Is Web 2.0 the magic bullet when it comes to communicating with those who are invested in our efforts? Of course not. The digital divide and lack of access to technology is a huge issue and concern that many of us are currently addressing. And then there will always be those who will want you to pick up the phone instead of send an e-mail, who prefer to have a chat over coffee instead of over instant message, or who will enjoy your printed newsletter but delete the e-mailed one.

So what’s the important lesson for your organizational communication strategies?

Howard Moskowitz may have the answer. His research revolutionized the food industry when he declared to Prego in the early 1980′s, “There is no perfect spaghetti sauce – only perfect spaghetti sauces.” He went on to help Prego develop a line of four spaghetti sauces when they had  originally intended to create one. Ever wonder why we have multiple kinds of mustard, soda or cereal? Thank Dr. Moskowitz.

Ultimately, it’s on us to figure out how to meet people and engage them in ways that make sense for them – and then do it. So, I like to think that Web 2.0 is one kind of spaghetti sauce and coffee conversations is another (by the way, there’s a fun anecdote about how we like our coffee in the video below).

At a recent TED conference, Malcolm Gladwell (best selling author and staff writer for the New Yorker) gave the talk below about Dr. Moskowitz’s work.

How do you take your spaghetti – or better yet, your conversation?