Chapter 7:
Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 5
1. Describe the role digital media play in the changing world of business in contrast to traditional paper-based messages.
Paper-based:
• Business letters: letterhead stationery, best channel for permanent record, confidentiality is important, sensitivity and formality are essential, and for persuasive, well-considered presentation
• Interoffice memos: internal communication, now to convey confidential information, emphasize ideas, introduce lengthy documents, or lend importance to a message, good for explaining organizational procedures or policies that become permanent guidelines.
Electronic:
• Electronic mail (e-mail): communication channel of choice, read print forward store or even delete, most appropriate for short messages, but inappropriate for sensitive, confidential, or lengthy documents
• Instant messaging (IM): exchange of text messages in real time between 2 or more people logged into an IM service, creates a form of private chat room, useful for back-and-forth conversations, also creates permanent text record and must be used carefully
• Text messaging: short person-to-person inquires and responses that keep them in touch while away from the office
• Podcasts: ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, or downloaded automatically when new content is added, improves customer relations, marketing, training, product launches, and viral marketing (creating an online buzz about new products)
• Blogs: keep customers and employees informed, receive feedback, news can be posted, updated, and categorized for easy cross-referencing, useful tool for marketing and promotion as well as showing the company’s personal side
• Wikis: valuable project management tool because it can be used to manage and organize meeting notes, team agendas, and company calendars
• Social networking: allow participants with various interests to connect and collaborate, reach out to customers and the public, welcome to establish business contacts, network, post career credentials, apply for jobs, and seek advice
2. Meet professional e-mail standards for usage, structure, and format; and follow the rules of netiquette and other best practices.
Components:
• Subject line: summarizes the central idea, avoid one word subjects, not complete sentence and doesn’t require a period
• Opening: reveal main idea immediately, indirect opening edited to direct
• Body: more info about why you are writing, easy comprehension- numbered lists, headings, tables, etc.
• Closing: action information, dates or deadlines, summary of the message, or a closing thought, avoid overused expressions
Formats:
• Guide Words: using full name plus address, both are able to identify the message, cc and bcc
• Greeting: friendly greeting, marks beginning of message
• Body: use proper cases, and keep it to the point
• Closing and Signature block: complimentary closing, must provide your name and smart to include contact information
3. Explain how business professionals communicate by instant messaging and texting.
- Learn about company’s policies about IM and texting
- Don’t text and drive
- Make yourself unavailable when doing important things
- Organize contacts to separate business contacts from family and friends
- Keep messages simple and to the point
- Don’t use for confidential or sensitive info
- Be smart about what you say
- Show patience
- Use proper grammar, avoid slang or jargon
4. Identify professional uses of podcasts, blogs, and wikis; and describe prudent policies to protect authors of electronic content.
Podcasts: news organizations and media outlets, education, sales force for training, real estate agents, HR policies, marketing pitches
Professional blogs: readers can leave feedback, keep customers and employees informed and to interact with them, potentially reach far-flung, vast audience, produce unbiased customer feedback faster and more cheaply than other outlets,