Communication and Social Networking Processes & Systems Updated Feb. 2015 MIS 2000.

Communication and Social Networking

Processes & Systems

Updated Feb. 2015

MIS 2000

Outline

Communication concepts

Organizational communication (characteristics)

Communication Systems & Technologies

Communication processes and social networks

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Communication Concept and System

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Face-to-face communication

• Communication is the process of creating, exchanging and interpreting messages.

Mediatedcommunication

Createmessage

Receivemessage

InterpretMessage/Get

Informed

Sender Receiver

Sendmessage

Createmessage

Sendmessage

Receive message

InterpretMessage

Sender ReceiverCommunication

System

Accept & Format input

Modify signal,Transfer signal over network

Accept output

Organizational Communication (OC)OC is different than communication in family, among friends and other informal situations.

OC is a component of management tasks. Management communication is for:

(a) Announcing news

(b) Ordering

(c) Reporting to superiors (lines of reporting support hierarchy in an organization).

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Hierarchy

Top

Bottom

Vertical, One-Way Communication

(c) Report

Sub-ordinateReceiverManager-Sender

(A) Announce (B) Order

Super-ordinate,Receiver

Organizational Communication (OC)

Professional communication is for:

(a) Sharing professional knowledge

(b) Collaborating in executing work inside and outside of an organization.

(c) Discussing issues in decision making (meetings)

All organization members also communicate in order to socialize (expanding relationships beyond work-related domain, bonding)

OC is driven by rules on content, format (reports, sales documents), timing (reporting dates).

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Sender ReceiverReceiver Sender

Two-Way Communication(reciprocal interdependence)

Organizational Communication (OC)

Organizational culture also influences OC (acceptable/ “politically correct” language; who talks to whom)

Hierarchy vs. professional culture differ on who should talk to whom & when

Organizational culture also influences use & roles of communication systems.

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Communication Technologies and Systems

Classical: Telegraph, Teletype, Telex (19 c.-mid 20th c.)Landline telephone (end of 19th c.)Facsimile (fax) (19th c.; several generations)

Newer:electronic bulletin boards (1980s)electronic mail (email) (1980s)cell phone (1970s) & smart phone (1990s)

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InternetThe Internet is a global network of networks (inter-network) created via TCP/IP software and special hardware (routers, modems). We say that “a computer or local networks supporting TCP/IP are on the Internet”.Packet-switching principle: A message is routed through the Internet in packets via different routes, then reassembled at the receiving point (figure below). The makes Internet economical, fast, and reliable.

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SENDER (S) RECEIVER (R)1

4

3

2

7

6

5

8

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Message packets:P1, P2, P3, P4

Routes:P1: S, 1, 3, 6, 8, R (straight)P2: S, 1, 2, 5, 8, R (straight)P3: S, 1, 4, 7, 9, R (straight)P4: S, 1, 3, 2, 5, 8, R (bypassing 6)

Internet - TCP/IP

Internet technology has 4 “layers” that work together both on the sender and receiver side (see Note):

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TCP

IP

Email (SMTP), file transfer (FTP,

HTTP)*

Sender Receiver

Internet - How It Works

SMTP to TCP: “Take this messageand send it to thisemail address”.

TCP Breaks message intopackets and passes theseto IP.

IP puts receiving address, on each packet, contactsdownstream router, andpasses packets to Network.

Network physically puts packets onto the com-munication medium.

SMTP restores original formatof message and presents it.

Put packets back togetherin proper orders and checks sum of data received vs. sum sent.

Accepts packets and reports back to routers.

Gets packets off com-munication medium.

SENDER RECEIVER

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Wireless Internet

(1) WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) – capability of wireless

transfer support Internet (cell/smart phone, other mobile

technologies, laptop)

Hot spots & routers, cell phone networks

Ranges from 100m to kilometers

WiMAX covers 50 km range (video on virtual school in Somalia).

Voice over IP (VoIP)

New Internet protocol for using Internet as a telephone system (voice and text & video)

Computers act as phones phone (Skype), or special VoIP phones used, or classical phone with adapter (MagicJack)

VoIP node has Internet address and can be plugged anywhere without changing its “number” (IP address)

Big savings compared to classical phone

Information Systems for Management 12

Communication Processes and Social Networks

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Centrality: Network hubCommunication lines pass

through hub

A social network (SN) is informal social gathering based on regular communication. SN exists if:a) messages flow regularly (with a certain frequency) ANDb) communication actors value the messages (they are important).Social media do not create automatically social networks

Hub

Centrality: Communication star

Communication Star

Social Media

Named in contrast to mass news media (TV, radio, press).

1) Social Networking Website – supports informal communication for socializing purposes.

Examples: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn

Deploy various communication systems:

text messaging (chat), electronic bulletin boards (posting—responses; “writing on the wall” in Facebook)

Deploy other systems as well (e.g., digital photo album)

Uses: Job market, communication among professionals (LinkedIn), Marketing, Public Relations

Issues: privacy, socially adverse effects 14

Social Media

2) Twitter – Internet-based system that connects to cell phone networks and is used for one-way communication via short text messages.

Uses: public relations (e.g., Canadian Premier), advertising (e.g., North Face)

Issues Who is the receiver of your tweets? (control issue)Privacy (many issues; Twitter company's privacy rules)Accuracy, copyright (Twitter company's terms of use)

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3) Blog (from words “Web log”) is a Web-based system for self-styled publishing inside and outside organizations.

Software and hosting: WordPress, Google, tumblr

Uses:

Experts publish their opinions; so Blog is also a KWS.

Brand advertising, PR Marketing

Features: easy creation and posting of text, possibly two-way, “syndication”*

Issues: Trade secret disclosure, Accuracy, Bloggers’ trade-offs

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Summary 1/2Communication is the process of creating, exchanging and interpreting messages.

A communication system has a sending device, receiving device, and connecting network.

Managers use OC for announcing, ordering, and reporting.

Professionals use OC for discussion, knowledge exchange, and collaboration.

OC is shaped by rules on content, format (reports, sales documents), timing (reporting dates), and organizational culture.

OC can be face-to-face and mediated by communication technologies, inside and outside an organization.

Social network is a grouping of people who communicate regularly and value the messages exchanged. It can be peer, hierarchical, or flat.

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Summary 2/2

Social media are special websites and communication systems supporting communities formed

around shared interests (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs). Organizational uses: marketing, public relations, HR.

Privacy, accuracy, copyright and trade secret protection are some of issues social media have brought up.

The Internet is a global network of networks created by special software and hardware. TCP/IP is the software with four layers, which connects different networks into the Internet. A message is routed through the Internet in packets, and each of the TCP/IP layers plays a role.

Voice over IP (VoIP) is an Internet protocol (software layer) for using Internet as a telephone system. Creates big savings.

Wireless networks use radio waves for transfer of messages (WiFi, cell phone).

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