technology & communication
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Technology: The New Age of Communication
Allison JohnsonDebbie Ulto
• Leaders are experts in communication, but Technology both limits and enhances communication. Looking at new ways to communicate through cyber space.
Technology… the double-edge leadership sword.
How do you balance the wonderful tools of technology with the personal side of leadership? Use technology for what they are…tools. What are some ways technology can help you in your leadership?
Use IM to check in with your team and see how they are progressing on a project the two of you had discussed. Use e-mail as a way to send some helpful information or as a good resource for developing a specific area; then, follow-up this topic over coffee. Call their cell phone to schedule coffee or lunch where you can talk one-on-one. Check out their LinkedIn account and submit a recommendation on their behalf. When you are out of town, consider a teleconference with a group of your team for a brainstorming session.
Can Being Virtual Benefit A Leader?
• Since virtual teams are supported by technology and technology tends to filter out vital nonverbal cues, can a leader be effective in virtual contexts?
• Leadership can indeed make a positive difference in virtual contexts.
• Certain technology features, such as anonymity, can make the effects of certain types of leadership more powerful in virtual contexts.
• More recent research adds to these results and shows that when a team leader displays transformational leadership behaviors, the effects of these behaviors are more powerful in virtual teams than in face-to-face or same-place teams.
Email Etiquette • The web for fun for so long that when, we may
forget to present ourselves in a professional manner. • What would we do these days without email?
– Most American families now have a home computer and many find that staying in touch with their friends and family is easier with email than "snail" mail.
– Email is faster and easier to edit than writing by hand. It takes almost no time for an email to reach its destination. You could have many messages sent and replies received in the time it would take a letter to be delivered.
• Email has become almost indispensable in business.– However, the style and format for a business email should be
more formal than when writing to friends.
Email Etiquette
• First, it is important that the Subject field of the email is filled in and is concise but meaningful. – If the Subject is blank or doesn't clearly
indicate the purpose of the email, the email may be deleted without even reading it!
Email Etiquette: Attachments• When sending attachments in an email, keep in mind it may be
deleted. – An alternative would be to copy and paste what you need to send.
• Recipients tend to delete because there is a risk involved in opening attachments. Viruses, worms, stuff that can harm your computer can be maliciously embedded in them.
• Make sure when you attach files that you keep the size as small as possible. Large files take a long time to send and receive.
Color/Graphics• Background colors and/or graphics might be fun to send to
family and friends, but it isn't a good idea to send to potential clients. – Sending a colorful message with butterflies in it will only make
recipient believe you're an amateur, and they will probably delete it.
– Colored text probably isn't so bad, but it's best to stick with black on white.
– Backgrounds and images take up more memory than a plain text email, and that's no good for an editor who receives hundreds of submissions and queries a day.
Misspellings• Use your spell-checker!
– It's simple, and only takes a couple seconds to spell-check your message before sending it. If you don't already have it running, you can usually turn this feature on in the options or account settings part of your email program.
– By doing this, your message will be automatically checked for spelling errors when you press send.
– Don't forget to proofread it as well, as spell-checkers don't usually catch grammatical errors.
Poor Format• You're not writing to your sister to say 'hey', you're emailing a potential client,
whoever that may be. Your message should show that you are a professional. A message like the following does not portray this: "I have a few article ideas for your publication. -Idea 1 -Idea 2"
• That message might be okay if you're sending a message to an editor that you write for consistently. Under any other circumstances, if you want to be taken seriously, your message should be formatted like this:
• "Dear Editor (or their name), (Insert Irresistible Query) Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Freelance Writer"
• Basically, it's best to treat your email queries as you would a snail mail letter.
I'm a Beginner!• Just because you're a beginner, doesn't mean you have to
announce it! Stick to highlighting your skills, experiences, education, strengths, etc.
• When communicating, you need to demonstrate a few important attributes: 1. Professionalism: You are a professional, and are offering quality
services. 2. Enthusiasm: You are happy to do the work.3. Ability: You are willing and able to take on what that project entails. 4. Promptness: You will meet any and all deadlines. 5. Hard-working: You will do what it takes to provide quality work that
you and your peers can be proud of.
Digital Signatures• A digital signature is a term used for marking or signing an
electronic document by a process meant to be analogous to paper signatures, but which makes use of a technology known as public-key cryptography. In other words, it's a digital code that can be attached to an electronically transmitted message that uniquely identifies the sender and insures that the document has not been altered in any way since the sender has signed it.
Why Should I Use Digital Signature?• The processes of creating a digital signature and
verifying it accomplish the essential effects desired of a signature for many purposes:
• Signer authentication.• Message authentication.• Affirmative act. • Efficiency.
Digital Signatures
Digital Signatures
Web Presence• When you ask members, customers, and employees what
comes to their mind when they see your company name, hear your company name, or think about your company, what reaction do you get? Is it positive, negative or indifferent?
• Whatever reaction you get, this is the image your business portrays and it is very important. A successful business strategy includes plans for creating a positive and memorable business image.
Determining Your Market• Several factors should be considered prior to creating your business
image. Each of these factors will help you decide what your image should be.
• First, you must identify your target market. Performing a market analysis can assist with this step.
• Determine who your customers and potential customers are. • You must identify the specific qualities with which you want your
company to be associated. • Identify appropriate qualities and choose those that generate positive
feelings among your target market.• Define your business and focus on a specific aspect of the business
when creating your business image.
Web Presence• Part of implementing a successful internet marketing
strategy is the ability to efficiently update a website. • Understand that websites have mere seconds to catch a
reader's attention. Broken links or inaccurate information on a website often leaves the impression that the site is not being properly maintained and reflects poorly on the organization.
• Some businesses have the capability to update their websites from any computer with internet access.
Assisting with Web Presence
BloggingA blog is a web log, blogging is to write in, add material to, or maintain a web log.•www.wordpress.com•www.blogger.com
Microblogging• A form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text
updates or micro media such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or the web.
• www.twitter.com
Personal Image• A good résumé may no longer completely seal the deal —
today, companies use the internet to make sure they’re picking the best candidate for the job.
• According to Careerbuilder.com, 24 percent of employers made hiring decisions based on Facebook profiles and 33 percent have decided not to hire someone after reviewing a profile’s content.
• It’s time to establish your image on the internet as one of a worthy job candidate and stand out from the crowd.
Personal Image• Branding oneself is important to show how effective you
are and to show what your competences are.• So how do you go about developing a brand online? Five
simple questions can help.1. Who am I?2. Where do I want to be?3. How might I get there?4. Which way is best?5. How do I ensure safe arrival?
Social Networks • Facebook: With over 175 million active users, it’s the most popular social network in the world.
Share photos, videos, status updates and just about anything else you could possibly think of. • LinkedIn: Think Facebook but for working professionals. • Twitter:A micro-blogging service that’s useful for quick text updates of 140 characters or less. • YouTube: The most popular video-sharing site on the Internet.• 9Rules: An online community created by RIT alums showcasing only the best personal blogs on the
web. • Flickr: The most popular photo sharing site on the internet. • Vault: A site that connects job seekers with employers and provides them with inside information. • Last.fm: A music database and radio site that’s great for discovering new music and promoting your
own. • MySpace: The fallen king of social networks which was first known for hosting the work of indie
musicians and creating a platform for them to interact with their fans. • deviantART: A popular community where artist all over the world come to share, sell and discover
art. • TheLadders: A website for people seeking jobs above the $100,000 mark. • WordPress: A simple open source content management system used to create and manage blogs.
Personal Image
• Even though social networking sites allow you to promote yourself, you need to keep these items in mind:1. Open access to everyone2. Your information, profile, is stored in databases by
web crawlers (e.g. Google, Yahoo). This information will still be accessible by potential employers 5, 10, 15, or 20 years down the road, even if it has been deleted.
A. This includes pictures, videos, blogs, etc.
“The world keeps changing. It is one of the paradoxes of success that the things and ways which got you where you are, are seldom
those that keep you there.
If you think they are, and that you know the way to the future because it’s a continuation of where you’ve come from, you may well end up
somewhere you would rather not be…
[This] is a hard lesson to learn.”
Charles Handy The Age of Paradox
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