© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 1 Chapter 27 Blogs, Wikis, and Social Networks Technical Communication, 12 th Edition John M. Lannon Laura Gurak

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 2 Blogs Short for Web logs, blogs share information via postings viewable in reverse chronological order. Internal Blogs  Used by companies to enhance workflow and morale.  Users can post information to be seen by all with access. External Blogs  Facilitate customer feedback and enhance public relations

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 3 RSS Feeds A retrieval program that monitors selected sites, identifies relevant information, and sends links by to subscribers

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 4 Wikis Wikis are a type of Web site used to collect and keep information updated.  Anyone with access can add to and update the content.  The wiki keeps track of the date of entries and revisions  The lack of gatekeeping by a central editor creates the potential for inaccuracy.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 5 Writing and Using Blogs and Wikis  Use standard software.  Keep Web writing guidelines in mind  Write differently for internal versus external audiences.  For an internal blog, think carefully before posting comments.  For an external blog, focus on the customers priorities and needs.  Check blog and wiki entries for credibility.  Before editing and adding to a wiki, get your facts and your tone straight.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 6 Social Networking Social networks are Web sites that connect people to each other and to sites of mutual interest. Social networks are used by organizations to reach people in specific interest groups for outreach and marketing.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 7 Using Social Networks  Write with a friendly yet professional tone.  Keep ideas focused and specific.  Check the licensing agreement and other copyright information if using photos or video.  Be discreet about what you post.  Keep global readers in mind.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. 8 Any Questions? For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at