Should you be judged by your internet communications?

p. 100 Should you be judged by your internet communications?

Should employers require that employees adhere to e-mail authoring policies?

I think that employees should adhere to e-mail authoring policies because these policies are in place to protect a business and employees. But I think that employers need to go beyond just e-mail. Employees today may be communicating via text message, email, blog posts, comments on internet sites, etc. and these employees must be aware of their rights and responsibilities for what they write. The model policy for internet, intranet, email, phone, and fax from the government of New Zealand http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector/strategy/justice-sector-information-strategy/publications/information-knowledge-management-guide/7.14-model-policies-on-the-use-of-the-internet-intranets-email-phone-and-fax did a great job of outlining the importance of positive appropriate usage of internet communications. This site reminded me that what is written is part of the public record and could be used as evidence in a court of law. I am guided by the verse from the Bible that says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Following this guidance could inform a person’s internet communications and help have a positive communication experience with others.

In general, has e-mail’s impact on communications been positive or negative? Why? I think that in general communication via the internet has been positive. It has allowed short and quick communication. It has allowed for quick feedback that can have a positive affect on communication. A research study into email ( http://www.itdl.org/journal/jun_04/article06.htm ) as feedback showed that email communication can “increase the likelihood of student achievement and satisfaction and promote learner retention.”  

Would you judge somebody by the quality of his or her e-mail message? Why or why not?

I do judge individual's by their email and internet communication. I believe with the tools available today that there is no excuse for a poorly written email. Tools are available to check spelling and grammar as well as applications where a person can speak words and those same words are typed in proper context with correct spelling. In my sewing hobby, there is the adage, measure twice, cut once. I think the same can be said for communication via email and the internet, think and read twice, send or post once.

Could someone's professional reputation be enhanced or hindered by the quality and effectiveness of his or her internet communications? I believe a person's professional reputation could be either enhanced or hindered by his or her internet communication. This article in Forbes magazine http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/14/6-steps-to-managing-your-online-reputation/  did a great job of reminding the reader how to keep a positive online reputation. I personally have created several blogs for the things I am most interested in and I try to add content occasionally to them either in written or video format. The idea that if negative information is on the third page of a Google search, then people won't notice it seems logical. It is still it important to know that negative unprofessional content may exist sometimes posted by others. When writing content or posting pictures or videos to the internet, referring to the guidance from Philippians 4:8 would go far to keep a person’s internet reputation positive.