For our (momentarily) last interview, we had the opportunity to interview George Ioannidis, Director at IN2.
Hi George, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
I work for IN2, a software company that develops, provisions and deploys web-based applications, primarily cloud-based services for managing and publishing content. Our flagship product is a content management platform, with which we can quickly customize and build content hubs tailored to the client's requirements, allowing search and reuse of any type of content. On top of the platform, we offer MyMeedia and SaaS (Software as a Service). These services enable companies, specifically event organisers and destination marketers, to listen and engage with their audiences on social channels and on the web by creating more compelling content and experiences.
“Radio shows should, in my view, think of themselves as live events, always aiming to sustain and build up a fan base.”
Why and how did you become part of the MARCONI project?
The proposition of MARCONI is very interesting to us and also lies at the core of the company's platform. Therefore, when we heard about the project from Mike Matton, the coordinator, we immediately saw a very good synergy, especially in the work that we are doing to help companies reach out and engage with their clients and stakeholders. Our role in the project is to support the indexing and search of social content, helping radio stations to get more out of their interactions on social media, better understand the issues that are discussed on their shows and respond faster to online comments. For us, it is a perfect fit, because we are able to use our experience on how events and destinations manage a diverse set of content (social media, web feeds, photos, audiovisual files) from many sources on the web, to engage with stakeholders, apply it to a new domain and develop additional components that allow users to better comprehend and analyse faster what is happening.
How does MARCONI adapt to the ongoing popularity of social media?
It is important that radio shows and programs keep on engaging with their audiences. Whereas the dial-in mode used to be the primary channel, we now see that people are now more adept to multi-channel interaction, e.g. on Twitter, using WhatsApp, or a radio show's specific app. Consequently, there is no other way than reaching your audiences on the channels they are already active on. Radio shows should, in my view, think of themselves as live events, always aiming to sustain and build up a fan base. More immediate, qualitative and personalised interactions can sure help them in reaching this aim. With MARCONI, we plan to provide tools so that broadcasters can easily achieve this while keeping the quality of their programs high.
