Media Richness

Media richness is described in chapter 10 as "the multiple channels of contact afforded by a communication medium," (pg 334). Certain types of media are more "rich" in communication values than others; for example a letter is less personal than a face to face conversation. I use many types of media at work and the "richness" that goes along with them usually has to do with the level of importance or how quickly the problem needs to be addressed. If a patient is very sick the parent will call the office to make an appointment or sometimes walk in. This added contact allows us to gather more information about the patients condition in a timely manner than if they were to write us a letter or send a fax.