How is Twitter beneficial to Business Communications?

Some may see Twitter as a social network site (SNS) that eludes to excessive time consumption. Others see Twitter as a marketing and communication tactic that proves to be pretty effective and successful in reaching our "online population" of people. I am personally one to look at Twitter in the same light as Facebook, a waste of what could be productive time and a networking site that is risky to allow in any workplace as this website is ultimately utilized for ones own personal purposes. But this blog isn't about what I think. This blog post identifies why Twitter might actually be a benefit to businesses and ultimately business communication with the masses.

Twitter, launched from San Francisco in 2006, is a cross between an online discussion board and an instant messaging system, that allows for users to post updates up to 140 characters on their activities. Users can subscribe to other users Twitter accounts and updates. Some Twitter posters even develop armies of followers.

In the case of Howard Lindzon, partner at a Toronto based hedge fund Knight's Bridge Capitol Partners, Twitter is actually a very useful tool. Unlike security trading message boards, "Twitter is not spam-filled with people talking about penny stocks" says Lizdon (Trombly, M., 2008). Lizdon actually liked the idea of Twitter being a closed conversation circuit so much that he created StockTwits, a service that searches for Twitter postings that mention stock symbols. 

In another case where Twitter serves as a beneficial networking site for the purpose of business communications, Timothy Sykes utilizes Twitter to promote his blog which offers investment advice "for entertainment purposes only," and for research. "I would guess that there are thousands-or tens of thousands-of financial industry professionals who are not using their real names and following people" says Sykes (Trombly, M., 2008).

But it is not just individual entrepreneurs utilizing the Twitter service phenomena. The Milwaukee Police Department is one of hundreds of police agencies also utilizing Twitter to promptly communicate as well as the Wellesley Mass. Police Department who was one of the first police departments to use Twitter to mass distribute any information that they see as noteworthy. These departments are tweeting about traffic situations, ground searches, descriptions of missing children and vulnerable adults, and crime information such as suspect descriptions (Perin, M., 2009). 

So maybe Twitter isn't as bad as I initially thought. Like anything else, the networking website has its pro's and con's, just as Facebook has it's own. Police departments use the site to mass distribute urgent news while business entrepreneurs use it to inform their followers of certain things, such as stocks and investment advice. In conclusion, Twitter is only going to be beneficial to business communications if utilized in the correct manner and Twitter will not be beneficial if not utilized in the correct manner. The sources used for this post prove that Twitter is a beneficial service in some cases if used properly and responsibly.

 

 

Facebook controversy arises in workplaces..

Should Facebook be banned from the workplace? Can an employers internet access be revoked?..

Questions like this arise when touching on the sensitive topic of Facebook in the workplace. Recently the government of Ontario has barred it employees from access to Facebook. Apparently employers believe that allowing access to social networking sites such as Facebook decreases productivity within the workplace. Originally Facebook was created to connect students in colleges for easier access to information in 2004 at Harvard University. Facebook has now turned into a media outlet for millions of people across the world. Exchanging valuable information over a social networking website such as Facebook is now almost an unimaginable reality because of the amount of people who actually have a Facebook account now. The issue of  minors joining the Facebook phenomena is now also an issue in which Facebook seeks to fix.

Facebook in the work place can be very distracting and this is the reason that the Ontarian government and workforce employers are choosing to stick with. If you ask me I completely agree that Facebook can be a distraction in the workplace and if it isn't than employees shouldn't have a problem with it being banned from the workplace to begin with. If Facebook wasn't a distraction in the workplace employees wouldn't mind it being banned because the issue wouldn't be that serious. Some of the reasons employers seek Facebook to be a distraction is because it can ultimately decrease the amount of time an employee actually spends working which is what employees get payed for. 

Ultimately, I agree with the Ontario government that Facebook should in fact be banned from workplaces. Maybe not all workplaces depending on the leniency of the environment but in places such as government offices and workplaces of that nature. This issue is really a case by case basis, but the idea of the Facebook phenomena being eliminated from the workplace sounds like a good idea to me. It's less tempting and ultimately far less distracting than knowing that you can access Facebook at any time.

Facebook in higher education organizations should also consider banning Facebook. Facebook has a large impact on the younger population considering the amount of access that Facebook gives the user to other sources such as games, links to other networking sites, videos, messaging and etc. Facebook can also contain pornographic content which can ultimately lead to the firing of an employee or the emancipation of a student from their class. Like most other things in today's age Facebook serves as a temptation and an escape from where one currently is. If a student is said "bored" in class they will likely turn to Facebook, a getaway from what is going on in the moment or during an important lecture. If an employee is bored and has said "nothing to do" they will also likely turn to a resource such as Facebook instead of finding other tasks to complete in order to keep busy.

Think about it this way.. If you owned an organization or corporation and you were the employer of approximately 1,000 plus employees all within the age group of 21-35, would you be worried about the amount of time people were spending actually working? Personally, I would eliminate that worry by saying farewell to Facebook in my workplace!

Source: www.employmentlawtoday.com (Facebook controversies arise in workplaces)