMA.
The latest outreach - and most adventurous - has been a series of promotional videos posted on YouTube. Resembling television infomercials, they have made a tremendous impact. The combination of music, video, animation and voice-overs allows AZOOMA to effectively communicate a strong message in a very precise and memorable way.
With the last two videos, "At the Opera" and "Now is the Time," the focus has shifted from general AZOOMA information to our collective bargaining negotiations.
Welcome to the 21st Century
Musician organizations no longer need to remain silent, anonymous or afraid to make their positions known and heard. The Internet "levels the playing field" and provides exciting, new opportunities unheard of in the previous century.
For musician organizations like AZOOMA, it is indeed a "brave, new world."
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