Deck 7: Writing Routine, Good-News, and Goodwill Messages

Question 1

Name and describe the two prevailing technological trends today.

Answer 1

Technological trends :
The two prevailing technological trends today are:
• Cloud computing and
• Mobile communication.
• Cloud computing refers to the storing and accessing of data along with software applications in remote network clusters.
• Mobile communication refers to the increasing obsoleteness of desktop computers, and demand for smaller laptops, PDAs, netbooks, smartphones, and notepads.
Reason for top two technological trends :
The reason these two trends are on top is because of the need to stay connected at all times. Knowledge and information workers are expected to remain tethered to their jobs wherever they are, even on the weekends or on vacation.

Question 2

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

Answer 2

Wiki :
A wiki is a Web site that uses simple-to-use collaborative software to allow users to create documents that can be edited by tapping into the same technology that runs the well-known online database Wikipedia.
Advantages of using Wiki to business :
The five main uses of wikis range from providing a shared internal knowledge base to storing templates for business documents:
1) The global wiki : An ideal tool for information sharing between satellite offices throughout the world.
2) The wiki knowledge base : A database for knowledge management.
3) Wikis for meetings : An acting repository of meeting minutes or a means to facilitate feedback before and after meetings.
4) Project management : A highly interactive platform ideal for projects by enabling information to be centralized.
5) Documentation : Assist in documenting projects large and small, as well as technical or nontechnical.

Question 3

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." 41 What did Garvey mean? Do you agree?

Answer 3

Professional writing :
Garvey is alluding to the belief that professional writing should be just that professional. While the technologies utilized to conduct business and education has come a long way, they are still not forgiving of poor grammar and spelling.
Proper, professional language should be a given at work or at school, and slang and jargon should be saved only for outside of the office or classroom. In fact, if one was to resign themselves to poorly conducted messages, then it gives a bad impression to their future employers or professors. It is not worth the time saved if the reputation is at risk.
The main intention here is that the though the parties involved in the communication may know each other well but still they have to write the messages professionally so that it can be clearly understood.

Question 4

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

Question 5

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.
Find an example of an e-mail that caused a problem for the sender because the message found its way to an unintended recipient. What problem did the situation cause?

Question 6

What do employment and hiring experts recommend to young job seekers who wish to connect with companies on LinkedIn and other professional networking sites?

Question 7

Question 8

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

Question 9

Why are lawyers and technology experts warning companies to store, organize, and manage computer data, including e-mails and instant messages, with sharper diligence?

Question 10

Explain the role of social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Del.icio. us, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Squidoo.

Question 11

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.
What is your strategy to avoid sending an IM, tweet, or text message that you might regret later?

Question 12

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

Question 13

Discuss the ramifications of the following statement: Once an e-mail, instant message, text, or any other document leaves your hands, you have essentially published it.

Question 14

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.
Why do businesses host public blogs with negative postings of their products or services?

Question 15

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

Question 16

Ethical Issue: What Internet behavior could get employees fired? Do employees deserve broad Internet access on the job-if they are responsible? Should employers block access to Web sites? If so, what kind?

Question 17

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

Question 18

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.
How could dashing off quick e-mails, tweets, or instant messages with incorrect style, grammar, or mechanics hurt one's ability to write longer, more formal messages correctly?

Question 19

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

Question 20

What is Web 2.0, and how has it changed the way users engage with information?

Question 21

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

Question 22

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 23

Describe the process of creating a simple podcast.

Question 24

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.
Describe a time when you should have had a face-to-face meeting instead of sending an electronic message. Why would the face-toface meeting have been better?

Question 25

Explain why companies use blogs.