Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

The most common modes of business communication have chaned significantly in the past decade. Years ago, business communication was largely defined by a publishing or broadcasting mindset. Externally, a company released carefully scripted messages to a mass audience that often had few, if any, ways to respond. In today's business environment, the audinece is no longer a passive recipient of messages but an active participant in the conversation. This blog post will discuss ways of communicating by means of electronic media.

Choosing Electronic Media For Breif Messages

1. Social networks and user-generated content sites. The most common sites are:
• Facebook.com
• LinkedIn.com
• Twitter.com
• Myspace.com
2. Email. High speed and low cost, e-mail is now a primary medium for most companies. However, as technologies continue to evolve and users tireof fighting the flood of spam, viruses, and other prolems related e-mail, this medium is being replaced by other means.
3. Instant messaging (IM). IM offers even greater speed than e-mail, as well as simple operation and fewer problems with unwanted messages or security and privacy problems.
4. Text messaging. Small screen sizes and the lack of a regular keyboard on many phone devices make text messaging somewhat less convenient than computer-based IM. Text messaging is, however, making its way into business communication in such areas as marketing, customer service, and online banking.
5. Blogs. The ability to update content quickly and easily makes blogs a natural medium when communicators need to get messages out in a hurry. 
6. Podcasts. Business are now using podcasts to replace or supplement conference calls, trainging courses, and other communication activities. 
7. Online video. Creating high quality videos require some time and expertise, but even the simple video functions now widely available in cameras and mobile phones can be useful for research interviews, location surveys, product demonstrations, and other communication tasks.

Although electronic means of communication are quick and easy there are certain situations where traditional printed messages should be used. Here are several situations in which you should consider:

• When you want to make a formal impression.
• When your are legally required to provide information in printed form.
• When you want to stand out from the flood of electronic messages.
• When you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record.

Here are some important tips to e-mailing and why they are important:

• When you request information or action, make it clear what you're asking for, why it's important, and how soon you need it; don't make your reader write back for details.
• People will be tempted to ignore your messages if they're not clear what you want or how soon you want it.
• When responding to a request, either paraphrase the request or include enough of the originial message to remind the reader what you're replying to.
• Some businesspeople get several hundred or more e-mail messages every day and may need to be reminded what your specific response is about.
• If possible, avoid long, complex messages via e-mail.
• Long messages are easier to read as printed reports or web content.
• Adjust the level of formality to the message and the audience.
• Overly ormal messages to colleagues are perceived as stuffy and distant' overly informal messages to customers or top executives are perceived as disrespectful.
• Activate a signature file, which automatically pastes your contact information into every message you create.
• You save the trouble of retyping vital information and ensure that recipients know how to reach you through other means.
• Don't let unread messages pile up in your in-box.
• You'll miss important information and create the impression that you're ignoring other people.
• Never type in all caps.
• ALL CAPS ARE INTERPRETED AS SCREAMING.
• Don't over-format your messages with background colors, colored type, complicated fonts, and so on.
• Such messages can be difficult and annoying to read on-screen.
• Remember that messages can be forwarded anywhere and saved forever.
• A moment of anger or poor judgment could haunt you for the rest of your career.
• Use the "return receipt requested" feature only for the most critical messages.
• This feature triggers a message back to you whenever someone receives or opens your message; many consider this an invasion of privacy.
• Make sure your computer has up-to-date virus protection.
• One of the worst breaches of "netiquette" is uknowingly infecting other computers becuase you haven't protected your own system.
• Pay attention to gramma, spelling, and capitalization.
• Some people don't think e-mail needs formal rules, but careless messages make you look unprofessional and can annoy readers.
• Use acronyms sparingly.
• Acronys such as IMHO ("in my humble opinion") and LOL ("laughing out loud") can be useful in informal correspondence between close colleagues, but don't use them in important messages.

If you put these tips you use, you will be able to construct effective and proffesional electronic messages. For more tips, visit these sites:

http://www.businessemailetiquette.com/
http://www.emailreplies.com/