Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media: Comprehensive Study Notes

Communicating in the Digital Age With E-Mails and Memos

• The Digital Transformation of Communication:

  • Technology has made lives social and mobile, transforming communication from one-on-one conversations to one-to-many transmissions via platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

  • The distinction between online and offline reality is increasingly blurry as virtual and real-life connectedness intertwine.

  • Technological Enablers:

    • Mobile Devices: Laptops, netbooks, smartphones, and tablets are making desktop computers obsolete in many business environments.

    • The Cloud: Powerful mobile devices access data and applications stored in remote networks rather than on local office computers.

    • Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): Offer secure access to organizational information from any global location with an Internet connection, leading to a state where businesspeople are connected $24/7$.

• The Resilience of E-Mail:

  • Total e-mail traffic continues to grow at a rate of $4\%$ annually worldwide.

  • The average office worker receives approximately $120$ messages per day.

  • Globally, $125 \text{ billion}$ business e-mails are exchanged daily.

  • Expert Perspectives:

    • Alexis Madrigal: Refers to e-mail as the "cockroach of the Internet" due to its resilience.

    • Stewart Butterfield (CEO of Slack): Admits that e-mail is an open system with a global name space that has existed for decades and is supported by thousands of clients; he predicts it could last for "tens of thousands of years."

    • Mobile Accessibility: Approximately $85\%$ of businesspeople first open their e-mail on a mobile device.

• Common E-Mail Pitfalls and Complaints:

  • Professionalism: Business journalist Suzy Welch emphasizes that sloppiness and off-the-cuff messages are unacceptable. Author Vicky Oliver states that more than one typo in an e-mail makes it unprofessional and dislikes "one-line e-mails" that sound transactional or automated.

  • E-Mail Overload: Workers report spending approximately $5 \text{ hours}$ a day on e-mail ($3 \text{ hours}$ work-related, $2 \text{ hours}$ personal). Social computing expert Gloria Mark found that cutting off e-mail for a week significantly reduced worker stress levels.

  • Inefficiency: Unnecessary messages (e.g., "thanks" or "received") and the misuse of "Reply All" irritate users and clog inboxes.

  • The Blur of Work-Life Balance: Remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has created an urgency to be available $24/7$.

• The Risks and Permanence of Digital Messages:

  • Digital Footprint: E-mails leave trails on servers even after deletion. Etiquette expert Judith Kallos warns, "If you wouldn't say it to your mother, don't put it in an email."

  • Legal Evidence (Discovery): Long-forgotten messages can serve as evidence in court ($discovery$). For instance, an e-mail from BP engineer Brian Morel describing a project as a "nightmare well" before the Deepwater Horizon explosion contributed to BP's agreement to pay over $65 \text{ billion}$ to settle lawsuits.

  • Employer Rights: Organizations can legally monitor personal e-mail accessed via company networks. Employers also have the right to remotely delete data on personal smartphones if company e-mail is configured on them. Approximately $30\%$ of bosses have fired an employee for Internet or e-mail misuse.

• Determining When E-Mail Is Appropriate:

  • Use E-Mail for:

    • Long, involved, or well-organized messages.

    • Messages to multiple receivers.

    • Messages requiring a permanent archive.

    • Cover documents for attachments.

  • Avoid E-Mail for:

    • Situations requiring warmth, enthusiasm, or emotional nuance.

    • Complex negotiations or smoothing over disagreements.

    • Situations requiring a "human moment" (personnel issues).

  • Persuasiveness Gap: Research indicates people are $34 \text{ times}$ more likely to comply with in-person requests than those sent via e-mail.

Composing and Managing Professional E-Mails and Memos

• The Writing Plan for Information E-Mails:

  • Subject Line: Summarize the main idea in a condensed form. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters (avoid all caps or all lowercase). Include a verb when possible (e.g., "Please Schedule Your OSHA Training" instead of just "Important!").

  • Opening: Reveal the main idea immediately using complete sentences.

  • Body: Explain and justify the main idea. Use high-skim techniques like headings and bulleted lists.

  • Closing: Include action information, deadlines, a summary, or a closing thought.

• Best Practices for Responses and Tone:

  • Salutations: Include a greeting (e.g., "Hi, Lara") to set the tone. Use honorifics for outsiders ("Dear Ms. Ingram") or full names for gender-neutral recipients ("Dear Robin Gray").

  • Tone: Read messages aloud to ensure they do not sound curt or "e-angry."

  • Signature Blocks: Use automatically inserted blocks for full contact information.

  • Down-Editing: Answering e-mail by inserting responses directly into the sender's message. Delete headers, signatures, and unnecessary parts. Use differing font colors or initials to distinguish responses.

• Inbox Management Strategies:

  • Check e-mail at set times (e.g., morning and $4 \text{ p.m.}$) and turn off alerts.

  • The Two-Minute Rule: If a response takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Otherwise, schedule it.

  • Merlin Mann’s Five Steps: Delete, delegate, respond, defer, or do.

• Interoffice Memos:

  • Usage: Necessary for messages that are too long for e-mail, require a permanent record, demand high formality, or target employees without work e-mail (e.g., construction or manufacturing).

  • Memos vs. E-Mails: Memos function better as permanent records because e-mails may change origination dates when files are accessed. Formatting involves 1-inch margins and heading words like DATE, TO, FROM, and SUBJECT.

Workplace Messaging and Texting

• Terms and Technology:

  • Instant Messaging (IM): Real-time exchange of text-based messages (e.g., Slack, Facebook Messenger).

  • Texting: Typically requires SMS (Short Message Service). RCS (Rich Communication Services) offers advanced multimedia features.

  • Presence Functionality: Allows coworkers to locate each other online, avoiding "phone tag."

• Benefits and Applications:

  • Speed: Enables immediate decision-making and real-time communication across time zones.

  • Marketing (SMS Marketing): Brands like Airbnb, Lyft, and Old Navy use opt-in text alerts for coupons and news ($Old Navy uses code 653-689$). Businesses like Target and Domino's use SMS for recruitment updates.

• Risks and Liabilities:

  • Legal Burden: Distracted driving crashes caused by employees cost businesses an average of $72,500$. Hands-free devices are considered just as distracting as handheld ones.

  • Compliance: Financial firms (e.g., JPMorgan Chase, Barclays) often restrict messaging apps due to SEC requirements for tracking all written business communications.

  • Security: Concerns over phishing, viruses, and malware. Encrypted or ephemeral apps (Signal, Snapchat) cause compliance headaches for managers.

• Messaging Etiquette and Best Practices:

  • Approval: Seek permission before downloading third-party apps or sending unsolicited texts.

  • Professionalism: Maintain good grammar and spelling. Avoid texting during face-to-face conversations or in rude settings (restaurants, meetings).

  • Content: Avoid using text for sad news or sensitive business matters.

• Enterprise Messaging (Slack):

  • Usage: $10 \text{ million}$ daily users. Popular for decluttering inboxes and increasing team camaraderie.

  • Downsides: Can be majorly distracting. Spillover of work into personal life has led to class-action lawsuits regarding rest periods.

  • Etiquette: Stay away from slang/acronyms with swear words. Do not discuss job hunting or personal grievances, as employers can legally access and archive these chats.

Business Podcasts and Blogs

• Podcasting for Business:

  • Awareness: Podcast awareness in the U.S. has grown from $50\%$ to $70\%$ in five years. Over $850,000$ shows exist with $30 \text{ million}$ episodes.

  • Genre Consumption: Business podcasts account for $10\%$ of weekly listenership, trailing Comedy ($36\%$) and News ($23\%$).

  • Internal Uses: Informing, engaging, and training staff. They often replace costly teleconferences.

  • Notable Examples:

    • Caterpillar: Beyond the Iron series.

    • Walmart: Walmart Radio.

    • Entrepreneurs: Tim Ferriss (The Tim Ferriss Show has $500+$ episodes and nearly $700 \text{ million}$ downloads); Suze Orman (Women and Money).

• Corporate Blogging:

  • Adoption: $270$ of the Fortune 500 ($54\%$) maintain public-facing blogs. Top sectors: commercial banks, specialty retailers, and pharmaceuticals.

  • Functions: Public relations (e.g., Bill Marriott's heartfelt posts during COVID-19 pandemic), customer relations (Zappos' Beyond the Box), and recruiting (Target's Pulse Blog).

  • Viral Marketing: The rapid spread of online messages. Marketers hope brand advocates (influencers) will cause content to go viral.

  • The Inverted Pyramid: A journalistic pattern for blogs where the big news comes first, followed by supporting facts and background details.

• Mastering the Blog Post:

  • Titles: Use catchy titles. Successful phrases include "Will Make You," "This Is Why," and "Can We Guess."

  • Writing style: Use conversational language, contractions, and vivid action verbs. Keep paragraphs short and include a "Call to Action."

Social Networking and Professional Risks

• State of Social Media:

  • Usage: $72\%$ of American adults use social media. Millennials ($born 1981\text{--}1996$) have the highest usage ($85\%$).

  • Platform Popularity (U.S. Adults): YouTube ($73\%$), Facebook ($69\%$), Instagram ($37\%$), Pinterest ($28\%$), LinkedIn ($27\%$), Snapchat ($24\%$), Twitter ($22\%$), WhatsApp ($20\%$).

  • Recruitment: $99\%$ of businesses use LinkedIn for networking and recruiting. $70\%$ of hiring managers screen social media profiles.

• Enterprise Social Networks:

  • Platforms like IBM Connections, Microsoft Yammer, or Jive are used behind firewalls to improve engagement and crowdsource employee ideas. IBM used Connections to rename its performance system Checkpoint based on $2,000$ initial responses from employees.

• The Dark Side of Technology:

  • Privacy: Location services track users with precision. Personal data is often sold or ends up on the Dark Web (an illicit network not accessible by standard search engines).

  • Cyberthreats:

    • Disinformation/Propaganda: Targeted intentional untruths, often from foreign agents using bot armies.

    • Echo Chambers: Users seek out like-minded narratives, increasing polarization.

    • Deepfakes: AI-synthesized videos that manipulate footage to show people saying/doing things they did not.

    • Incivility/Cyberbullying: Trolls use anonymity to harass. Doxxing involves public shaming and harassment.

  • Data Security Costs: The average total cost of a data breach is $3.9 \text{ million}$. A typical breach compromises $25,575$ records and takes $279 \text{ days}$ to contain.

Questions & Discussion

• Dialogue on Live Chat Training (TransAvia Airlines):

  • Scenario: A customer named Victor is frustrated with an award-travel system throwing error messages.

  • Representative 1 Response: Uses overly casual slang ("what’s shakin’", "Perf", "Whoa! Chill!", "diss", "Yasss", "tbh"), makes typos ("hiw", "systm"), and admits the system is buggy.

  • Representative 2 Response: Uses excessively formal and robotic language ("esteemed customers", "less than stellar", "describe the precise nature of your issue", "I shall attempt", "truly inconsolable").

  • Analysis: Neither extreme is ideal. Rep 1 is unprofessional; Rep 2 feels disconnected and insincere.

• Discussion on Wearables:

  • Concept: Wearable devices (heart rate monitors, skin sensors) used by employers to track lifestyle and health to save on insurance costs.

  • Implications: Employers argue lifestyle choices affect productivity. Critics fear poor morale and lack of data privacy.

• Discussion on Media Free Challenges:

  • University of Maryland Study: Students attempting to go media-free for $24 \text{ hours}$ reported symptoms described as "withdrawal," feeling "sickening dependency" and isolation, though some noted increased focus on coursework.

• Discussion on Conspiracy Myths:

  • Examples Mentioned: 5G cell tower myths, COVID-19 microchip syringes.

  • John Oliver’s Scrutiny Questions: (1) Is there a rational non-conspiracy explanation? (2) Has the narrative held up to scientific scrutiny? (3) How plausible is it as a practical matter?