Evelyn is reluctant to give up the coffee shop, but already several of her acquaintances have stopped coming. Evelyn is pretty sure she will be next.
In public places, consideration for live human beings always takes precedence. When listening to audio on a laptop or tablet in a public place, use headphones to avoid disturbing others. Sometimes it is okay to physically spread out a little, but during busy times, be aware of space constraints and adhere to the rule of one chair and one electronic device on a table per customer. With regard to public Wi-Fi, remember that public bandwidth may be limited; save the downloading of huge files or the watching of movies for home. Also, remember that public networks are by definition less secure. Use a virtual private network (VPN) service for a secure Internet connection.
The Message
Barbara realizes that things have changed considerably in the nearly 25 years since she joined the hospital as an X-ray technician. She still loves her work and welcomes the advances in technology that help her do her job better. And she delights in mentoring new hires as they come through the department, even though she could, now, be their mother. Their energy and enthusiasm are infectious and keep her on her toes.
One thing Barbara is having a hard time getting used to is the way younger folks communicate. It’s like they are speaking a foreign language. Take today’s text from a new employee, Ava, who Barbara is helping on a project: B- JTLYK, will be l8; h8 traffic! F2F ASAP? Project FUBAR! TY, SYS!
Not wanting to admit she is completely lost, Barbara goes online to research the meaning in the message. Aha! Ava just wants to let Barbara know that she will be late as she is stuck in traffic, which she hates! But when she gets to work, can they have a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible? The project Ava is working on is fouled up beyond all recognition, and Ava would be very grateful for Barbara’s help. She will see her soon!
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Since the essence of text-based communication is brevity, some acronyms and abbreviations may be okay as long as the reader readily understands what the writer intends and the message is appropriate. In business emails they should be rarely used, as such shorthand could come across as unprofessional. But professionals still want to be familiar with the most often used communication shortcuts. There are a number of excellent sources for Internet jargon, including netlingo.com and the Internet Slang Dictionary. A visit to one of these sites will get you up to speed with ICYMI, EOBD, TL;DR, AFK, and NSFW (especially) in no time!
Texting
Despite its foibles—wretched autocorrect and messages that go astray, get sent too soon, or are indecipherable—text messaging, or SMS (short messaging service), is still immensely popular. Yes, it has lost ground among the 18–24 age group to apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat, but texting is still the go-to among business professionals. When communicating by text, the urgency of the message should be taken into consideration. Some people see and read their texts immediately, others not for hours or even days. If in doubt, it’s safer to call.
TEXTING TIPS
Consider whether a text is the best mode of communication with a particular person. Even if you have your boss’s number, a text might not be her preference. However, if she texted you in the past, and the information is appropriate, then feel comfortable using this medium. If someone sends you a text, reply in kind, instead of with a phone call. When a text exchange gets lengthy, it is appropriate to suggest a phone conversation to speed things up. With group texts, include only those who really need to see them.
Spell words out in professional texts. Use punctuation even if it seems laborious and unnecessary. If using the voice-to-text feature, carefully review the text before sending it, as it may read nothing like what you intended. Tone, humor, and sarcasm can be easily misinterpreted via text; use these sparingly.
Do not walk and text; never drive and text. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that each day 9 people die from distracted driving and more than 1,000 are injured.7
Allow others to respond as they can. Do not send successive follow-up texts or a snarky “Anyone there??” Be aware of the timing of your text. On the West Coast, you may still be at work at 8:00 P.M., but your East Coast business partner who sleeps with his phone next to him will be awakened by your text.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging is real-time communication between individuals via the Internet, similar to a private chat room. IMs are practical for internal communication, especially when collaboration is desired. But it is not a perfect solution for everyone. Many find IM intrusive yet do not want to disable it for fear of missing important messages. The rules of good grammar, tone, professionalism, and brevity apply to IMs as they do for all text-based communication.
IM GUIDELINES
Do not, generally, send IMs to strangers. Some people do not mind and actually solicit them, but others consider them presumptuous. Ask how someone wishes to be contacted. Use a greeting before launching into your message, and ask if the IM recipient has time to chat.
Use and respect status messages. If someone has set her status as “Do Not Disturb,” then do not disturb her!
Use acronyms carefully. Acronyms are slightly more acceptable with internal IMs, but when in doubt, spell it out.
End an IM exchange with a sign-off. Rather than run the risk of leaving someone hanging, end with a “Thank you” or “It was nice talking with you” message.
Address one point at a time. Wait for a response before moving on to the next point. If your message must be divided into multiple thoughts for the sake of clarity, insert a line break between each thought. For a lengthy exchange, it may be better to ask if the person has time to talk.
The Company Intranet
When used respectfully and thoughtfully, the company intranet provides an efficient platform for internal communication and collaboration. Employees use the intranet to internally crowd-source ideas and gain feedback on initiatives. Used effectively, the company intranet supports a corporate culture, disseminates information, and enhances productivity.
Learn your organization’s intranet “Dos and Don’ts.” The system administrator may have a formal document and colleagues can also quickly get you up to speed.
Determine if you are ready to have a document reviewed or commented on. In some organizations, once a document is saved on a shared platform, it is fair game for anyone’s comments and edits. Never pass off someone else’s content as your own.
Keep your user name and password secure. Do not store sensitive information, including pin numbers, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers on the intranet.
The ways in which you can communicate and collaborate will only become more sophisticated over time. It won’t be long before holographic telepresence technology allows for in-room communication with real-time, full-motion, 3-D images of colleagues continents away. As technology continues to develop at a breakneck speed, it can seem overwhelming. If you remember to practice the Platinum Rule, you will be just fine.
REMEMBER
Text communication will never equal the power of the human voice. Developing telephone skills is time well spent.
Email continues to be the go-to means of business communication. Professionals are judged by their email practices and the content and tone of their messages.
Human beings take precedence over electronic devices. Attached as we are to them, we must look up from and put down our devices.
Professionalism never takes a holiday. Appreciate the speed and convenience of text and instant messaging, but never forget that text-based communication lives forever.
chapter 7
twitter, etc.
Acing Social Media
“Technology is a good servant but a bad master.”
—GRETCHEN RUBIN
Drew and Will, both 22 years old, have spent their entire lives together. They grew up in the same town, went to the same schools, worked together at the same summer jobs, and are n
ow graduating from the same college. In a few weeks, they will start new careers: Drew heading off to a top tech company in California and Will to a plum financial services job in New York City. It’s bittersweet to go their separate ways. But tonight they will celebrate!
They wrack their brains to come up with the perfect setting, when it dawns on Drew that his family’s best friends have not yet left for the summer for their beach house by the shore. Every year, his family spends time at this beautiful waterfront home. These friends have even invited Drew to stay weekends on his own, trusting him so much that they let him know where they keep the spare key.
“This will be perfect!” Drew thinks. They will “borrow” this lovely beach house for just a few hours, and no one will be the wiser. And they will be ultracareful. Drew shakes off any reservations; he is, after all, practically a member of the family. They wouldn’t really mind. So Drew and Will text their friends on the drive down to the shore, inviting them to a low-key gathering and emphasizing low-key.
In the blink of an eye, what they envisioned as a small gathering of friends turns into a raucous melee of 100 people. Beer, wine, and food are spilled on the furniture and rugs. Couples are in the bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen is a disaster. Soon inebriated partiers begin to post the festivities on social media. Sure enough, someone, a neighbor, recognizes the house and alerts the owners.
Police cars arrive at the scene, and Drew and Will spend the night in the county jail. The next day, they stand in front of the judge, lawyers quickly assembled, with parents, the friends whose home they used, and a reporter from the local newspaper. They face a total of 23 counts, including charges of breaking and entering and reckless endangerment of minors. Drew and Will, hands shaking, enter their pleas: “Not guilty, Your Honor.” A court date is set—three weeks after they were to jet off to their new jobs and new lives.
Social media have revolutionized the business world. As recently as 2003, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter did not exist. Now, they are so much a part of our daily lives that we scarcely think about how new and world-changing these technologies are. At this writing, the largest platform is Facebook, followed by YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.1 Snapchat is also huge, especially among those under 34 and the savvy companies marketing to them. Live video streaming, such as Twitter’s Periscope app, is also gaining momentum, as are podcasts. All sites share cyberspace with countless more focused on every demographic and interest imaginable.
Your Digital Footprint
A social media devotee since its beginning, Sarah keeps up with her numerous friends, some going all the way back to junior high school. All through her 20s and now early 30s, Sarah has shared the big moments of her life online—her college graduation, engagement, wedding, travels, jobs, and the most cherished news of all, the arrival of her children. She has loved learning about all of her friends’ milestones as well. Sarah can’t imagine her world without social media and wonders how her parents’ generation survived without it.
Now, with family, work, and volunteering, Sarah is busier than ever before. It occurs to her that she has lost track of all of her sites and her activities on them, especially those from years ago. She’s always been careful with what she shares, but now that she is in management, she wonders if there is possibly something lurking in her past posts that would not fit her image today. She doesn’t think so, but decides it’s better to be safe. Tomorrow, she will do a thorough social media review.
Personal and organizational digital footprints are growing larger by the second. With every post, visit, share, tag, like, snap, and forward, social media users leave traces of digital DNA that can never be erased. The chilling implications of this fact have resulted in an increased interest in the “right to be forgotten,” a controversial topic involving the removal of Internet search results containing incriminatory information about one’s past. It is a complicated issue with freedom of speech, information integrity, and censoring implications that will likely not be resolved any time soon. In 2014, Google lost a battle with the European Court of Justice over failing to comply with their ruling on this matter. Regardless of how the issue is ultimately resolved, you would be wise to heed Jeffrey Rosen’s warning. In his New York Times article, “The End of Forgetting,” he says, “It’s not just that the web and social networking threaten your privacy. It’s that there is no way in the digital age to move on, to start over—to erase your digital past.”2
There is a lot at stake in your use of digital technology, including your safety, security, reputation, relationships, finances, credit worthiness, insurability, and employment. In real life, if you are lucky, the mistakes you make may be forgotten. Online, mistakes live forever. There is no way to reset your reputation, no way to declare “digital bankruptcy,” no way to start over. And transparency, a good thing in relationships and business dealings, has a price online. The worst thing you’ve done will be the first thing someone finds when they search your name.
The list of bright, successful people who have gotten into trouble on social media is very long. All we need to do is read or watch the news on any day via any medium to learn of yet another prominent person going down in flames due to ill-considered online activities. These missteps often cost them everything. Others survive them, but only after offering public apologies. Companies are also not immune to social media gaffes, and many highly regarded organizations have had to do extensive online damage control. With so many cautionary tales, and the widely held feeling that by now we should know better, it is a wonder that this is still happening. Still, for many, the temptation to vent online is irresistible.
Social media also pose serious potential dangers for companies. Data loss, security breaches, compliance violations, reputation damage, compromised intellectual property, and leaked strategy initiatives are some of the risks. CNBC’s Mark Fahey says one of the most costly consequences of social media misuse is lost productivity. In his article, “Time Wasted on Facebook Could Be Costing Us Trillions of Dollars,” he wrote that time spent on Facebook alone is costing employers $3.5 trillion in squandered productivity.3
Realization of the potential impact of online transgressions is increasing. To help manage their online brands, some individuals and organizations are hiring reputation repair and management companies, often for a hefty fee. These companies try to bury, not remove, unsavory online articles and references. They also monitor social media for new problematic items that might pop up.
It is possible to fix a less-than-perfect digital dossier without investing enormous amounts of time and money. And a great deal can be done for free. First, start with an online audit. Even if you’ve done one in the past, content constantly changes without your knowledge, consent, or control. If any new questionable tweets, photos, or videos are discovered, delete them, and ask friends to do the same. Second, consistently add new content to bury potentially damaging items. According to Dorrie Clarke, a marketing strategy consultant, “No one but your worst enemy will bother to visit page 20 on a Google search; most will stick to the first page or two.”4 Videos rank high on Google searches, so she advises including a video blog to ensure that people see what you want them to see. She also recommends a traditional blog and a robust social media presence, including profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Keep in mind that it is far easier to make a good impression online than it is to unmake a bad one. Protect yourself by not airing personal grievances or angry opinions, no matter how justified you might feel, or posting anything that could be considered racist, sexist, or any other “ist” you can imagine. Never engage in online shaming, a dreadful practice often equated with cyberbullying. Make sure all of your online content is relevant and useful, and apply the same standards for virtual communication that you use in real life. This means listen more than talk, respect others’ opinions, apologize for mistakes, avoid arguments, express appreciation, and always be accountable.
Businesses are very much aware of th
e reach and power of social media. With upbeat stories and positive news items, they seek to attract followers and build relationships through “social selling.” Their ultimate goal is to convert leads into clients, and clients into brand advocates. But like personal users, businesses are not immune to costly social media failures. Companies that have tried to disguise online promotions with “sympathy” for national tragedies and natural disasters have paid dearly for their greed and insensitivity. Human error is also an ever-present risk. Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite, wrote about a particularly embarrassing tweet sent by a major international brand, when an employee unknowingly linked an X-rated photo to a response to an unhappy customer. It went to the company’s entire Twitter following and stayed up a full hour before someone noticed and took it down.5
To expand their reach, companies are increasingly tapping into their employees’ social media networks, positioning themselves to take advantage of the enormous marketing potential these offer. Studies show that millennials especially are far more influenced by online endorsements made by their friends than they are by direct marketing from brands. Companies that use their employees as brand ambassadors must be careful because they are at risk by association. Many are implementing social media training programs to help employees understand their organization’s social media strategies, online best practices, and the benefits to them of being brand ambassadors.
Excuse Me Page 13
