BC Ch 5: Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media
Communication in the Digital Age
Messages are shorter and more frequent, and response time is much speedier.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter have transformed communication from one-on-one conversations to one-to-many transmissions.
Powerful mobile devices access data and applications stored in the cloud, in remote networks, not individual computers.
Virtual private networks (VPNs) offer secure access to organizations’ information from any location in the world. For better or for worse, businesspeople are increasingly connected 24/7.
E-mail: a mainstay of business communication for messages transmitted within organization as well as with customers and suppliers
Podcasts: a digital media file that is distributed over the Internet and downloaded on portable media players, personal computers, and other devices; may also be called webcasting with audio content or vcasting with video content
Wikis: a Web-based tool that employs easy-to-use collaborative software allowing multiple users collectively to create, access, and modify documents
E-mail in the workplace is unlikely to go away. Despite the growing importance of social media for business, most workplace messages are still sent by e-mail, the most effective digital tool for Internet-using workers.
Trailing only text messaging, e-mail is a more widely used smartphone feature than social networking, watching videos, or using navigation.
However, some workers get overwhelmed with how many eamils they receive. Currently, the average worker receives 121 e-mails per day or more than 44,000 e-mails per year and checks e-mail 77 times per day; some people peek at their inboxes as often as 373 times daily. Each day approximately 215 billion e-mails are sent across the globe
Down-editing: A skillful e-mail technique for inserting responses into parts of an incoming message.
Interoffice memorandum: A paper-based internal communication channel used primarily to convey confidential information, emphasize ideas, deliver lengthy documents, or lend importance to a message.
Memos are necessary for important internal messages that
Are too long for e-mail,
Require a permanent record,
Demand formality, or
Inform employees who may not have work e-mail
Memos and Emails are similar
Similarities
E-mails and memos both generally close with
action information, dates, or deadlines;
a summary of the message; or
a closing thought.
An effective memo or e-mail closing might be Please submit your written report to me by June 15 so that we can review your data before our July planning session. In more detailed messages, a summary of main points may be an appropriate closing. If no action request is made and a closing summary is unnecessary, you might end with a simple concluding thought (I’m glad to answer your questions or This sounds like a useful project).
Differences
You need not close messages to coworkers with goodwill statements such as those found in letters to customers or clients. However, some closing thought is often necessary to avoid sounding abrupt. Closings can show gratitude or encourage feedback with remarks such as I sincerely appreciate your help or What are your ideas on this proposal?
Other closings look forward to what’s next, such as How would you like to proceed? Avoid closing with overused expressions such as Please let me know if I may be of further assistance. This ending sounds mechanical and insincere.
Instant messaging (IM): A communication tool that allows people to use the Internet or an internal intranet to “chat” in real time by exchanging brief text-based messages.
Text messaging (or texting): A communication tool used to exchange brief messages in real time, usually delivered by smartphone.
SMS: Abbreviation for short message service; a service supplied by cell phone service providers that allows texting.
Presence functionality: A benefit of instant and text messaging that enables coworkers to locate each other online, thus avoiding wild goose chases hunting someone who is out of the office.
Phishing: The fraudulent use of email to persuade recipients to disclose personal information.
Malware: Malicious software designed to disrupt the operation of a network or computer.
Spim: Spam (unsolicited advertisements) sent via instant messaging.
Netiquette: Rules of etiquette for polite interaction on the Internet.
Guidelines for IM
Follow company policies: netiquette rules, code of conduct, ethics guidelines, as well as harassment and discrimination policies.
Don’t disclose sensitive financial, company, customer, employee, or executive data, and don’t say anything that could damage your reputation or that of your organization.
Steer clear of harassment and discriminatory content against classes protected by law (race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, and disability).
Don’t forward or link to inappropriate photos, videos, and art.
Don’t text or IM while driving a car; pull over if you must read or send a message.
Separate business contacts from family and friends; limit personal messaging.
Avoid unnecessary chitchat and know when to say goodbye.
Keep your presence status up-to-date, and make yourself unavailable when you need to meet a deadline.
Use good grammar and correct spelling; shun jargon, slang, and abbreviations, which can be confusing and appear unprofessional.
Influencers: Well-connected bloggers who boast large audiences.
TED talks: Thought-provoking podcasts on topics in technology, entertainment, and design (TED); delivered by a mix of entrepreneurs, scientists, and other opinion leaders.
Crowdsourcing: The practice of tapping into the combined knowledge of an online community to solve problems and complete assignments.
Blog: A website with journal entries usually written by one person with comments added by others.
Engagement: Relationships and interactions between companies and customers thought to be created through blogging and online networking resulting in goodwill and brand loyalty.
Viral marketing: The rapid spread of messages online, much like infectious diseases that pass from person to person.
Cloud computing: Storing and accessing information and software applications in remote network clusters, or “clouds”.
Practice Quiz:
An e-mail message would be most appropriate to schedule a meeting.
Which of the following statements about memos is most accurate?
a. Memos should be used to communicate with outside entities such as buyers, customers, and financial institutions.
b. Memos are used more often than e-mail messages in today's workplace.
c. Memos are inappropriate for complex, lengthy messages.
d. Memos are necessary for messages that require a permanent record.
Because most e-mail messages and memos cover nonsensitive information, they should be written using a(n) direct organizational pattern.
Which of the following statements about instant messaging and texting is most accurate?
a. Users of instant messaging and text messaging, unlike e-mail users, do not need to worry about fraudulent schemes, viruses, malware, or spam.
b. Some organizations forbid employees to use instant messaging and texting.
c. Although popular among teens, instant messaging is rarely used by employees to conduct business.
d. Texting allows users to use the Internet to communicate in real time in a private chat room with one or more individuals.
What is the best advice for using instant messaging or texting on the job?
a. Use jargon, slang, or abbreviations freely to save time.
b. Make yourself available at all times.
c. Feel free to use instant messaging or texts to send sensitive information.
d. Learn about your organization's messaging policies
Brianna just started a new job that requires her to use texting to communicate with clients and coworkers. To display proper texting etiquette, Brianna should avoid sending texts in public areas such as performance venues, restaurants, and meetings.
News professionals, educators, and corporate trainers create digital audio or video files; receivers then download the files to view or hear the file contents. What are these digital audio or video files called? Podcasts
A wiki is a Web-based tool that employs easy-to-use collaborative software to allow multiple users collectively to create, access, and modify documents.
One of the biggest advantages of a wiki is that it reduces the confusion that often results from many file versions.
A website or a social media platform that contains informal posts and articles on a variety of topics is called a blog.
Companies use blogs for all of the following reasons except __________.
a. recruiting
b. crisis communication
c. payroll
d. public relations
Which is the best tip to follow when creating a blog?
a. Minimize white space by developing long paragraphs.
b. Avoid contractions and conversational language.
c. Avoid the use of visuals because words are more important than pictures.
d. Use vivid examples, quotations and testimonials, and statistics.
Which statement about social networking is most accurate?
a. Businesses use social networking exclusively for customer input.
b. Very few Fortune 500 companies use social networking sites.
c. The only social networking site used by businesses today is Facebook.
d. Businesses can use social networks to connect dispersed employees.
Which of the following statements best describes the use of social networking by businesses today?
a. Today's companies use social networking sites only for brainstorming and teamwork.
b. Very few businesses use social networking to market themselves.
c. Only young adults use social networking sites.
d. Companies struggle with finding the right balance between permitting access to the Web and protecting security and ensuring productivity.
Shawn has asked you for some advice regarding the use of social networking in the workplace. Which of the following is good advice?
a. Know the policies of the employer.
b. Refuse friend requests or "unfriend" people to avoid jeopardizing professional relationships.
c. Assume that the content posted on a social networking site is protected.
d. Freely share sensitive information.
(T/F) The most important part of an e-mail message is the salutation. False
(T/F) Like e-mail messages, memos can be sent to internal or external audiences. False. Memos are used for important internal messages that are too long for e-mail, require a permanent record, demand formality, or inform employees who may not have work e-mail.
(T/F) Some benefits of instant messaging and texting in the workplace include speed, cost savings, and presence functionality. True
(T/F) Like e-mail, instant messages and texts are subject to discovery in legal cases. True
(T/F) Podcasts are easy to produce and require simple, cheap hardware. False
(T/F) Companies can use wikis to connect offices, collect and disseminate information to large audiences, and facilitate feedback from employees. True
(T/F) The biggest advantage of business blogs is their ability to reach a large audience. True
(T/F) When creating or responding to a blog, you need not worry about grammar and spelling. False
(T/F) Many organizations use social media sites to recruit employees. True
(T/F) Privacy settings on social networks always allow individuals to hide their comments and content from unintended audiences. False