 |
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short Technology Tips for Communicators Choose a topic title to jump right to the tip you want, or scroll down the page to read them all. New articles will be added as new topics catch my interest...
You've seen the TV commercial of the woman in her pajamas and slippers working at home and not wanting to take a video conference call. What are some options for computer conferencing, if you don't want to be seen (or don't yet have the technology)? *Internet IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - the original ``chat" capability for live keyboard to keyboard talking. Programs such as Microsoft's Net Meeting and Netscape's Conference are based on IRC technology. *Audio Conferencing - live voice to voice through computers with microphones and speakers over the Internet (programs such as Netscape's Cool Talk or Internet Phone) *White Boards - keyboard to keyboard conferencing (may also use voice) in which one person's screen may be seen simultaneously on the screens of other participants and manipulated by all members (programs such as Netscape Conference or CUCMe or Timbuktu). *Audio Bridge Conferencing - live voice to voice using your telephone to dial in to a ``bridge" which connects all participants into a conference call that can include up to hundreds of participants. Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. New medium, new methods! Here are some pointers to make your E-mail communication effective: * Keep it short. One screen of information is preferable per message. If you need to say more, use an attachment. * Acknowledge all messages. If someone goes to the trouble to write you a paragraph or two or send you a joke, at least tell them it arrived. * Sign all your messages in the body. Include your E-mail address or phone number. * Avoid inappropriate cuteness, but be more conversational than in traditional correspondence. * Lighthearted emoticons (like :-) or :-( ) can help convey meaning, if they are appropriate to your environment and your reader. * When responding to a question or point, quote enough of the original message to help your reader remember what they asked or said. Don't automatically duplicate their entire message each time. E-mail messages can become huge very quickly that way. * Use an alias or handle for your personal E-mail account at home? When you work from home, be sure to change the name that displays on your E-mail account for your business messages. You don't really want your boss to get a message from ``XWing23" or ``PumpkinEyes," now do you? Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. Why Do Web Pages Look Different on Different Screens? Once you have surfed the Internet or your corporate Intranet a little, you may wonder why some pages look really good and some look garish. There are three reasons: HTML, choice of browser software, and your computer's basic display settings. The source for all web pages, Internet or Intranet, is HyperText Markup Language (HTML)--basically ASCII text with some embedded codes that represent instructions for displaying text and graphics or linking. HTML uses a limited hierarchical set of heading tags for text, and was not originally intended to display pages in the way designers now use it. As a result of limitations in HTML itself, designers must often ``cheat" to get the displays to look the way they want them, and some browsers can't display the ``cheats" properly. More importantly to you, *every* browser (Netscape, Spry Mosaic, Internet Explorer, Netcruiser, AOL, etc.) interprets the HTML code in its own way. An <H1> heading code may look very big and bold on an older AOL browser, and only moderately large in Internet Explorer. There is no standardization among browsers as to how to display HTML code, which means the same page will look different depending on what browser you use. And older browsers do not recognize some widely used HTML codes, such as tables or font colors. (TIP: Upgrade your browser every 3 months to the most current version. It's usually free.) The other thing that controls the display is your own computer's settings. If you have your basic screen font set large, all your web pages will also display larger. This means you will have different line breaks and page lengths on your screen than someone with a smaller font setting. Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. The Communicator and the Intranet While the corporate IT/MIS group normally leads the charge to develop an Intranet (Internal + Internet), in the end it is up to communicators to provide for content. And make no mistake about it, content is what makes an Intranet deliver on its promises. Once the pipeline has been built, it has been said, what matters is what flows through the pipes. Intranets are not about having ``home pages", although individual and departmental home pages are a natural evolution of the process. Intranets are about content--living, dynamic, fluid, timely, relevant--and community. Communicators must make substantial contributions for an Intranet to succeed. This takes both vision and process. Vision enables you to identify the many pockets of information that are available within your organization. Vision helps you to see that the most important goal of an Intranet is to facilitate work processes, and then to help make it a reality. Vision helps you understand that information will no longer be controlled from the top down. With this in mind, communicators become facilitators of process. An authoring process is needed to help people with access to the tools to be effective communicators. An approvals process is needed to ensure that top management, who are also learning during this process, are kept informed about what's happening. An acculturation process is needed, to introduce the new concepts and working styles that will evolve. Communicators can make a great contribution to their organizations by finding ways to make processes orderly and effective. Communicators of the future will rarely serve in traditional editorial functions. Intranets democratize information. Information is no longer the domain of top management and the communications department, and can no longer be controlled. Communicators function more as mediators to build consensus, to facilitate process, to moderate dialogues and to identify and reinforce credible sources of information. Employees need value--substance and content, meaningful information that enables them to work smarter and be better at what they do. They need to learn to ``pull" information from the system, instead of waiting to have it ``pushed" at them from headquarters. They need to develop new expectations, and communicators fill a very important role in defining those expectations and providing a process by which they can be fulfilled. Communicators today must be bridge builders-- bridging the gaps between management, the technologists in the IT/MIS department, and employees. The first step is to identify the people in the organization who are genuinely excited about the new technology. Learn enough of their jargon and technical language to be comfortable in group discussions. Get them excited about the contribution you bring to rounding out the entire Intranet infrastructure by helping to build a common vision. Help them to see the communicator's role as an integral one to the success of the project. Set up the pathways to information to ensure that those who need it will connect readily with those who have it. Intranets are one of the most vital new business developments of this century. For the organization, an Intranet brings a new sense of community among employees, pride in the organization, new ways to work faster and smarter, and greater productivity. For communicators, participating in an Intranet team will lead to career growth and personal satisfaction. Communicators who embrace the Intranet and seek that leadership role have a bright future in the profession. Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. Useful Applications for Intranets If your company is like 80% of the larger companies in the world, you already have or are planning an Intranet. Intranets are private organization-wide networks that use Internet web technology to help make information more widely available to all. Here are some applications other companies have used on their own Intranets:
The dynamic nature of the web means that once the tools for creating web documents are in the hands of the masses, an authoring and approval process becomes critical. Prioritize the applications to generate the most benefit or relevance to the most people, then create an orderly expansion process for implementing the applications. Establish your process early. Provide for orderly growth and development before the horse is out of the barn and can't be turned back. Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. Statistics on Marketing on the Internet In 1995, according to Forrester Research, the average cost for a promotional web site for larger organizations is $304,000, including hardware. The sites took an average of 4 months to launch and the costs cover maintenance for the first year. Of the $304,000 invested, 32% goes into developing and launching the site, and 68% is the ongoing/annual costs for maintenance. The net result (return on investment) if you assume a 10% profit margin, means a company has to generate $3,040,000 in incremental sales to break even. So far, this is simply not happening. Even with paid advertising it is difficult for the largest companies to break even. Advertising spots on a web site are priced on the basis of cost per thousand viewers (CPM). Low activity sites may receive $6 per CPM, while the high traffic sites may receive $120 per CPM. The primary objectives of web sites are:
Once secure payment transactions are truly secure, we should see a significant increase in online sales. It's interesting that:
There are unique benefits of marketing in Cyberspace, including:
Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian, ABC. (kvivian@cloud9.net) All rights reserved. Return to the Archives page to see more communications articles. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
|
Page last updated: January 4, 1999 |
|||