Deck 7: Preparing Bad-News Messages

Question 1

How have social media sites such as Twitter changed communication?

Answer 1

Social media sites have changed communications by shortening the message, attention span, and frequency and expectations of response time. Essentially rapid, concise, and condensed messages are needed to effectively communicate.

Question 2

Journalist Bob Garfield, author of The Chaos Scenario, is concerned that privacy is increasingly a rare commodity in our hyperconnected world. He argues: "Google searches, Foursquare check-ins and even basic browsing leave a practically neon trail. And on Facebook, we trade privacy for a sense of community; we fear Big Brother, but we tell lots of 'little brothers' everything." 78 Discuss what seem to be contradictory sentiments. Are you concerned about disclosing personal matters online?

Answer 2

While there are no contradictory statements given, the author is showing that privacy is disappearing with social media to the extent of what is shared. Citizens should realize that all sensitive data given, all friends added, dropped, status updates, and relationships broadcast are no longer personal. Therefore if you value privacy your only option is to opt-out of social media altogether.

Question 3

What is cloud computing, and how is it changing business?

Answer 3

Cloud computing is the use of offsite servers to store, process and retrieve data. Cloud computing is changing business by increasing connectivity to almost 24/7, and by eliminating the use of desktops and necessity of an office, as individuals can access the VPN from home or the clients and have the same amount of productivity.

Question 4

In her book Alone Together, MIT professor Sherry Turkle argues that increasing dependence on technology leads to a consequent diminution in personal connections. "Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And as it turns out, we are very vulnerable indeed. We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital connections... may offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship." 79 Do you agree that technology diminishes personal relationships rather than bringing us closer together? Do social media fool us into thinking that we are connected when in reality we bear none of the commitments and burdens of true friendship?

Question 5

List and concisely describe at least six electronic communication channels used most commonly by businesspeople today. (Objs. 1-5)

Question 6

How could IM be useful in your career field? Does IM produce a permanent record? Do you think that common abbreviations such as lol and imho and all-lowercase writing are acceptable in text messages for business? Will the use of shorthand abbreviations as well as creative spelling negatively affect writing skills?

Question 7

List and briefly describe the four parts of typical e-mails.

Question 8

Tweeting, texting, and quickie e-mailing all may foster sloppy messages. Author Mark Garvey argued, "In business, in education, in the arts, in any writing that takes place outside the linguistic cul-de-sac of our close friends and relatives, writers are expected to reach for certain standards of clarity, concision and care." 80 What did Garvey mean? Do you agree? (Objs. 1, 2)

Question 9

Suggest at least ten pointers that you could give to a first- time e-mail user.

Question 10

Ethical Issue: Aside from actually paying people to act as fans on social networks and entice their friends to do so as well, some marketers employ machines to inflate the number of their fans and followers online. Writing for PC World, 81 Dan Tynan describes how he discovered the activities of a so-called Facebook bot network that operates a large number of zombie accounts created in Bangladesh. Tynan had noticed that many obscure companies were suddenly experiencing wild surges in "likes." He cites Rent My Vacation Home, a rental agency based in Washington, DC, that went from two fans to almost 15,000 within a few days. Tynan counted about 70 other businesses and fan pages across the globe that were also flooded with suspicious "likes" from the same source. Tynan himself was able to create such a bot master with fake accounts in 10 minutes using minimal software and for under $70. Cheap software allows users to use proxies, trick Captcha programs that normally thwart bots, and add bogus friends and subscribers, Tynan writes. Why do some businesses resort to such measures? What might be the consequences of faking fans? How do you feel about companies and their brands pretending they have actual traffic on their sites?

Question 11

How can you use instant messaging and texting safely on the job?

Question 12

Name at least five reasons some organizations forbid employees to use instant and text messaging.

Question 13

How can you show professionalism and respect for your receivers in writing business instant messages and texts?

Question 14

How do organizations use podcasts, and how are they accessed?

Question 15

What is a wiki, and what are its advantages to businesses?

Question 16

Explain why companies use blogs.

Question 17

List the eight best practices for master bloggers.

Question 18

How do businesses try to tap the vast potential of social networking?

Question 19

Name a few of the potential risks that social networking sites may pose to business.

Question 20

What is really simple syndication (RSS), and how is it helpful?