Nathan Griffin
November, 27 2008
As a avid user of computer mediated communication in business there are a few issues that should be covered when it comes to emails, phone calls, text messages, blogs, etc. in the business world. First and foremost, regardless of what industry you are involved in always be professional. It does not matter how well you think you know your clients or how they communicate to you, it is of the utmost importance to keep a very professional business demeanor to your emails as well as all mediums of communication that lack inflection, facial cues, and nonverbal message. Time and time again, I have received emails from prospects and other business contacts that contain misspelled words as well as poor language and improper grammar and I immediately lost interest in working with them. A business relationship is based around one key element, business, plain and simple. For those that don't feel it is necessary to show they have taken the time to piece together a coherent message are displaying that they don't find it necessary to communicate effectively.A great example of this is if you have ever received really poor directions to meet someone. Not only does it leave you frustrated with the lack of explanation and clarification, but also you are still lost and do not know where to go. This in turn usually leads to a loss of interest in making it to the final destination. So to is true in business. Another thing to consider is the lack of intonation and inflection in an email. A harmless joke to someone could be a great insult to another depending on the mood of the reader. This is again another reason to be direct and to the point in all computer mediated communication. In the example of sending a text, consider how convenient it is to read or respond to that text as well. The more direct and precise, the more efficient the process will go.
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3 comments:
I agree with your discussion of positive ethics and rules that are indeed needed when trying to be professional through CMC. I think that the very message we send is a mere example of our own character and ability to be a part of professional environments.
I think it's important to note that it matters not only what you publish in e-mails and text messeges to you co-workers but also everything you post online has the potential to impact your working enviornment. We can see this recently in the case of the Obama speechwriter who had an inappropriate picture on his Facebook account for only a matter of hours and that's all it took to circulate out of his control. Like it was said in the course reading "you are what you post". All it takes is a google search of your name and a employer or potential employer can find a great deal of information about how you spend time with CMC(Conlin, 2006).
Reference
Conlin, M. (2006). You are what you post. Business Week, 3977, 52-53.
As you pointed out professionalism is a key component when discussing any form of CMC. This is especially true when referring to businesses. With privacy being slim to none on the internet professionalism should always be expected.
Another huge reason you should always be professional through CMC in the work place is because monitoring is an increasingly growing trend. Nord, Mc.Cubbins, & Nord(2006) discuss a survey that showed how more than fifty percent of employers are now monitoring emplyees e-mails. If someone is not professional in their e-mails, whether it be to someone within the business or sending personal mail during work time, emlpoyers could see it and have means to punish or fire the employee.
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