CHAPTER 8
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
, Communicating in the Workplace in the Social Age
Many online communication tools
used in business- social
networking, are driving profound
changes in how people connect
and collaborate in the workplace.
These changes are so profound
that the workplace culture is
moving into a new era: from
Information Age to Social Age.
Social Age: is an era in which
people engage in networked
communication, collaborate
across boundaries, and solve
problems communally.
Although communication
technologies change the social
age rapidly, the workplace culture
is slow to change.
The internet has changed from
Figure 1 The Evolving Workplace Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
Web 1.0 – static and read only. Web 2.0 allows for more interaction with web content, allows for
authoring, expressing opinions, customizing, and editing web content among other things. Web 2.0
communication tools are often referred to as social media. Social Media includes social networks,
blogs, wikis, gaming, podcasts, and information tagging.
The emerging work culture associated with the Social Age presents many benefits to companies and
business professionals in the context of team and networked communication. When social media is
used for professional purposes, teams can communicate more efficiently; companies can interface
more responsively with customers, clients and suppliers; customers and other interested individuals
can be directly involved in the development of products and services; and anyone with shared
professional interests can communicate easily, not needing to travel to see one another.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
, Communicating in the Workplace in the Social Age
Many online communication tools
used in business- social
networking, are driving profound
changes in how people connect
and collaborate in the workplace.
These changes are so profound
that the workplace culture is
moving into a new era: from
Information Age to Social Age.
Social Age: is an era in which
people engage in networked
communication, collaborate
across boundaries, and solve
problems communally.
Although communication
technologies change the social
age rapidly, the workplace culture
is slow to change.
The internet has changed from
Figure 1 The Evolving Workplace Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
Web 1.0 – static and read only. Web 2.0 allows for more interaction with web content, allows for
authoring, expressing opinions, customizing, and editing web content among other things. Web 2.0
communication tools are often referred to as social media. Social Media includes social networks,
blogs, wikis, gaming, podcasts, and information tagging.
The emerging work culture associated with the Social Age presents many benefits to companies and
business professionals in the context of team and networked communication. When social media is
used for professional purposes, teams can communicate more efficiently; companies can interface
more responsively with customers, clients and suppliers; customers and other interested individuals
can be directly involved in the development of products and services; and anyone with shared
professional interests can communicate easily, not needing to travel to see one another.
