Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

Crafting Messages for Electronic Media
Chapter 7 Crafting Messages for Electronic Media Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Learning Objectives Identify the electronic media available for short messages, list nine compositional modes used in electronic media, and discuss the challenges of communicating through social media Describe the use of social networks, user-generated content sites, community Q&A sites, and community participation sites in business communication LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to do the following: Identify the electronic media available for short messages, list nine compositional modes used in electronic media, and discuss the challenges of communicating through social media Describe the use of social networks, user-generated content sites, community Q&A sites, and community participation sites in business communication Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Learning Objectives Describe the evolving role of in business communication, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to messages Describe the business benefits of instant messaging (IM), and identify guidelines for effective IM in the workplace LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to do the following: 3. Describe the evolving role of in business communication, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to messages 4. Describe the business benefits of instant messaging (IM), and identify guidelines for effective IM in the workplace Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Learning Objectives Describe the role of blogging and microblogging in business communication today, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to do the following: 5. Describe the role of blogging and microblogging in business communication today, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging 6. Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Electronic Media for Business Communication
The considerable range of electronic media available for brief business messages continues to grow as communication technologies evolve. In this chapter we will review electronic media options for message distribution. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Electronic Media for Brief Messages
Podcasts Online Video Blogging & Microblogging Text Messaging Instant Messaging User Content Sites Social Networks Electronic media and Web 2.0 media in particular are changing business communication. In fact, with so many media options for brief messages, a key challenge these days is figuring out which is the best medium for each message: Social networks and user-generated content sites. Social networking sites such as Facebook and user-generated content sites such as YouTube provide a variety of communication tools, including user comments and personal profiles, that support brief messages. In addition, a number of companies now host their own social networking sites, where product enthusiasts interact by sharing personal stories, offering advice, and commenting on products and company news. . The high speed and low cost of make it an attractive alternative to printed messages, and is now a primary medium for most companies. Instant messaging (IM). After consumers around the world began to adopt IM as a faster and simpler alternative to , businesses were not far behind. Computer-based IM usage now rivals usage in many companies. Text messaging. Phone-based text messaging has a number of applications in business communication, including order and status updates, marketing and sales messages, electronic coupons, and customer service. Blogging and microblogging. The ability to update content quickly and easily makes blogs and microblogs (such as Twitter) a natural medium when communicators want to get messages out in a hurry. Podcasting. You may be familiar with podcasts as the online equivalent of recorded radio or video broadcasts (video podcasts are often called vidcasts or vodcasts). Businesses are now using podcasts to replace or supplement some conference calls, newsletters, training courses, and other communication activities. Online video. Now that YouTube and similar websites have made online video available to hundreds of millions of web users, video has been transformed from a fairly specialized tool to a mainstream business communication medium. More than half of the world’s largest companies now have their own branded channels on YouTube, for example. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Compositional Modes for Electronic Media
Conversations Comments and Critiques Orientations Summaries Reference Material Narratives Teasers Status Updates & Announcements Tutorials As you practice using electronic media in this course, it’s best to focus on the principles of social media communication and the fundamentals of planning, writing, and completing messages, rather than on the specific details of any one medium or system. Richard Edelman, “Teaching Social Media: What Skills Do Communicators Need?” in Engaging the New Influencers; Third Annual Social Media Academic Summit (white paper) [accessed 7 June 2010] .com. Fortunately, the basic communication skills required usually transfer from one system to another. You can succeed with written communication in virtually all electronic media by using one of nine compositional modes: Conversations. IM is a great example of a written medium that mimics spoken conversation Comments and critiques. One of the most powerful aspects of social media is the opportunity for interested parties to express opinions and provide feedback. Orientations. The ability to help people find their way through an unfamiliar system or new subject is a valuable writing skill and a talent that readers greatly appreciate. Unlike summaries (see next item), orientations don’t give away the key points in the collection of information but rather tell readers where to find those points and how to navigate through the collection. Summaries. At the beginning of an article or webpage, a summary functions as a miniature version of the document, giving readers all the key points while skipping over details (see Figure 7.2). Reference material. One of the challenges of planning and writing reference material is that people typically don’t read such material in a linear sense but rather search through to find particular data points, trends, or other specific elements. Making the information accessible via search engines is an important step. However, readers don’t always know which search terms will yield the best results, so include an orientation and organize the material in logical ways with clear headings that promote skimming. Narratives. The storytelling techniques covered in Chapter 4 can be effective in a wide variety of situations. Narratives work best when they have an intriguing beginning that ignites readers’ curiosity, a middle section that moves quickly through the challenges that an individual or company faced, and an inspiring or instructive ending that gives readers information they can apply in their own lives and jobs. Teasers. Teasers intentionally withhold key pieces of information as a way to pull readers or listeners into a story or other document. In electronic media, the space limitations and URL linking capabilities of Twitter and other microblogging systems make them a natural tool for the teaser approach. Status updates and announcements. If you use social media frequently, much of your writing will involve status updates and announcements. Tutorials. Given the community nature of social media, the purpose of many messages is to share how-to advice. Becoming known as a reliable expert is a great way to build customer loyalty for your company while enhancing your own personal value. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Creating Content for Social Media
Use a conversational approach Write informally but not carelessly Create concise, informative headlines Get involved and stay involved Use promotion indirectly Be transparent and honest Social media have changed the relationship between senders and receivers; therefore, the nature of the messages between them has also changed. Follow these tips to create successful content for social media: Remember that it is a conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch. One of the great appeals of social media is the feeling of conversation, of people talking with one another instead of one person talking at everyone else. Write informally but not carelessly. Write as a human being, not as a cog in a faceless corporate machine. At the same time, do not get sloppy. Create concise, specific, and informative headlines. Avoid the temptation to engage in clever wordplay with headlines. This advice applies to all forms of business communication, of course, but it is essential for social media. Get involved and stay involved. Companies and individuals can and do get criticized all the time in social media. Take the opportunity to correct misinformation or explain how mistakes will be fixed. If you need to promote something, do so indirectly. Just as you would not hit people with a company sales pitch during an informal social gathering, refrain from blatant promotional efforts in social media. Be transparent and honest. Honesty is always important. Avoid issues that have tripped up a few companies in recent years, such as hiding behind an online blogging persona. Think before you post! Because of careless messages, individuals and companies have been sued for Twitter updates, employees have been fired for Facebook wall postings, vital company secrets have been leaked, and business and personal relationships have been strained. Unless you are sending messages through a private channel, assume that every message will be read by people far beyond your original audience. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in Electronic Media for Business Communication: Electronic Media for Brief Messages Compositional Modes for Electronic Media Creating Content for Social Media This concludes our discussion of Electronic Media for Business Communication. The next section will cover Social Networking and Community Participation Websites. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Social Networking and Community Participation Websites
Social networks, online services that enable individual and organizational members to form connections and share information, have become a major force in business communication in recent years. This section takes a look at the business communication uses of social networks and a range of related technologies, including user-generated content (UGC) sites, community Q&A sites, and community participation sites. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using Social Networks for Business Communication
Gathering Market Intelligence Recruiting New Employees and Finding Business Partners Sharing Product Information Fostering Brand Communities Businesses now use several types of social networks, including public, general-purpose networks such as Facebook and Google+, public, business-oriented networks (LinkedIn is the largest of these); and a variety of specialized networks. With their ability to reach virtually unlimited numbers of people through a variety of electronic formats, social networks are a great fit for many business communication needs (see Table 7.1). In addition to the collaboration uses discussed in Chapter 2, here are some of the key business applications of social networks: Gathering market intelligence. With hundreds of millions of people expressing themselves via social media, you can be sure that smart companies are listening. For example, sentiment analysis is an intriguing research technique in which companies track social networks and other media with automated language-analysis software that tries to take the pulse of public opinion and identify influential opinion makers. Recruiting new employees and finding business partners. Companies use social networks to find potential employees, short-term contractors, subject-matter experts, product and service suppliers, and business partners. Sharing product information. Businesses don’t invest time and money in social networking simply to gain fans. Customers want to participate, to connect with fellow enthusiasts, to share knowledge about products, to communicate with company insiders, and to influence the decisions that affect the products they value. This notion of interactive participation is the driving force behind conversation marketing, in which companies initiate and facilitate conversations in a networked community of customers and other interested parties. Fostering brand communities. Social networking is playing an important role in the rapid spread of brand communities, groups of people united by their interest in and ownership or use of particular products (see Figure 7.3). These communities can be formal membership organizations, such as the Harley Owners Group, or informal networks of people with similar interests. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using User-Generated Content Sites for Business Communication
User-generated content (UGC) sites, where users rather than website owners contribute most or all of the content, have also become serious business tools. As with other social media, the keys to effective user-generated content are making it valuable and making it easy. First, provide content that people want to see and to share with colleagues. A video clip that explains how to use a product more effectively will be more popular than a clip that talks about how amazing the company behind the product is. Second, make material easy to find, consume, and share. For example, a branded channel on YouTube lets a company organize all its videos in one place, making it easy for visitors to browse the selection or subscribe to get automatic updates of future videos. Sharing features let fans share videos through or their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using Community Q&A Sites for Business Communication
Community Q&A sites, where visitors answer questions posted by other visitors or by representatives of companies, are becoming an increasingly important venue for routine communication such as customer support questions. Examples include dedicated customer support communities such as those hosted on Get Satisfaction ( public sites such as Yahoo! Answers ( and Quora ( and member-only sites such as LinkedIn Answers ( Responding to questions on Q&A sites can be a great way to build your personal brand, to demonstrate your company’s commitment to customer service, and to counter misinformation about your company and its products. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using Community Participation Sites for Business Communication
Multiple User Input Social Bookmarking Group Buying Crowdsourcing Product & Service Reviews Groupon Yelp StumbleUpon Some of the more intriguing developments in business communication are taking place in a diverse group of community participation websites, designed to pool the inputs of multiple users in order to benefit the community as a whole (see Figure 7.4). These include social bookmarking or content recommendation sites such as Delicious ( Digg ( and StumbleUpon ( group buying sites such as Groupon ( crowdsourcing sites such as InnoCentive ( that invite people to submit or collaborate on research challenges and product designs; and product and service review websites that compile reviews from people who have purchased products or patronized particular businesses. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in Social Networking and Community Participation Websites: Using Social Networks for Business Communication Using User-Generated Content Sites for Business Communication Using Community Q&A Sites for Business Communication Using Community Participation Sites for Business Communication This concludes our discussion of Social Networking and Community Participation Websites. The next section will cover ing. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

ing has been a primary business communication medium for many years and has compelling advantages that will keep it in steady use in many companies as it continues to evolve and integrate with other media. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Evolving Role of Email Ease of Correspondence
No Memberships or Software Downloads Required Short-to-Medium Length Messages Private Communications Non-Urgent Review at Your Leisure still has compelling advantages that will keep it in steady use in many companies, even as it evolves and becomes integrated with other electronic media. First, is universal. Anybody with an address can reach anybody else with an address, no matter which systems the senders and receivers are on. You don’t need to join a special group or be friended by anyone in order to correspond. Second, is still the best medium for many private, short- to medium-length messages. Unlike with microblogs and IM, for instance, midsize messages are easy to compose and easy to read on . Third, ’s non-instantaneous nature is an advantage when used properly. Many business messages don’t need the rapid update rates of IM or Twitter, and the implied urgency of those systems can be a productivity-sapping interruption. allows senders to compose substantial messages in private and on their own schedule, and it allows recipients to read those messages at their leisure. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Adapting the Three-Step Process for Email Messages
Planning Writing Completing Planning Writing messages can range from simple one-paragraph memos to multipage reports, but the three-step writing process can help you in every instance. With practice, you will be able to complete the various planning, writing, and completing tasks in a manner of minutes for most messages—which will be a significant benefit to your career. In addition to the skills you have practiced in Chapters 4 through 6, apply the guidelines in the following sections. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Planning Email Messages
The biggest complaints about are that there is just too much of it and that too many messages are of little or no value. You can help with this problem during the planning step by making sure every message has a useful, business-related purpose. Every user has a responsibility to avoid actions that could cause trouble, from downloading virus-infected software to sending inappropriate photographs. hygiene refers to all the efforts that companies are making to keep clean and safe—from spam blocking and virus protection to content filtering. Matt Cain, “Managing Hygiene,” ZD Net Tech Update, 5 February 2004 [accessed 19 March 2004] www .techupdate.zdnet.com. Finally, be sure to respect the chain of command. In many companies, any employee can anyone else, including the president and CEO. However, take care that you don’t abuse this freedom. For instance, don’t send a complaint straight to the top just because it’s easy to do so. Your efforts will be more effective if you follow the organizational hierarchy and give each person a chance to address the situation in turn. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Writing Email Messages
Business is a more formal medium than you are probably accustomed to with for personal communication (see Figure 7.5). The expectations of writing quality for business are higher than for personal , and the consequences of bad writing or poor judgment can be much more serious. Recognize that messages carry the same legal weight as other business documents. The subject line is one of the most important parts of an message because it helps recipients decide which messages to read and when to read them. To capture your audience’s attention, make your subject lines informative and compelling. In addition, many programs display the first few words or lines of incoming messages, even before the recipient opens them. As noted by social media public relations expert Steve Rubel, you can “tweetify” the opening lines of your messages to make them stand out. In other words, choose the first few words carefully to grab your reader’s attention. Steve Rubel, “Tip: Tweetify the Lead of Your s,” The Steve Rubel Stream blog, 20 July 2010 [accessed 22 July 2010] Too many people assume that the standards and expectations of business communication do not apply to . As a general rule, however, the time you might save with careless writing will not make up for the damage it can do to your career. Haphazard planning and sloppy writing may require less time for writers, but they usually demand more time from readers who are forced to dig the meaning out of misspelled words and confusing sentences. People who care about effective communication—a group that includes most senior executives—often judge the quality of your work by the quality of your writing. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Completing Email Messages
Do not let the speed and simplicity of lull you into thinking that careless writing is acceptable. Particularly for important messages, a few moments of revising and proofing might save you hours of headaches and damage control. Also, lean in favor of simplicity when it comes to producing your messages. A clean, easily readable font, in black on a white background, is sufficient for nearly all messages. Take advantage of your system’s ability to include a signature (most corporate systems support this). The signature gives your messages a more professional appearance and makes it easy for others to communicate with you through other channels. When you are ready to distribute your message, pause to verify what you are doing before you click “Send.” Double-check your addressees to make sure you have included everyone necessary—and no one else. Also, do not set the message priority to “High” or “Urgent” unless your message is truly urgent. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in ing: Evolving Role of Adapting the Three-Step Process for Planning Messages Writing Messages Completing Messages This concludes our discussion of ing. The next section will cover Instant Messaging and Text Messaging. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Instant Messaging and Text Messaging
Computer-based instant messaging (IM), in which users’ messages appear on each other’s screens instantly, is used extensively for internal and external communication. IM is available in both stand-alone systems and as a function embedded in groupware, collaboration systems, social networks, and other platforms. Phone-based text messaging (sometimes known as short messaging service or SMS) has many applications in business, including marketing (alerting customers about new sale prices, for example), customer service (such as airline flight status, order status, package tracking, and appointment reminders), security (for example, authenticating mobile banking transactions), crisis management (such as updating all employees working at a disaster scene), and process monitoring (alerting computer technicians to system failures, for example). Jack Aronson, “Use Text Messaging in Your Business,” ClickZ, 12 June 2009 [accessed January 2011] .com; Paul Mah, “Using Text Messaging in Business,” Mobile Enterprise blog, 4 February 2008 [accessed 16 September 2008] Paul Kedrosky, “Why We Don’t Get the (Text) Message,” Business 2.0, 2 October 2006 [accessed 4 October 2006] www. business2.com; Carpenter, “Companies Discover Marketing Power of Text Messaging.” The advice offered in this section applies primarily to IM but is relevant to text messaging as well. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using Instant Messaging
One of the most popular alternatives to is instant messaging (IM). For both routine communication and exchanges during online meetings, IM is now widely used throughout the business world and is beginning to replace for internal communication in many companies. Business-grade IM systems offer a range of capabilities, including basic chat, presence awareness, remote display of documents, video capabilities, remote control of other computers, automated newsfeeds from blogs and websites, and automated bot capabilities (derived from the word robot) in which a computer can carry on simple conversations. IM functions are also being embedded into other communication media, including online meetings and social networks. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Using Text Messaging Marketing Customer service Security
Crisis management Process monitoring Phone-based text messaging applications in business include the following: Marketing (e.g., alerting customers about new sale prices) Customer service (e.g., airline flight status, package tracking, and appointment reminders) Security (e.g., authenticating mobile banking transactions) Crisis management (e.g., updating all employees working at a disaster scene) Process monitoring (e.g., alerting computer technicians to system failures) Because IM is currently more versatile and widely used in business than text messaging, the next several slides will focus on IM. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Business IM Benefits The benefits of workplace IM include its rapid response to urgent messages, lower cost than both phone calls and , ability to mimic conversation more closely than , and availability on a wide range of devices. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful IM
Although instant messages are often conceived, written, and sent within a matter of seconds, the principles of the three-step process still apply: Planning instant messages. Except for simple exchanges, take a moment to plan IM “conversations” in much the same way you would plan an important conversation. A few seconds of planning can help you deliver information in a coherent, complete way that minimizes the number of individual messages required. Writing instant messages. As with , the appropriate writing style for business IM is more formal than the style you may be accustomed to with personal IM or text messaging. Find out if your company discourages the use of IM acronyms (such as FWIW for “for what it’s worth” or HTH for “hope that helps”). Completing instant messages. The only task in the completing stage is to send your message. However, do not skip the revision and proofreading tasks. Be sure to quickly scan your message before sending it, to make sure you do not have any missing or misspelled words and to verify that your message is clear and complete. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Workplace IM Guidelines
Multiple Conversations Efficient and Effective Confidential Information Security Guidelines Personal Messages Usage Schedule Message Complexity Impromptu Meetings To use IM effectively, keep in mind some important behavioral issues: the potential for constant interruptions, the ease of accidentally mixing personal and business messages, the risk of being out of the loop (when you are away from your PC or other IM device), and the vast potential for wasted time. Regardless of the system you may be using, you can make IM more efficient and effective by following these tips: Unless a meeting is scheduled, make yourself unavailable when you need to focus on other work. If you are not on a secure system, do not send confidential information. Be extremely careful about sending personal messages—they have a tendency to pop up on other people’s computers at embarrassing moments. Do not use IM for important but impromptu meetings if you cannot verify that everyone will be present. Do not use IM for lengthy, complex messages; is better for these types of messages. Try to avoid carrying on multiple IM conversations at once to minimize the chance of sending messages to the wrong people. Follow all security guidelines designed to protect your company’s information and systems. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in Instant Messaging and Text Messaging: Using Instant Messaging Using Text Messaging Business IM Benefits Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful IM Workplace IM Guidelines This concludes our discussion of Instant Messaging and Text Messaging. The next section will cover Blogging and Microblogging. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Blogging and Microblogging
A blog (short for weblog) is an easily updatable online journal that can combine the global reach and reference value of a conventional website with the conversational exchanges of or IM. A microblog is a variation on blogging in which messages are restricted to specific character counts. Twitter ( is the best known of these systems, but many others exist. Role of Blogging Blogging first began to catch on in business communication because blogs provided a much easier way for senders to update and distribute fresh content and for receivers to get new information automatically (through feeds or newsfeeds, of which RSS is the best known).Blogging also began to take on a more personal and informal tone than regular business websites, helping to “put a human face” on companies and increase the lines of communication between experts and executives on the inside and customers and other stakeholders on the outside. Another important role that blogging has acquired is making individuals and companies more easily findable through search engines. Valeria Maltoni, “Corporate Blogs: How’s Your Elevator Pitch These Days?” Conversation Agent blog, 6 July 2010 [accessed 31 January 2011] With all these benefits, blogs are now a common tool in business communication, and many companies have multiple bloggers, writing either as a team on an individual blog or on their own blogs. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Elements of Effective Business Blogging
A blog combines the global reach and reference value of a website with the conversational exchanges of or IM. Good business blogs accomplish this by paying close attention to several important elements: Communicating with personal style and an authentic voice. Most business messages designed for large audiences are carefully scripted and written in a “corporate voice” that is impersonal and objective. In contrast, successful business blogs are written by individuals and exhibit their personal style. Delivering new information quickly. Today’s blogging tools let you post new material within minutes of writing it or filming it. Not only does this feature allow you to respond quickly when needed, it also lets your audiences know that an active conversation is taking place. Choosing topics of peak interest to audiences. Successful blogs cover topics that readers care about, thereby encouraging them to read and make comments. Encouraging audiences to join the conversation. Comments can be a valuable source of news, information, and insights. However, not all comments are useful, so many bloggers review them and select the most helpful or interesting ones to post. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Understanding Business Applications of Blogging
Social Media Hub Project Management Internal Company news Customer Support Public & Media Relations Recruiting The business applications of blogs include a wide range of internal and external communication tasks. Blogs are a potential solution whenever you have a continuing stream of information to share with an online audience—and particularly when you want the audience to have the opportunity to respond. Here are some of the many ways businesses are using blogs: Social Media Hub - The multiple threads of any social media program should be anchored in a central hub that the company or individual owns and control. Blogs make an ideal social media hub. Project management - Using blogs is a good way to keep project teams up to date, particularly when team members are geographically dispersed. Internal Company news - Companies can use blogs to keep employees informed about general business matters, from facility news to benefit updates. Customer Support - Customer support blogs answer questions, offer tips and advice, and inform customers about new products. Public & Media Relations - Many company employees and executives now share company news with both the general public and journalists via their blogs. Recruiting - Using a blog is a great way to let potential employees know more about your company, the people who work there, and the nature of the company culture. Debbie Weil, Why Your Blog Is the Hub of Social Media Marketing,” Social Media Insights Blog, 12 January 2010 [accessed 31 January 2011] Ross Dawson, “A List of Business Applications for Blogging in the Enterprise,” Trends in the Living Network blog, 7 July 2009 [accessed 31 January 2011] Fredrik Wackå, “Six Types of Blogs—A Classification,” CorporateBlogging. Info website, 10 August 2004 [accessed 5 October 2006] www .corporateblogging.info; Stephen Baker, “The Inside Story on Company Blogs,” BusinessWeek 14 February 2006 [accessed 15 February 2006] Jeremy Wright, Blog Marketing (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006), 45–56; Paul Chaney, “Blogs: Beyond the Hype!” 26 May 2005 [accessed 4 May 2006] Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Understanding Business Applications of Blogging
Policy Discussions Crisis Communication Market Research Brainstorming Word-of-Mouth Marketing Community Building The business applications of blogs include a wide range of internal and external communication tasks. Blogs are a potential solution whenever you have a continuing stream of information to share with an online audience—and particularly when you want the audience to have the opportunity to respond. Here are some of the many ways businesses are using blogs: Policy and Issue Discussions - Executive blogs in particular provide a public forum for discussing legislation, regulations, and other broad issues of interest to an organization. Crisis Communication - Using blogs is an efficient way to provide up-to-the-minute information during emergencies, correct misinformation, or respond to rumors. Market Research - blogs can be a clever mechanism for soliciting feedback from customers and experts in the marketplace. Brainstorming - Online brainstorming via blogs offers a way for people to toss around ideas and build on each others’ contributions. Word-of-Mouth Marketing - Bloggers and microbloggers often make a point of providing links to other blogs and websites that interest them, giving marketers a great opportunity to have their messages spread by enthusiasts. Influencing Traditional News Media Coverage Community Building - Blogging is a great way to connect people with similar interests, and popular bloggers often attract a community of readers who connect with one another through the commenting function. Debbie Weil, Why Your Blog Is the Hub of Social Media Marketing,” Social Media Insights Blog, 12 January 2010 [accessed 31 January 2011] Ross Dawson, “A List of Business Applications for Blogging in the Enterprise,” Trends in the Living Network blog, 7 July 2009 [accessed 31 January 2011] Fredrik Wackå, “Six Types of Blogs—A Classification,” CorporateBlogging. Info website, 10 August 2004 [accessed 5 October 2006] www .corporateblogging.info; Stephen Baker, “The Inside Story on Company Blogs,” BusinessWeek 14 February 2006 [accessed 15 February 2006] Jeremy Wright, Blog Marketing (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006), 45–56; Paul Chaney, “Blogs: Beyond the Hype!” 26 May 2005 [accessed 4 May 2006] Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful Blogging
Planning Writing Completing Evaluate Proofread Post Content Style Information Audience Purpose Scope The three-step writing process is easy to adapt to blogging. The planning step is particularly important because you are planning an entire communication channel, not just a single message. Pay close attention to your audience, your purpose, and your scope: Except for blogs with an obvious and well-defined audience, defining your target audience can be a challenge. The audience must be large enough to justify the time you will be investing, but narrow enough that you can provide an identifiable focus for the blog. Unlike a personal blog, in which you typically write about whatever interests you, a business blog needs to have a business-related purpose that is important to both your company and your chosen audience. Defining the scope of your blog can be a bit tricky. You want to cover a subject area that is broad enough to offer discussion possibilities for months or years, but narrow enough to have an identifiable focus. When writing your blog, use a comfortable, personal style. While you must be knowledgeable in the subject area your blog covers, you do not need to know everything. You can provide links to other blogs and websites as needed. Compelling headlines for blog posts are an essential tool to draw in readers. A headline needs to grab the reader’s attention in a split second by promising something useful, surprising, challenging, or otherwise different from what the reader already knows. Headlines should be as short as possible and suggest that the information in the post will be easy to read and use. Completing messages for blogs is straightforward. Evaluate the content and readability of your message, proofread the message, and then post it. Be sure to include newsfeed options so that your audience can automatically receive updates of new blog posts. Finally, make your material easier to find by tagging it with descriptive words. Visitors to your blog who want to read everything you’ve written about recruiting just click on that word to see all your posts on that subject. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Understanding Business Applications of Microblogging
Short Summaries with Links Company Updates Coupons Sale Notices Product Usage Tips A microblog is a variation on blogging in which messages are restricted to specific character counts. Twitter ( is the best known of these systems, but many others exist. Microblog messages often involve short summaries or teasers that provide links to more information. Like regular blogging, microblogging quickly caught on with business users and is now a mainstream business medium. Microblogs are used for virtually all of the blog applications reviewed. In addition, microblogs are frequently used for providing company updates, offering coupons and notice of sales, presenting tips on product usage, sharing relevant and interesting information from experts, serving as the backchannel in meetings, and interacting with customers individually (see Figure 7.9). As microblogging evolves, the technology is gaining features that continue to enhance its value as a business communication medium. On Twitter, for instance, users have adopted the hashtag (the # symbol followed by a unique term) to help readers track topics of interest. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in Blogging and Microblogging: Elements of Effective Business Blogging Understanding Business Applications of Blogging Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful Blogging Understanding Business Applications of Microblogging This concludes our discussion of Blogging and Microblogging. The next section will cover Podcasting. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Podcasting Podcasting is the process of recording audio or video files and distributing them online. Although podcasting is not used as widely as blogging and some other electronic media, it does offer a number of interesting possibilities for business communication. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Understanding the Business Applications of Podcasting
One-Way Teleconference Training Marketing Product Information Company Information (HR) The most obvious use of podcasting is to replace existing audio and video messages, such as one-way teleconferences in which a speaker provides information without expecting to engage in conversation with the listeners. Training is another good use of podcasting; you may have already taken a college course via podcasts. Marketing departments can replace expensive printed brochures with video podcasts that demonstrate new products in action. Sales representatives who travel to meet with potential customers can listen to audio podcasts or view video podcasts to get the latest information on their companies’ products. Human resources departments can offer video tours of their companies to entice new recruits. Podcasts are also an increasingly common feature on blogs, letting audiences listen to or watch recordings of their favorite bloggers. Some services can even transcribe blogs into podcasts and vice versa Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful Podcasting
As with blogs, the three-step process also adapts nicely to podcasting. You have already chosen the medium, so focus the planning step on analyzing the situation, gathering the information you will need, and organizing your material. Furthermore, decide whether you intend to create podcasts for limited use or create a podcasting channel designed for a wider public audience. If you plan to create a podcast channel, make sure that your subject has enough interesting aspects to sustain an ongoing effort. As you organize and move into the writing step, pay close attention to previews, transitions, and reviews. These steering devices are critical in audio and video recordings because these formats lack the visual cues that audiences rely on in print media. In the completing step, keep in mind that editing is much more difficult in an audio or video medium such as podcasting. Therefore, take extra care to revise your script or think through your speaking notes before you begin to record. The closer you can get to recording podcasts in one take, the more productive you will be. When each recording is ready, use your system’s tools to prepare the audio file and publish it via a newsfeed. You may also want to integrate your podcasts with a related blog. Doing so will allow you to provide additional information, and encourage feedback from your audience. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Summary of Objectives This section covered the following elements involved in Podcasting: Understanding the Business Applications of Podcasting Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful Podcasting This concludes our discussion Podcasting. The presentation will close with a review of this chapter’s learning objectives. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Crafting Messages for Electronic Media
Chapter 7 Crafting Messages for Electronic Media This concludes the PowerPoint presentation on Chapter 7, “Crafting Messages for Electronic Media.” During this presentation, we have accomplished the following learning objectives: Identified the electronic media available for short messages, listed nine compositional modes used in electronic media, and discussed the challenges of communicating through social media Described the use of social networks, user-generated content sites, community Q&A sites, and community participation sites in business communication Described the evolving role of in business communication, and explained how to adapt the three-step writing process to messages Described the business benefits of instant messaging (IM), and identified guidelines for effective IM in the workplace Described the role of blogging and microblogging in business communication today, and explained how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging Explained how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting For more information about these topics, refer to Chapter 7 in Excellence in Business Communication. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

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