Social Media and Business Writing: Positive and Negative Effects

(Source: http://pamplinmediagroup.com/lor/54-my-community/265503-137858-technology-has-its-pros-and-cons)

Positive Sides 

BUSINESS WRITING 

• Prevention of wastage of time and money. Written communication prevents the waste of money and time. Without meeting with each other the communicator and communicate can exchange their views.

• Accurate presentation.  Through the documents of the written communication top executive can present the information more accurately and clearly. As it is a legal document everybody takes much care does draft it (Business Communication, 2015).

• Kept longer. E-mail and letters can be stored longer in a document or file in a computer or even a hardcopy.

• Helps effective communication. It helps information be well-designated to readers. 

• Enhances coordination. If the information is well preserved and delivered there will be order within the organization that will improve the management. 

SOCIAL MEDIA WRITING 

•  Real-Time Information Sharing. Many social networking sites incorporate an instant messaging feature, which lets people exchange information in real-time via a chat (Claywell, n.d.). 

• Easy to access. It is simple to write a chat or post and start a conversation with your family or friends. 

• Staying up to date. When we check our social media accounts, there are so many events that we may read about that makes us more knowledgeable about it. 

• Promoting businesses. In social media, it is easier to promote a business because it doesn't cost anything and easier for business owners to target customers.  

Negative Sides 

BUSINESS WRITING 

• Expensive. Written communication is comparatively expensive. For this communication paper, pen, ink, typewriter, computer and a large number of employees are needed.

• Time consuming. Written communication takes time to communicate with others. It is a time consuming media. It costs the valuable time of both the writer and the reader (Business Communication, 2015).

• Not simple to understand. Because it is very formal, sometimes it is hard to understand the message.

SOCIAL MEDIA WRITING 

• Cyberbullying and Crimes Against Children. Use of social networks may expose individuals to other forms of harassment or even inappropriate contact.

• Corporate Invasion of Privacy. Social networking invites major corporations to invade your privacy and sell your personal information (Claywell, n.d.). 

• Creates conflicts. Some may post rude comments which is unacceptable that may start a fight in social media. 

References:

Advantages and disadvantages of written communication. (2015, November 17). Retrieved from https://thebusinesscommunication.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-written-communication/

Claywell, C. R. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking. Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Social_Networking


[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pamplinmediagroup.com/lor/54-my-community/265503-137858-technology-has-its-pros-and-cons

POINTS to Consider in Business Writing

As with any forms of writing, your business writing will benefit if you follow the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing) (Daily Writing Tips, n.d.). 

Before starting to write, it is important to make a plan and outline the ideas after. Then, after organizing the ideas it is essential to recheck it before sending it out. There are few essential things to remember in business writing: 

↪Firstly, the information you have to include in the document must be organized well. Ideas should not be cluttered and should be presented in a logical manner. A business writing should be written in a clear way that is understandable by the readers. 

↪Secondly, proper punctuation, spelling and grammar are important in writing business documents. 

Written punctuation indicates stops, pauses and new beginnings. It keeps points distinct from one another. It creates clarity. It alerts the reader to when one sentence starts and finishes or whether we're asking a question or making a statement (Wikiversity, n.d.).

 Proper spelling and grammar is the soul of a business document after its format and structure. It can be rated as not satisfying if the message conveyed had critical grammar mistakes which is not acceptable in the business world. 

↪ Third in the list is to avoid using slang or jargon.

•  Undefined terms: mashup, corbel, nolo contendere, escheat, motocross.
•  Words with special meanings: intervention, migration, vertical, talent, dashboard. Abbreviations (including acronyms) without definitions or spelled-out versions: CRM, OD, EOM, OFA, ERISA, JCAHO.
•  Big, often vague words: methodologies, solo practitioners, anomalistic, multivariate. Symbols without explanations (Gaertner-Johnston, 2017).

It is never allowed to use jargon in business writing. It should always be formally communicated with proper use of language or words. 

↪ Fourth is the format or structure of a written communication. In my previous blog, I included some examples of how a memo and e-mail is structured. In business reports, the format should be consistent and the sentence structure used varies by document.  

↪Fifth, it is important to keep in mind that business documents needs to be checked for revisions. It might have some parts missed or some mistakes while writing. 

References:

Business Writing 101. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dailywritingtips.com/business-writing-101/

Business writing skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Business_writing_skills

Gaertner-Johnston, L. (2017, June 28). Business Writing [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2016/02/take-control-of-your-jargon-.html

How to be INFLUENTIAL IN SOCIAL MEDIA?

(Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/social-media-pCYrPefmrpJCM)

 Making your CONTENT

When talking about social media it is much connected to modern technology. But tools used in technology may not be effective unless it contains a well-organized content. The following are the basics to become an effective social media writer:

      Get updates about new trends

             Make it Straight to the Point

                  Be Conversational

                       Know the Basics of Grammar

                               Take time to Refine

     Social media is more beneficial when it is linked to a
particular topic or interest of specific individuals. There are
so many posts or conversations from different sources each
day so it is better to attempt your posts be conversational as
well as helpful and interesting. 

Get updates about new trends

    Since then there had been many changes in the online world. It brought many new things to learn about social media. It has a huge impact in our society that is also because of new technology. Getting into social media, you need to be informed and familiar with past and especially current events that went viral. 

Make it straight to the point 

Social media is the place where one can write freely without any limit of word use.  But it is effective to stick around your point and just be brief about your posts. 

• Twitter: 125 characters or less (this leaves room for a manual retweet and comments)

• Facebook: No limit, but aim for 1-2 short sentences.

• Instagram: No limit, but try to keep it to 1 sentence or a short phrase. Feel free to throw in an emoji (MailChimp, n.d.).

Be Conversational

A good social media writer knows how to interact and start a conversation with their followers, friends and colleagues in social media. The posts we write should be engaging that as if we know our followers even though we have thousands of them.  It is applicable to use some pronouns like "I", "we", and "you".

Know the Basics of Grammar 

We know social media as an interactive tool of communication widely used today. Then there are such many things we can do in it. So there's a tendency to just post and not think about checking the spelling or grammar that was used. But there should be enough knowledge in grammar, punctuations and spelling to write effectively in the online world.

Take time to Refine

Always be mindful of what you post because after all you will be responsible for it. That is why it is important to think before you post. It will be visible to the public so it should be checked thoroughly to avoid misinterpretations and bad comments. 

References:

Writing for Social Media | MailChimp Content Style Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://styleguide.mailchimp.com/writing-for-social-media/
Social Media Gif [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/social-media-pCYrPefmrpJCM