In Closing

Throughout this blog we have discussed:
The basics of IM and text messaging, the pros and cons of both, blunders of IM, using IM in cultural context, whether mobile marketing is the next big thing, and corporate IM start ups.

I am hoping that you have learned some new information along the way, and will be able to put it into practice. I know I discovered some new things, as well as had some of my previous beliefs about instant messaging confirmed throughout the researching process. I will do my best to read over messages before hitting the send button from now on.

Thanks for tuning in,

Chelsey

Culture and Instant Messaging

It is always important to consider the cultural backgrounds of those your colleagues, or clientele. It will help you to communicate effectively if you acknowledge where they are coming from, and what message they will be receiving based on how you act. There are high context, and low context cultures. High context cultures communicate with many non-verbal cues, and rely heavily on context. Low context cultures expect a direct, verbal answer.

Knowledge of these contextual norms works well when meeting or conversing with someone face to face. But what happens when you are sending instant messages?

Oracle Corp. and Carnegie Mellon University have performed a study aimed at determining whether it is important to take cultural context into consideration in the creating of a cross-cultural instant messaging server.

They have found that in high-context cultures there is more of a need to be on the same server, in order to have the same features available. They placed a higher value on multi-party chat, audio chat, and the availability of video chat. Those from a high-context culture also reported using emoticons in conversation more often than those in a low-context culture.

In low-context cultures people are more likely to communicate on different servers as the main conversation piece is the information being typed. They were also found more likely to have multiple conversation windows open at the same time than those of high-context cultures.

So when you’re using instant messaging to converse with colleagues or clientele, try and take notice of their cultural background, recognize whether they are a high or low context culture individual, and put your knowledge to practice. This will increase the effectiveness of your communication.

References:

Fussell, S.R., Kayan, S., Setlock L.D. (2006). Cultural differences in the use of instant messaging in Asia and North America. CSCW ’06 Proceedings of the 2006 20^th anniversary conference. p. 525-528. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.93.9583&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Guffey, M.E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, K., Rogin, P. (2010/2013) Business Communication Process and Product. United States of America. Nelson

Mobile Marketing

One of my favourite things about my cell phone is the lack of soliciting calls that I receive. This may be because I haven’t had my number for too long, or because I made all my accounts when I still lived with my parents and gave their home phone number (you’re welcome mom and dad). Either way, I am not a fan of telemarketing. I like to know about a good deal, but I’d rather read it in the paper, or search it online than have it given to me without asking.

A Forbes article, written by Steve Olenski included the following graph which shows the results of a Responsys study surveying the reasons people opt-in to receive marketing communications. 

His article discusses whether this year, or any year for that matter will be the year for mobile marketing. It seems that although people sign up because they appreciate getting good deals, most find mobile marketing to be unnecessary.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to mobile marketing? Do you think next year will be the year for it to take off?

Reference:

Olenski, S. (2014, February 28). The state of marketing: it’s the best of times and the worst of times. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/02/28/the-state-of-mobile-marketing-its-the-best-of-times-and-the-worst-of-times/

Enterprising Instant Messages

Many businesses already use instant messaging, but now they are looking to make corporate versions of it. These would be systems which allow tracking of messages, but also would mean the messages you’re sending would be branded with your company’s logo.

A few of these companies include Peer.im, Hey Wire, BigAntInstant Messenger, Bopup Communication Server, DBabble, Openfire, and WinpopupLAN Messenger. Though all of these systems differ slightly, they offer the same general service. Having your own branded messages allows you to look more professional. From a management or owner perspective, it would allow review of situations in which the outcome was unfavourable, giving perspective on what to do differently next time.

Personally I would find it easier to focus on work related tasks having an enterprise instant messaging system. I feel I would be more aware of the messages I was sending, as well as whom I was contacting with them.

References:

Bahny, Wally. (2013, February 13). Five enterprise instant messaging systems. Techrepublic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-enterprise-instant-messaging-systems/

Baldwin, Harold. (2014, February 17). Instant messaging is going corporate. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/howardbaldwin/2014/02/17/instant-messaging-is-going-corporate/

IM Interruption

 Interested in a study on workplace interruption? Well I’ve found one for you.

The University of California and Ohio State University have a team of researchers who have found that people working in offices find they are less interrupted when using Instant Messaging at the work place. This is because it acts as a substitute for forms of communication which may be more distracting or time consuming. These other forms of communication consist of telephone calls, face to face interaction, and emails.

Many of the conversations had over Instant Messages consist of general questions, or setting up times when appropriate to meet to further discuss an issue. This reduces interruption time, and waiting time for answers.

What do you think? Do you find Instant Messaging more or less distracting at work?

Personally I love the convenience of it, but need to remember to turn it off if I need to focus on something.

References:

Ohio State University. (2008, June 4). Instant Messaging Proves Useful In Reducing Workplace Interruption. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 11, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm

Instant Messaging Blunder

Now that we’ve discussed all the logistics of Instant Messaging and Texting at work, let’s look at an example.

I personally have not had an instance at work where I said something inappropriate over Instant Message. At my current job, we do not use them, we use email frequently. At my last position I was dealing with clientele, and yet trying to have IM conversations with coworkers at the same time, I found it difficult to concentrate on both.

Here is a link to an example of an Instant Message gone wrong (excuse the language).

Have you ever sent a message to the wrong person? I’ve done that with a friend once, it wasn’t pretty, and unfortunately we were never as close after. Be sure to reread your message before pressing the send button!

Reference:

Instant messaging at work – messaging the wrong person. (n.d.)[Blog] Retrieved from http://postgradproblems.com/instant-messaging-at-work-messaging-the-wrong-person/

Texting or SMS (Short Messaging Service): The Pros and Cons

Text messaging is a very popular communication tool. I am not someone who likes to have conversation over text, and yet I can still send anywhere between 450 and 800 text messages a month. I find it to be an efficient way to learn someone’s eta, to make plans to meet up at a later date, or even decide what to have for dinner. When asking my teenage brother, text messaging is the only way he communicates with his friends if they’re not face to face.

Today, texting is starting to gain popularity with the business and marketing communities. However, just as with instant messaging, there are some pros and cons to consider before communicating through text in the workplace.

Pros:

• Allows one to be accessible from anywhere
• Can be a silent form of communication, preventing the distraction of others
• A single message can be sent to multiple contacts at once, beneficial for news alerts, and marketing
• Available at a low cost
• Quick delivery and response, eliminating phone tag
• Almost every text message received is read by the receiver, unlike emails which are often overlooked or unopened

Cons:

• Can be a distraction, used for social reasons rather than business; linked to traffic accidents and inappropriate uses, example: sexting
• Security risks, disclosure, can be unable to save messages to meet legal requirements
• Minimal characters allowed in a message, can result in the use to text message slang which is not considered professional
• Difficult to convey and apply appropriate tone to a message

All things considered, SMS is gaining ground in today’s business community.

References:

Guffey, M.E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, K., Rogin, P. (2010/2013) Business Communication Process and Product. United States of America. Nelson

Jain, A. (n.d.) SMS marketing – advantages and disadvantages. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.atuljain7.com/sms-marketing-%E2%80%93-advantages-and-disadvantages

Texting in the workplace and it’s pros and cons. (2013, April 24) [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://tekgabber.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/texting-in-the-workplace-and-its-pros-and-cons/

Top 10 benefits of SMS marketing. (n.d.) [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.simplycast.com/blog/top-10-benefits-sms-marketing/