COMMUNICATION & EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

MGT 3213 – ORG. COMMUNICATION

Mississippi State UniversityCollege of Business

Impact of Technology

"Technology reduces the amount of time it takes to do any one task but also leads to the expansion of tasks that people are expected to do."

--Juliet Schor

How important is your smart phone?

93 percent of people ages 18-24 say their smart device is more important than their toothbrush.

Bank of America, 2014

How important is your smart phone?

91 percent of all adults say their mobile phone is just as critical as their car.

Bank of America, 2014

How important is your smart phone?

91 percent of all adults say it’s equally as important as deodorant.

Bank of America, 2014

How important is your smart phone?

60 percent of all adults say their mobile device is more important than coffee.

Bank of America, 2014

Those who say it would be very hard to give up …(among those who use each device)

2002 2006 2007

Cell phone 28% 43% 51%

Internet 38% 38% 45%

Television 47% 44% 43%

Landline telephone

63% 48% 40%

E-mail 35% 34% 37%

Blackberry/PDA

6% 22% 36%

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys.

Impacts of Technology

How important is your smart phone?

How often do you check your phone?

35 percent of respondents say they constantly check their phones.

26 percent check their phones a few times daily.

13 percent hardly ever check their phones.

16 percent check their phones once every hour.

8 percent check their phones in the morning and evening.

Where do you check it?

Where do you check it?

Cell Phones at Work

You have no expectation for privacy if using a work-provided phone

Match cultural norms for usage of cell phones in meetings, etc.

Be careful not to slip into too casual of language and conversation topics with superiors

Be aware that if you are on your phone, co-workers may first assume you are goofing off

E-mail

According to the Information Technology and Performance Journal, “research shows that the average employee spends 25% of the work day on e-mail, with 8% of workers devoting over 4 hours a day to e-mail activities” (Dillon & Thomas, 2006, p. 23).

Netiquette Fundamentals Check email and respond promptly Do not contribute to email overload Use email for appropriate messages

Do not send messages when you are angry

Beware of email viruses and hoaxes Use a meaningful subject line! Develop email organizational habits

For example:

Sending Suggestions

To: Address to whom should definitely read & reply to message

CC: Address to people who need info but need not reply

BCC: Similar to CC, but without letting other parties know Does everyone want their

addresses publicized?

Email

Motivation Estimated damage to the US

economy--$10 billion a year 57 million Americans received

phishing messages 5 million Americans were victims in

2009 More than 300 different brands

hijacked each month Financial services, payment

processing top targets Average time a phishing site stays

live – 5 days

Handling Phishing Err on the side of caution

Delete Alert admins Don’t reply without verification Don’t send personal info AT ALL Don’t automatically trust websites

Majority of phishers use some part of the company’s name in the url

Check certificates HTTPS

Emails = Evidence

29% of companies have received subpoenas for employee email messages

Lawyers consider email “truth serum”

"People say the damndest things in emails," says Toronto civil litigator Earl Cherniak.

"And unlike in conversations, they don't disappear into the ether – they're still there, on the hard drive."

Example #1 Along with three other former Hollinger

International executives, Conrad Black was convicted in 2007 of swindling the media empire's shareholders out of $6.1 million.

He was acquitted of nine other charges, including racketeering and wire fraud.

Black was also convicted of obstruction of justice after jurors saw a video of him carrying boxes of documents sought by government investigators out of his offices, loading them into his car and driving off with them.

Example #1 "Dear Peter, I just had a nice call from

David, who to warm up my birthday celebrations, told me that there is some plan afoot to try to charge me $600,000 for my ill-starred trip to Bora Bora. Needless to say, no such outcome is acceptable, but what is the real story? Regards, CONRAD"

Conrad Black in 2002 email to Hollinger executive Peter Atkinson about his trip with wife Barbara Amiel to Bora Bora on a company jet.

Example #2 "I suggested deleting some language

that might suggest we have concluded the (Enron press) release is misleading."

Email from Enron lawyer Nancy Temple, advising company officials in 2001 about the wording of a press release.

Believed to have persuaded a Texas jury three years later that Enron had obstructed a federal securities investigation.

Example #3

Barclays and LIBOR (July 2012)

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7413754n&tag=mncol;lst;3

Email = Evidence

In 2005, New York equity trader Laura Zubulake was awarded $29 million for gender discrimination.

Her former employer had deleted emails from its computer system.

The judge told jurors they were entitled to draw an "adverse inference" from the defendant's actions, concluding the information was deliberately destroyed because it hurt the company.

The Importance of the Web

81% of web-goers using the internet to research a product before purchase (Pew Internet & American Life Project)

71% of online shoppers read reviews (Forrester)

Types of Web Presences

Intranet Distribute information to employees

at various locations Requires password

Extranet Provides information and services to

vendors, suppliers, and customers Requires password

Public web (Internet) presence Available to anyone, anytime

Who Isn’t Online? More than you might think . . .

eMarketer survey, Sept. 2007 (US adults)

55% broadband at home 13% dial-up at home 9% broadband at work or other location 24% no access

Those with no access tended to be older, less affluent, less educated.

Of those who reported “no access” . . .

71% ages 71+ 44% ages 62-71 21% ages 43-61 10% ages 31-42 9% ages 18-30

39% household income under $40,000

39% had a high school diploma or less education

Predictors of No Access

age (being 65 or older) lack a high school education

43% of adults who have not completed high school use the internet, versus:

71% of high school graduates 94% of college graduates.

having a low household income (less than $20,000 per year) 62% of those making less than $30,000 per year 90% of those making at least $50,000-74,999 97% of those making more than $75,000.

Users Have Brief Attention Spans

Visitors will spend no more than eleven seconds looking for a link on a webpage

Within two to three seconds of hitting a Web page, visitors decide that about a quarter of the pages they visit aren't right for them.

(User Interface Engineering)

Web Users . . .

Skim, browse, and hop between ______ rather than read an entire _________

Scan from top to bottom and left to right beginning at the ___ ________ side of the main content area.

Can more easily scan items in _______ rather than ____

Refer infrequently to directions and are likely to read _________ steps than notes, sidebars, and help files.

sectionsdocument

top left-hand

columnsrows

numbered

Writing for the Web

Be brief and keep it simple Use eye-catching headlines Break longer documents into

small chunks Use shorter paragraphs Avoid placing critical information

in graphic form only

Start a New Paragraph When …

You need to: Pause Elaborate Change topic Make an aside Present a quote Shift time or place Emphasize a key point Explain a subsidiary idea Offer an opposing viewpoint Change the rhythm of your piece Move to the next item on your list

Put it above the fold

Only 22% of people in one usability study scrolled to the bottom of the Web page

Nielsen’s latest research shows that people spend only 20% of their attention below the fold.

Bloggers

According to a 2006 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project: 12 million adults maintain a blog 57 million adults read blogs 54% of bloggers have never published

their writing anywhere else

32% of adults read blogs (Pew, 2010)

Who Blogs?

Sysomos, 2010

Who blogs?

Sysomos, 2010

Who blogs? Bloggers are more affluent and educated than

the general population: 79% have college degrees / 43% have graduate

degrees 1/3 have a household income of $75K+ 1/4 have a household income of $100K+

81% have been blogging more than 2 years.

(Technorati, 2010)

Popular Blog Topics 37% my life and experiences 11% politics 7% entertainment 6% sports 5% general news and current events 5% business 4% technology 2% religion, spirituality, faith 1% specific hobby

Blogging is a Personal Pursuit

55% blog under a pseudonym 84% describe their blog as a hobby,

something they don’t spend much time on

59% spend only two hours per week One in ten spend more than ten hours

per week on their blog 52% blog for themselves (vs an

audience)

How Often? 13% post daily or more frequently 15% post three to five days a week 25% of bloggers post one to two days a

week 28% of bloggers say they post new

material to their blog every few weeks

Why should we care about bloggers? Blogs have huge credibility among

their readers

2006 Ipsos MORI survey found that blogs are a more trusted source of information than advertising or e-mail marketing 33% decided not to purchase after

reading negative post 52% have purchased after reading

positive review

Bloggers’ impact Around a third of bloggers (33%) have been

approached by a brand to write about or review products on their blog

41% say that a brand's overall reputation affects their willingness to write about it. 13% say they boycott products 71% say they write only about brands whose

reputation they approve of.

(Technorati, 2010)

Bloggers’ Impact In June 2007, tech blog Engadget reported

that Apple’s iPhone would be seriously delayed

Apple’s stock took an immediate dive Dropped $4 million Stock recovered once it was discovered

that info came from a fake leaked memo

Vincent Ferrari … and AOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmpDSBAh6RY

Copycats … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVp7b5gzqU

Bob Garfield at AdAge Had a HORRIBLE experience switching

to Comcast Devoted some of his regular columns

to the topic (was already working on a book about customer service and marketing)

Got such a “me too!” response, started

http://www.comcastmustdie.com/ 700 comments within two weeks, 90%

negative … and news coverage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a2R8wKfmHM&NR

=1

Blogs for Business? Google

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/ GM http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/ Nike http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/ Britney Spears

http://www.britneyspears.com/blog.php

Ethical Considerations Posting anonymously doesn’t always

shield you (www.puttingfansfirst.com: note—website no longer exists)

Victory4MSU20" (post count: 1) pops up on Michigan State Scout site GoSpartans.net to offer this: I'm a big fan of State sports so I went to the Big 10 Network's kick-off party in East Lansing last week. Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delaney was there telling everybody how great this new TV package is going to be for college football and b-ball fans. WHAT A CROCK! Delaney is like the emperor who wore no clothes...the BTC has already sold its best games to ABC and ESPN. How delusional is Delaney and these other Big 10 greedmongers who want to charge us for the games we'd be able to see on our local cable station? If you want to learn more about the Big 10's big time rip off, I found a web site that explains a lot... www.puttingfansfirst.org VICTORY FOR MSU!!!

Identical messages appeared all over, including Northwestern's and Michigan's Rivals sites and the enormous Spartan message board at SpartanTailgate.com

Outed as Martin Waymire Advocacy Communications, a PR group hired by ComCast

Ethical considerations Wal-Mart’s fake blog (Flog) Sept. 2006,

Walmartingacrossamerica.com is launched

It features the journey of Laura and Jim, a couple on their maiden trip in an RV (recreational vehicle), capturing lives and stories as they journey from Las Vegas to Georgia, and park for free at Wal-Mart Stores parking lots.

Laura's first blog post features a black-and-white photograph and humbly says: "We are not bloggers, but since our lives have always been more journey than destination we are explorers at heart…. We figured we'd give it a go."

Fake online reviews

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/49412862#49412862

Programs in development track a reviewer's Internet Protocol address to see what else he or she has been reviewing. Is that person generating dozens of reviews

on various sites every week? Does every review from this particular source

crow – or pan?

Pew Research Center, 2011

Pew Research Center, 2011

Pew Research Center, 2011

Examples of Corporate Use The Los Angeles Fire Department uses Twitter

to alert the public about emergencies Sprint http://twitter.com/sprintnews

NASA tweeted to break news of water frost on Mars. It also keeps people informed of upcoming missions and projects, answers questions and shares photos of cool space images: http://twitter.com/NASA

Comcast repairs image http://twitter.com/comcastcares

Twitter Storm When your company’s action/message

creates a firestorm of response on Twitter (typically negative)

Example: Motrin Moms on Twitter were

offended by Motrin’s ad campaign

See their tweets: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhR-y1N6R8Q

Motrin took down the ad from their website, replaced with note “we heard you” and apologized to bloggers

Example: Kenneth Cole February 2011 (during the demonstrations in

Egypt) Cole's tweet from @KennethCole read,

"Millions are in an uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online."

He also provided a link to his spring collection. Many felt it was insensitive, especially with

the escalating violence happening in Cairo. It was taken down five hours later.

Impact of Social Networking

HSBC had planned to charge 9.9% APR on student’s overdrafts

http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/current-accounts/student-service/more-benefits

5,000 students band together on Facebook

Social Media at Work

Social Media at Work

Fired Because of Social Media Do you have freedom of speech in the

workplace? Can the employer you work for limit

what you say and post about on social media?

Fired Because of Social Media Server fired after

posting a picture of generous tip from Peyton Manning on Twitter (2012)

Posting violated customer privacy

Fired*** Because of Facebook Facebook picture catches employee in a

lie to boss

Fired Because of Social Media Radio host

fired for posting a bounty on FSU player in 2013

Post unprofessional

Fired Because of Social Media

BMW dealership in Lake Bluff, Illinois The accident involved a customer’s 13-year-

old son, whom a Land Rover salesperson let sit in a car driver’s seat. The boy stepped on the gas pedal, and the car drove down a small embankment into an adjacent pond. The salesperson was thrown into the water.

Another salesperson posted about the incident on Facebook and was fired for violating company policy.

The Actual Posts

Becker posted a picture on Facebook captioned, “This is your car: This is your car on drugs.”

Becker also posted, “This is what happens when a salesperson sitting in the front passenger seat (former salesperson, actually) allows a 13-year-old boy to get behind the wheel of a 6,000 lb. truck built and designed to pretty much drive over anything. The kid drives over his father’s foot and into the pond in all about four seconds and destroys a $50,000 truck. OOOPS!”

The Company Policy

Included in its employee handbook a rule stating: “Courtesy is the responsibility of every employee. Everyone is expected to be courteous, polite and friendly to our customers, vendors and suppliers, as well as to their fellow employees. No one should be disrespectful or use profanity or any other language which injures the image or reputation of the dealership.”

Fired Because of Social Media Ashley Payne, former teacher in Georgia Postings violated the policies stated in

her employment contract http://us.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/

bestoftv/2009/11/12/pn.teacher.facebook.photos.cnn.html

Fired Because of Facebook

Dawnmarie Souza, EMT with American Medical Response of Connecticut fired after posting criticisms of boss on Facebook (Oct. 2010) In response, the ambulance company suspended

and then terminated the employee for violating its blogging and internet policy, which states that “[e]mployees are prohibited from making disparaging, discriminatory or defamatory comments when discussing the Company or the employee’s supervisors, co-workers and/or competitors.”

NLRB issued complaint against employer, but case settled before going to court.

Fired for “Liking”

Federal district court in Virginia ruled April 24, 2012, rejecting the claim of a deputy sheriff in Hampton, Va., who clicked on Facebook that he “liked” the opponent of his boss, a sheriff who was up for election and won. The sheriff then fired employees who had supported his opponent. The employee claimed that clicking that he liked the

opponent constituted free speech protected by the First Amendment.

The court rejected the claim, concluding that “merely ‘liking’ a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection.”

What can you be fired for?

1st amendment only protects us from the govt. limiting our speech Therefore, private companies can 100% limit our

speech (you must follow policies set in employee

handbooks or other employment contracts) The National Labor Relations Act protects our

ability to talk about pay, working conditions, and quality of management in order to be able to form a union Posts about these topics would be protected from

firing

What can you be fired for?

Some states have laws protecting legal off-duty conduct

California, Colorado, New York, and North Dakota Mississippi is NOT a state that has this But, you still can’t release confidential or

proprietary information or anything that is a conflict of interest

What can you be fired for?

Violating company policies and codes of conduct

Making fun of customers Revealing confidential information/trade

secrets Harassing other people (including co-

workers) Acting unprofessionally Posting during work hours if not job-related

approved

Social networking = evidence in court?

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81% of its members have used or faced evidence from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn, over the last five years.

"People are just blabbing things all over Facebook. People don't yet quite connect what they're saying in their divorce cases is completely different from what they're saying on Facebook. It doesn't even occur to them that they'd be found out,” said attorney Leslie Matthews.

Examples Husband goes on Match.com and declares his

single, childless status while seeking primary custody of said nonexistent children.

Father seeks custody of the kids, claiming (among other things) that his ex-wife never attends the events of their young ones. Subpoenaed evidence from the gaming site World of Warcraft tracks her there with her boyfriend at the precise time she was supposed to be out with the children. Mom loves Facebook's Farmville, too, at all the wrong times.

Mom denies in court that she smokes marijuana but posts partying, pot-smoking photos of herself on Facebook.

Using Facebook to Catch Criminals http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/

region_northern_kentucky/florence/florence-police-use-facebook-to-catch-criminals_7298753

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBT7x-3vxl8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bizJrLzVJxM

Online Image Management Create a public Internet identity. Say NO! to Facebook's public search option. Expect unexpected audiences. Treat video and audio just like text.