SOCIAL NETWORKING ANDBUSINESS COMMUNICATION
PLATFORMS
Sales Partnerships Design
Marketing Growth Communications
INTRODUCTION
Online business communication platformshave existed since the local, dial-up
bulletin boards of the late 1970s. As morecompanies adopted corporate email andalways-on Internet connections, business
communication evolved to include acombination of automated contact
management tools and highlypersonalized staffing and sales portals.
Meanwhile, social networkingservices sprang up through a
combination of easy Internet accessand flexible mobile technology.
Although both kinds of services havetraditionally been at odds with each
other, shifting perceptions aboutonline communication have broughtbusiness users to social media sites,
as the process of professionalnetworking grows less formal.
As far back as the late 1990s, business punditsworried about how “Generation Y” would
impact the business world. The burst of thedot-com bubble in the early 2000s validatedsome theories that a wave of loose, informal
business professionals would find themselvesadopting the stricter habits of their
predecessors. However, social media tools,such as Twitter and Face book, have reached
the mainstream, forcing many traditionalbusinesses to adopt new ways of
communicating with customers. Theinformality of social media has spread to
business communication platforms, with themost popular services blending traits from
multiple generations.
The most popular business communication
platforms focus on sales, business development,
career advancement and vertical industry
knowledge. Powerhouse career site
Monster.com grew from The Monster Board, a
bulletin board where professionals traded job
leads and resumes. CareerBuilder and Hot Jobs
evolved, like Monster, into essential business
communication tools for managers, human
resources professionals and job seekers.
Linkedin blends the career trackingelements of a job board with social
networking content, allowing members tomake requests for introductions throughshared connections. Brazen Careerist, arelatively new business communication
platform, allows members to connectprofiles and resumes from multiple sites to
searchable profile hubs
The rise of business communicationtools mirrors a major change in the
American workforce. Instead ofworking at a single employer for
decades, the typical Americanworker may shift employers or even
change careers multiple times.Business communication platformsenable companies to compete more
aggressively for talent, whileindividuals use social networkingtools to promote themselves and
their services.
Prospective employers and customers
increasingly expect companies to maintain a
presence on social networking services,
mirroring a growing demand for transparency
in professional relationships. Previous
generations of American workers may have
been reluctant to share their resumes, except
in times of financial or career distress. Today,
workers routinely leave career details viewable
by prospective recruiters and customers
The only people with power today arethe audience and that is increasingwith Twitter, Facebook andeverything else. We cater to theirlikes and dislikes and you cater totheir own peril.” – By Simon Cowell
Although some companies have embracedTwitter and Facebook as part of their businesscommunication strategies, many employers still
block social networking websites. Humanresources professionals worry that questionable
photos or status updates could tarnish anemployer’s reputation. Likewise, managers
often feel that accessing social networking sitesfrom work can seriously harm worker
productivity. The more professional nature ofsites, such as LinkedIn and industry-specific
services, makes many companies less nervous,especially when online services help generate
business leads.
Still, employees who freely over sharesensitive information about company
policies, salaries and product details couldface severe consequences Therefore, many
companies have developed policies,procedures, and training programs to helpteams use social media more effectively and
consistently .