Social Media and

Communications
Keeping it Classy in the Modern
Workplace

Written by Dallas Duncan and Dr. Frank B. Flanders

Foundation Skills, Unit 3.9, FS-3
2010
Objectives
 Knowledge: Students will be  Skills: Students will be able
able to: to:
 Write a professional e-mail  Analyze social media and
 Evaluate the pros and cons communications to
of social networking determine their
 Explain the importance of appropriateness
inflection, and how the lack  Communicate through e-
of inflection affects the mail, social networking
meaning of a message sites, text and instant
 Explain why it is important messaging, blogs and
to review an online post discussion boards in a
prior to posting business-appropriate
manner
 Define and discuss unit
vocabulary
Unit Vocabulary
 Attachments
 Blog  Sexting
 Cyber Bullying  Signature
 E-mail  Snail Mail
 Emoticon  Social Networking
 Flaming  Social Norms
 Inflection  Spam
 Instant Messaging  Tagline
 Search Engine  Texting
Optimization  Threads
Lesson 1:
E-mail Etiquette
E-mail Overview
 Why is e-mail etiquette important when
writing or responding to an e-mail?
 What is e-mailing?
 How many of you use e-mail?
 Why are e-mails important?
 What is e-mail etiquette?
 Why is e-mail etiquette important?
 What makes an e-mail different from snail
mail?
Elements to Consider… Hmmm…
Who’s
reading my
 Format: e-mail?

 Keep e-mails brief

 Proper grammar
 Greeting
 To-the-point subject
 Who’s reading your e-mail?
 Respond in a timely manner
 When can you use humor, sarcasm, and ?
 Don’t let signatures and taglines overpower your e-
mail
Signatures and Taglines
 What’s the difference?
 What makes a tagline offensive?
 Write a sample signature and tagline:
Signature Components Tagline Components
Name: Company Motto:

Title:

Street Address: Inspirational Quote:

City, State, Zip Code:

E-mail Address: Other Tagline:

Phone Number:
Editing an E-mail
 Why is editing important?
 Editing Guidelines:
 Gets your message across
 Poor grammar can reflect poorly on the writer
 Type your e-mail into a document program first to
make it easier to edit
 Complete the E-mail Etiquette Activity*.

*See supplementary files for this activity

What Did You Learn?
 Be careful with humor and sarcasm
 Be brief, but include all pertinent information
 Don’t overdo signatures and taglines
 Use minimal slang and acronyms
 Don’t be too informal
 Don’t use all capital letters when typing
Lesson 2:
Social Networking
You, Yourself, and Your Online
Reputation
 How can social networking help or hurt a
person’s reputation?
 How would you define social networking?
 What are some social networking sites?
 Which of these sites do you use?
 Why did you choose these sites?
 Why do you not use social networking?
The Good and the Bad
 What are some pros and cons of social networking?
 Additional examples can be found on the next
slide…

Pros Cons
The Good and the Bad
 What are some pros and cons of social networking?

Pros Cons

Keep up with friends Your friends cites may contain offensive

material
Having a Web site shows employers you’re Parents and employers can see your every
technologically savvy move
Anyone can use them, for free Distraction during class and homework
time
Easy to communicate with peers and adults Other people can post pictures of you

Breaking news is easily visible Predators can find online profiles

It’s fun Cyber bullying

Why Worry About Posts?
 If used incorrectly, social networking can get
a user into trouble.
 Examples:
 Being fired for inappropriate posts or pictures
 Posting rude and offensive comments
 Getting caught having a house party because
someone posted pictures online
 Losing insurance benefits because of postings
and pictures
 Losing employment because your “friend” posted
something racist on your profile
Personal Benefits of Social
Networking
 Personal “brand”
 Unique username
 One profile is better than none
 Help to “sell” yourself to employers
 Chance to practice writing
 Technologically savvy
 Employers get to know you
Guidelines
 Some things to keep in mind…
 Once something is put online, it may be there
indefinitely and be difficult to remove
 Potential employers can and probably will check
your internet reputation
 Employers can fire people for things posted online
 What are other examples of guidelines?
If Your Grandma Won’t Like it…

 Then it shouldn’t be online!

 What are some things that should not be
posted on a social networking profile?
 Nudity, drugs, alcohol
 Anything that could compromise your job or
insurance
 Complete the Social Media Collage* activity.
*See supplementary files for this activity
Social Media Collage Activity
 Use Publisher to make a collage of things that
you should not publish on social media.
 Do not leave any blank space.
Would you hire someone who had
these elements on their Facebook?
Professional Networking
 Have you heard of professional networking
sites such as LinkedIn?
 What are some benefits of sites like this?
 Upload resumes and recommendations
 Network with professionals
 “Online resume” employers can see
 How are these sites different from the ones
discussed previously?
What Did You Learn?
 What do you think about social networking?
 What one thing in this lesson made the
biggest impact on you?
Lesson 3:
Texting and Instant
Messaging
Short and Sweet (Most of the
Time)
 Why is it important to be careful what you say
in a text or instant message?
 What are the differences between texting and
instant messaging?
 How many of you text?
 How many of you use instant messaging?
 Why do you use these services?
Weighing the Options
 What are some pros and cons of using text and instant
messaging?
 Additional examples can be found on the next slide…

Pros Cons
 Weighing the Options
 What are some pros and cons of using text and
instant messaging?

Pros Cons
Immediate communications Can get you in trouble
Tell people something when they can’t talk Sometimes things don’t come out right
Can ask a quick question instead of having an Not everyone has the service; some cost
entire conversation money
Mass information alert Could send a text to the wrong person
 IDK my BFF Jill 
 Is grammar important in text and instant
messaging?
 Do you use abbreviations and emoticons?
Inflection
 What is inflection?  Face-to-Face Inflection
 How can inflection  Body Language
change the meaning of  Changing your voice in
a face-to-face tone or volume
conversation and an  Electronic Inflection
electronic message?  Writing in all capital
letters
 Is voice inflection
 Putting several
important? punctuation marks at the
 Can people tell what end of a sentence
you mean and how you
mean it?
Sexting
 What is sexting?
 Can you get in trouble
for this?
What Did You Learn?
 What is the most important guideline about
texting and instant messaging?
 Remember…once you’ve sent it, there’s no
going back.
 Are grammar and inflection important?
 Sexting can get you into trouble.
Lesson 4:
Blogs and Discussion
Boards
To Blog, or Not to Blog…
 How are discussion boards and blogs forms
of social media and communication?
 What is a blog?
 What does it mean “to blog?”
 What is a discussion board?
 What are threads?
Basics of Blogging
 Why have a blog or discussion board?
 What kinds of blogs and discussion boards
exist?
 Once you write on a discussion board or blog,
can you remove your post?
 What should you not write about online, no
matter where you post it?
Lesson 5:
Ethics of Social Media and
Communication
What’s Right and What’s Wrong?
 Are there rules and consequences associated with electronic
communication?
 Do you know anyone who has gotten into trouble for using social
networking sites at work?
 Should social networking be used on the boss’s time?
 If a company pays for you to have internet or a cell phone, should
you use them for non-work related communication?
 Is it okay to post, blog, or write on a discussion board anything
regarding work-related drama at your company?
 Complete the Social Media Guidelines* worksheet.

*See supplementary files for this

Google Yourself!

 Your teachers, parents, and employers will!

 How would you feel if a prospective employer
Googled you?
 What are some examples of incorrect information
they could find, especially if you have a common
name?
 Now you try. Google yourself and see what comes
up.
 Find one example of information that is actually about you.
What page of the search is it on?
 List the top five links that come up. What makes them
correct or incorrect?
Optimize Yourself!
 What is Search Engine Optimization?
 SEO can determine what information comes up in a
search, and in what order it appears
 How can you maximize your personal SEO?
 Linking your profile information to other Web sites
 Create profiles on as many social networking sites as you
can
 Use your first and last name on your profiles, and your
middle name or initial if you have a common name
 Put your name in the title of your Web sites or blogs
How Private is Online Privacy?
 How can privacy be controlled?
 Why should privacy be controlled?
 What are some privacy control guidelines?
 Can people still view your information and
profiles, even with privacy settings?
What’s “Normal” Mean?
 What is a “social norm?”
 What are some examples of social norms?
 How can an online posting violate a social
norm?
 What impact can this have on your reputation?
 What are some examples of someone acting
outside social norms?
Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media
 List some do’s and don’ts. Which is the most important thing
to remember from each category?
 Additional examples can be found on the next slide…
Do’s of Social Media Don’ts of Social Media
Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media
 List some do’s and don’ts. Which is the most
important thing to remember from each category?

Do’s of Social Media Don’ts of Social Media

DO check your friends’ links DON’T list personal contact information
DO assume that whatever you write will be DON’T post anything in anger: “Post in haste,
seen by everyone repent in leisure”
DO be careful about how you joke online DON’T put social media accounts on your
resume unless they’re directly related
DO post photos that won’t get you in trouble DON’T put inappropriate things in your
“about me” or “info” sections in a profile
DO adjust privacy settings DON’T use questionable usernames
DON’T write anything bad about your job

DON’T post inappropriate photos of you or

your friends
Lesson 6:
Social Media—Bad for
Business?
Actually, it could be good.
 How can businesses use social media to their
benefit?
 Advertising on social networking sites:
 Facebook: Groups and fan pages
 Twitter: Create an account for the company
 YouTube: Upload commercials on a company “channel”
 Blogs: Write entries about promotions or products
 What benefits do social network advertising have for
businesses?
That’s Not All, Folks!

 What are some additional benefits companies can

reap from using social media?
 Able to research consumers who post product reviews on
the Web
 Able to scope out competitors by looking at their social
networking sites
 Increasing the number of links your site has means it will
show up higher on a search engine page
 Using LinkedIn and other professional sites are cheap, easy
ways to look for prospective employees
Assessment
 Exam: the following slides contain an exam
covering this PowerPoint.
 Key: a key to the exam is included in the last
slides.
Unit Test
Social Media and Communication Unit Test

Name: ________________________ Date: _____________________________

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following should NOT be in a tagline?

A. Inspirational quotes
B. Racial references
C. Company motto
D. All of the above can be in a tagline
2. Which of the following are benefits of a personal social networking profile?
A. Creating a personal “brand”
B. Shows employers you’re technologically savvy
C. Free product advertising
D. A and B only
3. Search Engine Optimization…
A. Determines what information appears in what order on a search engine
B. Means to type easily searchable phrases
C. Can be maximized by putting your name on the title of your blog
D. A and C only
4. All of these are social networking sites except:
A. Facebook
B. LinkedIn
C. Texts from Last Night
D. YouTube
5. When writing a professional e-mail, you should consider:
A. Checking your grammar and spelling errors in a document program
B. Who will be reading your e-mail
C. Timeliness of your response
D. All of the above
6. It is okay to post ______________ online.
A. Pictures of illegal activities, as long as they’re “inside jokes”
B. Updates complaining about your boss or job
C. A list of extracurricular activities and interests
D. Song lyrics containing rude or racist quotes
7. Which of the following are examples of inflection?
A. Body language
B. Altering the volume of your voice
C. Writing in all capital letters
D. All of the above
8. Businesses can use the following sites to advertise for free online:
A. Facebook
B. GreenDog
C. YouTube
D. A and C only
9. The following are pros of instant and text messaging EXCEPT:
A. Can ask a quick question instead of having an entire conversation
B. Mass information alert
C. Able to tell people something when they can’t talk
D. Not everyone has these services
10. The term “threads” is defined as:
A. People tied together by interest
B. A series of newsgroup messages dealing with the same subject
C. An e-mail that is sent over and over again to different people
D. Telling a story
 True and False

1. ______ Always post your contact information on your social networking profiles.

2. ______ Social networking is the use of a Web space to connect with people who share some sort of interest.

3. ______ Professional networking sites let you upload a resume.

4. ______ Once you send a text message, it is gone forever and cannot be retrieved. Once you delete an e-mail, it is
also gone forever. A Web site can also be deleted and cannot be retrieved.

5. ______ On professional e-mails, always list personal contact information so your recipients can find you.

6. ______ Bulletin boards are another way to refer to discussion boards.

7. ______ Electronic communication and social media have changed the atmosphere of the modern business
environment.

8. ______ Sexting is a criminal offense punishable by law.

9. ______ It is easy to tell when something on an e-mail is a joke.

10. ______You cannot be fired for anything posted online, because it is protected under the First Amendment.

Short Answer

1. Define the term “flaming” and give an example.

2. List three benefits social media can have for businesses other than advertising.

3. Create a personal e-mail signature in the space below using the guidelines and all parts discussed in class.

4. List three items that should not be posted on an online profile.

5. Describe three pros and three cons of using a personal social networking site.

Pros Cons

6. What are two of the ethical concerns about social media?

7. Explain the difference between the noun and verb forms of the word “blog.”

8. Choose three of the social media sites talked about in the unit and explain how businesses can use them to
advertise to their benefit. Be specific.

9. Explain why inflection is important in communication.

10. Suppose a personnel director comes to class as a guest speaker. They say, “If you apply at most companies
you will be Googled.” What does that mean? Explain.