Tuesday, September 13, 2016

CSIT 155: Week2A - Communication



Hello again friends!

Of course, like everyone, I have experienced difficulty communicating with a business. No online user is perfect, no business is perfect, and no communication is perfect, therefore it is inevitable to have communication issues, especially when dealing with a business online.
Absolutely, social media is an incredible tool for even the most shy, conservative, quiet, unnoticed person to make a thumbprint on the world. It can be used to solve problems or create them, depending on the type of information shared and the finesse used to share it.

I have had both positive and negative experiences communicating with a business through social media. Sadly, regardless of intent, words in text form can be misconstrued and tone can be assumed. I believe this is the whole reason emoji’s, emoticons and meme’s were created – to fill in the gaps of emotion and context of textual information. One of the most predominant positive experiences I can remember having with a business through social media was with the MCX Exchange administrators, who were able to address an issues I was having and provide me an “above and beyond” solution to my problem.

Although I do have my own business, I haven’t been keeping up with my social media platforms recently. I have given myself a “little break” to address other issues in my life, such as school. I do, however, maintain my father’s seasonal business, and keep some of the social media platforms active throughout the year. What I have learned from comments is: respond to the positive ones with positivity and gratitude, ignore the negative ones, and if possible, remove them.

Positive and negative experiences in social media come in all forms, there are far too many variables to address why someone would choose to be negative, and quite frankly, I try not to explore those reasons. When someone is positive, I do my best to respond to that, and make a mental note as to what made this experience good, and try to replicate it in the future. If the experience was bad, I try to figure out why and avoid replicating it. Simple.

What it all boils down to is: the internet is a wild, untamed, dangerous and magical place. As long as you interact carefully and treat yourself with respect, you have nothing to really worry about. I’m saddened to hear about those who take the words of strangers to heart – and I remind myself there will always be that dark place in the online world – how I let it affect me, however, is completely my choice.

Cheers!

JennL.




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