Posts Tagged ‘Communication’

We’ve all heard the warnings about the internet in general and social networking in particular. Be careful what we post on there, we’re told. Don’t record personal and private information because our identity will be stolen, our bank accounts emptied and we’ll end up on the street with nothing. We IT sophisticates have, of course, ignored all this because we know what we’re doing and we won’t fall victim to any scams like the computer illiterates of this world.

Now our confidence is looking a little misplaced with the news that Facebook has changed its default security settings. The outcome of this is that everything you posted that you thought would remain private may now become much more available. The upsetting thing for many users is that Facebook has unilaterally changed the agreement, which is hardly what a site that’s all about building relationships should be doing.

The belief is that Facebook, having existed as a free service that makes its money from adverts, is now going to cash in its investment by selling some of this information. This does mean that you should be checking your entry, and not just on Facebook, to make sure there’s nothing there that you don’t want to become public. However, if it’s already recorded, this might be a case of shutting the stable door after the proverbial horse has disappeared over the horizon.

The development is probably not the best of ideas at a time when companies are increasingly looking at social networking to promote their business. Firms are generally more security conscious than individuals and will have second thoughts about dealing with a site that’s perceived to be too free with information. Other users might be tempted to jump ship although there’s no guarantee they won’t finish up in the same situation elsewhere.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center in the US has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, claiming the changes to privacy settings are unfair and deceptive, violating federal consumer protection law. Closer to home, the EU has several pieces of legislation going through the process that aim to protect users’ rights online. However, the data might be out there before the legal wheels have turned fully.

Social networking is pretty much the flavour of the moment although most people naturally see it as only a social phenomenon. However, businesses are increasingly appreciating its value and IT contractors should seriously consider it as a means of enhancing their careers. Sites such as LinkedIn are aimed at professional users and so need to be considered first but others can be equally useful if approached in the right way.

The nature of being a freelancer means that you work for many different companies and with lots of people. Social networking enables you to keep in touch with previous employers and co-workers, which may lead to future job opportunities if nothing else. This may extend to people you’ve never met because your entry can set out your capabilities and experience. However, you need to be careful not to post confidential information and to avoid confusing the issue by mixing professional and personal details.

Sites such as LinkedIn do have established groups that deal with different aspects of technology. You can join those that interest you to participate in forums, keep up-to-date with what’s going on and generally gain current information on particular topics. There are also details about forthcoming events, so you can find out about training courses and trade shows that might be of interest. LinkedIn also has job opportunities listed and, although many of them might not be in your part of the world, they do present another employment opportunity.

Social networking sites give you the opportunity to gain some publicity, learn from others and keep in touch. Best of all, they’re free to use so you only have to invest some time and effort. However, they do require a bit of self-discipline otherwise you might waste more of your time than you intend doing.

If you’ve used email for any length of time, you’ll know that messages coming into your inbox seem to be on the increase. Most of them are unwanted and a lot probably result from signing up for various deals over the years. The problem is that there are so many of them that you can’t give them all a lot of attention and you might easily miss the important ones. This, of course, is a problem shared by others and so you need to make sure that the emails you send aren’t overlooked.

One way to try to get your messages noticed is to set them as high priority. However, if you do this too often, the impact will be quickly lessened. Even worse, if all senders set their messages as high priority, the effect is totally lost, so be very selective. The same goes for asking for a read receipt — if you always do it, people will ignore the request. Always make sure your message has a subject that clearly identifies what it is about. This allows the recipient to prioritise the important ones and helps to get your message across.

Ensure your message is clear and to the point but covers everything it needs to do. Missing out important information results in emails bouncing backwards and forwards, which wastes a lot of time. Cover the main topics first and use numbered lists and bullet points so things stand out and the message is easy to follow. Send your emails only to people who have a direct interest in the subject rather than using a scattergun approach to include everyone you can think of.

Lastly, check your message before you send it. If it’s sloppily written and contains many obvious errors, people might easily dismiss it as not being worth reading. If you gain a reputation for sending messages that are relevant, concise and easy to understand, they’re more likely to be read.

Check the effect by sending a message to UKContracting.net. If you’re interested in using our services, you can be sure we’ll respond.