Media:

Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. Media is the plural of medium and can take a plural or singular verb, depending on the sense intended.
In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, and the newspaper are different types of media.

Social media:
Social media includes web-based and mobile based technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals

How social media fits in with business communications

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Social media has become a huge part of many business strategies, particularly in marketing. It has not, however, been adopted on nearly as widespread of a basis as a pure communications tool. This is a mistake. Social media has become a huge part of many business strategies, particularly in marketing. It has not, however, been adopted on nearly as widespread of a basis as a pure communications tool.. People connect. They connect with friends and family. They connect with people who share their interests. They connect without borders, boundaries, or logistic-issues associated with connecting in real life. On the tail end of the spectrum, people use social media to connect with businesses. The problem lies in that businesses arent truly using social media to connect with people. Its still more of a broadcasting tool than anything else to most businesses and as a result theyre missing out on the biggest opportunity that social media provides. Through communication with the outside world, customers, and internally with employees, social media can find its real use in the business world. It is certainly an effective marketing tool when used properly, but that should be secondary. Communicate first, market second.

Social networks can help make you a smarter business person!

The online social networking application Face book registered more than 175 million active users. Face book, LinkedIn and other similar online social networking sites provide online spaces where individuals can create a profile and connect that profile to others to create a personal network. The objective is social interaction and connection. These online social networking sites give everyone a place to share their personal stories, in words, pictures and videos with their friends. They also connect people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. They help people learn more about events, parties and other social functions. Participation and continuance in online social networks represents a new social phenomenon that depends largely on the interactions with other users in a personal network. Its time to exploit social networks for your business, and heres how: 1. Get involved. The only way to use social networks to improve business is to join some sites. LinkedIn is a good start, but youll need to do much more if you plan to make your social life profitable. Social networks require participation. If you dont get involved, youll never find value in the social web. 2. Theres more than LinkedIn. Theres little debating that LinkedIn is ideal for those who want to network with other professionals. But Twitter, Face book and the rest also provide real value to a business person. In many cases, they allow you to find folks you might have otherwise missed offline. They also provide you with a cheat sheet of information, like interests and education, that could help you close a deal. 3. Its networking, but online. One of the first rules you learn in any business school is to network. Its not always what you know, its who you know. Social-networking sites are ideal for those who want to network. You can use them to get back in touch with old friends, get to know colleagues, or network with other local professionals trying to do the same. 4. Join the conversation. Once you join social networks and you know who you want to target, start talking. Get to know what they discuss and join that discussion. Social networking is not about being shy; its about being willing to open up in an online world that has stayed anonymous for far too long. That means youll need to talk about your interests and topics that others in your social network are engaged in. 5. Its not about the numbers. Although some believe the our favorite social network, the better, I dont. If you want to turn your social life into more business, find followers and friends who either improve your relations with the surrounding community or increase your prospects of securing clients. Dont waste time with big follower numbers. Most times,

its that core group that will provide the most value. Twitter lets you engage in extremely effective marketing for free.

6. Dont stick to business. The worst thing you can do on a social network is just talk about business. Remember that many folks want to leave business at the office. Use social networks to find common ground and get to know each other. When you feel comfortable that a relationship is developing, then throw in the business. 7. Dont go overboard. Dont think that you need to join every new site that crops up. Instead, stick to two to four social networks. By doing so, you can still be on the sites that other folks are on, but you wont get caught up in trying to update every site you use. 8. Share what you know. Social networks provide value because users can share their expertise. If youre into stamp collecting, let us know. If youre an expert in derivatives, tell us about it. Dont simply regurgitate what you see in so many other places on the web.

TWITTER: How to maximize the use of your limited 140 characters

1) Use shorthand codes. BRB, LOL, RT, TY, etc. Some may call it tech speak. Acronyms and abbreviations for commonly used words and phrases. Check out this list of popular Twitter shorthands and if you like to use more colorful shorthand there is also a NSFW shorthand list. Thats Not-Safe-For-Work for you shorthand beginners.

2) Be clear and concise. Make sure you are not being redundant. Remove any words that might be irrelevant to what you are trying to convey.

3) Use URL shortening. This one is pretty obvious and is even built in to Twitter. However, there are some URL shortening services that can save you a few more characters than TinyURL. I use IS.GD and another popular one is XR.COM which even allows you to customize the URL.

4) Use special symbol characters. You may not know it, but Twitter accepts more than just normal characters. You can actually create hearts, stars, smilies and other symbols that can represent words or ideas in just 1 character. TheNextWeb has created a great tool called Twitter Keys which allows you to have all these symbols at your fingertips.

5) Use labels. Labeling your tweet has some cool benefits. A label is like a tag at the beginning of your tweet. Your followers will know exactly what you are sharing right away and they may even increase your chances of being re-tweeted. Here are some examples (Reading:, Stumbling:, Digging:, etc.)

6) Be simple. This is a writing tip from Copyblogger, simple words work better than big ones. Write get instead of procure. Write use rather than utilize. Use the longer words only if your meaning is so precise there is no simpler word to use.

How to improve yourself? LinkedIn - Brand You

Are you a leader within your industry? What are your professional achievements? Do you communicate them well to others? Whats your work experience and your career background? Do you have a network of trusted contacts who know you to be credible and an expert in your field? To be a true leader in your industry youll be engaged with the right connections. That means being informed about your industry, involved within your professional community, and able to share your expertise with others. By doing this youll be recognized as a true professional and be known for your Brand You throughout your career. Tips for building your Brand You on LinkedIn To help people better manage their personal brand on LinkedIn, the dedicated Brand You group includes a series of tips and advice from how to make sure your profile reflects your brand type to straightforward advice on how to begin to create an online brand on LinkedIn: Add a professional looking photo to people can easily recognize you Complete your profile summary, outlining who you are as a professional in your own voice; this is a chance to do your own search engine optimization Make sure you connect with your trusted connections, either by uploading email contacts or using our People You May Know tool Add your education background including any key qualifications relevant to your career Add current and previous positions so people can see your experience so far Request recommendations from people youve worked with in the past to give your profile added credibility

Will social media significantly affect modern business communication?

Social media has certainly changed the way that people communicate with each other. The changing social media trends are also forcing businesses to reconsider how they communicate with and attract customers. Whoever thought that driving new business could depend on how many times the phrase "auto loan calculator" was used in website content? As the Internet forces businesses to change the way they communicate with customers, will social media impact how they communicate with each other?

Individual employees benefit from social media The employees that work for the company certainly benefit from using social media. Career progress usually depends on how many people you know in your industry. A bitter rival could turn into your best friend depending on your job situation. Most employees realize that they have no real job security, so it pays to communicate with as many people as possible. It can be a great place to post your resume while mingling with other professionals on a regular basis. Social media in the office Is it practical to use social media in the office? Do we need to use Facebook to announce the staff meeting for next week? The problem with social media is that anyone can access anything you say. Privacy settings are no match for someone who knows how to hack into a social media platform. There may be employees who have no idea how to use Facebook or Twitter. It may not be as efficient to use social media when a memo could accomplish the exact same goal. But equally, and on the opposite side of the coin, social media is making great inroads behind the firewall, as more and more companies see the value of turning their business into a social business, where social tools are the accepted methods of communicating with Gen Y employees (talk to them where they already are). Does social media translate into more money There is a lot that businesses still need to learn about social media. Just because a business has a lot of followers does not mean those followers are being converted into customers. Using social media is a great way to increase awareness of your brand. Will social media impact how a business will communicate in the future? There are many ways in which social media has already impacted how a business will communicate. However, there are still some areas where social media will be slower to become an accepted method of communication.

5 Levels of Effective Communication in the Social Media Age

In the era of social media, our networks are much larger than they have ever been, and we have more ways to communicate with those in them. Even if you are not very active on Facebook or Twitter, my guess is that your sphere of communication has expanded significantly in recent years. Who you communicate with and how you communicate has changed radically. This new connected era brings both opportunities and challenges. In the past we had a set of contacts, all of whom generally knew how to reach us via phone, email, or regular mail. Today, thanks in large part to social media, we have many different levels of communication, each with a specific purpose and etiquette. When we do not understand the

role of these levels, they can become huge time wasters. When we do understand them however, they can help us more effectively engage and navigate these new waters.

Level 1: The Public Reply

Just about everyone, including Bill Gates (who if you have not heard, recently joined Twitter), has learned the importance of having both a means to communicate with people, and a channel where people can respond. Though you can do this on Facebook through comments on Fan pages and in groups, this seems most applicable to Twitter, where people use @replies to send and receive short, publicly viewable messages. The public reply provides an open and transparent channel for people to interact with public figures, brands, and each other, without the pressure of response that comes with e-mail. Public interactions are a great starting point for engagement that never existed before social media, and if done correctly, can often lead to more fruitful direct communication.

Level 2: The Direct Message

Once a relationship is established through public communication, the next step is often a direct message within a social network. A direct message creates a private connection without opening the floodgates of e-mail. In fact, in may even be preferable to e-mail in the long term. Why? Especially with Twitter, a DM has a character limit, and can only come from people you follow. If you have ten e-mails (of unlimited length and possibly unknown sources) and ten Twitter DMs, which are you likely to open first? For an increasing number of people, the answer is DM.

Once you make a connection through DM and get permission to follow-up via e-mail, the e-mail is often better received. Facebook, where most people allow private messages, can also be a means to take communication to the next level.

Level 3: E-mail

E-mail still has its place in this new era. It allows for more in-depth communication, can be easily forwarded, and sent to numerous people at once. When e-mail is used skillfully, it enables deeper communication. When not used effectively, it can become a huge time drain, as people write lengthy messages without much thought of the time and attention they are asking of recipients. This fine line makes e-mail tough to master in the social media age. If youre looking to advance to the next communication level with someone, respect this direct and private channel, and be sure to keep your e-mails succinct and meaningful.

Level 4: Phone

Hearing someones voice allows people to get a better sense of one another. While communicating via text, a person can take time to carefully craft his or her words, potentially presenting an image that may not be true or is harder to trust. A phone call allows for more immediate back-and-forth, and can be particularly helpful if a subject matter is delicate or people are considering a more in-depth relationship. Some time back I was communicating with an editor about an issue that we had bounced back and forth several times. Finally she said, Lets chat about it on the phone. This furthered the dialogue significantly and bypassed what may have taken weeks to sort out via email.

Level 5: In-Person (or Video Chat)

I have met numerous people in person that I first communicated with via social networks. All of these meetings were enhanced by the natural progression of our first digital communication. While at one time face-to-face interactions were the entry point, today, in-person meetings often come at later stages. Particularly if people are considering working on a project together, an in-person meeting allows for the most in-depth connection. For some people Skype or other video chat may be enough to experience this.

Too often people think communication is only through words, but our bodies communicate as well. They communicate how comfortable or uncomfortable we are discussing a matter, our level of passion for a subject, and our hopes and fears. Meeting with someone in person allows for communication to occur on multiple levels, and people often come away with a much better sense of each other.

Conclusion

In this era of social media when we are reaching out and engaging more and more people, the question is not just Should I communicate with someone? but How should I communicate with someone? How can I build engagement one step at a time? The more we allow for and understand the importance of all the various levels of communication, the more we can skillfully and effectively use each one.

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