I’m drowning in Social Networking. Are you?

by Zahra Petri

These days it seems as if new social networking tools are surfacing every few days between iPhone applications, twitter, Facebook and the many other computer and phone operated plug-ins. Along with each of these are the endless email notifications that quickly fill up your inbox. When faced with this daily increase of new information, questions begin circling in my mind: Which tools are the best? How many should I use? What do I do with all the emails? How do I manage all the information coming and going??

A feeling of overwhelm sweeps over me and I am brought back to my days before I had my EDGE System and my inbox was a black abyss of read and unread emails; back when I felt like I was jumping from crisis to crisis and everything was an urgent matter. Instead of going into panic mode, I decided to expand my EDGE system and apply the concepts to these social networking tools.

On Facebook I turned off all the email notifications except for alerting me of a message in my Facebook inbox. This way my email inbox is not cluttered because, frankly, I don’t need to know when Sara commented on John’s profile status or that Jenny put a smiley face on my wall. I will still be notified of these actions when I log into my Facebook profile, so why do I need an email to tell me as well?

For my iPhone applications I turned off ALL the notifications and sounds, but the notifications may be different as there are a wide variety of applications. For example, I have a chat application that runs in the background of my phone even when I don’t have that application open. It works similarly to text messages. I turned off all the notifications including sound, pop up message, text sent and received chime, and friend’s status alert. These are all distractions that I don’t need. If Tom wants to tell me he heard the new Modest Mouse song on the radio, I don’t need to know that right away. I can see the message when I check my phone later. However, if Tom has something urgent, he knows my notifications are off and to text message or call me.

It is very important when setting the standards for yourself and your notifications, no matter what the tool, that you let the people who contact you know what they are. Tell them that Facebook is not the place to let you know they won Longhorn Football tickets for a game beginning in one hour and to reply immediately.

For more updates and tips on how to manage your tools and applications, visit the ‘Programs’ tab at www.effectiveedge.com to view Whitepapers and OnDemand modules to help expand your EDGE.

What Does Your Email Subject Line Say to a Reader?

by Laura Finney

A few days ago, I received an email and the subject read: “REPORT ATTACHED….!!!!!!!!” I knew the person sending the email. What I did not know was the reason I was receiving the email. Clearly all caps must mean this is something “urgent” that I need to open and read. The exclamation points (all eight of them) were clearly excessive.

I opened the email to learn that I was one of four included on the distribution list. The “report” had no relevance to me or any work that I was involved with. I responded (because this would take less than two minutes) to ask if there was any action I needed to take with the information that had been sent to me. I was told, “No, it was just in case you needed it…later.” For clarification, this was not an email from an Effective Edge colleague.

When I see email subject lines that are not clear, I wonder if the sender is using The Effective Edge’s Email Effectiveness. The Email Effectiveness allows me to send clear and concise messages. In the subject line, the reader can determine before reviewing the email, what I want them to do with the email. Clarifying the need to respond or not to respond helps the reader by preparing them for the next action. For writing effective emails, reviewing the PASS (Purpose, Actions, Specific, Supporting resources) system allows me to use a method that will help the reader determine the next course of action.

As outlined in the Getting the EDGE training program, most people will scan the email within eight to ten seconds. The reader should be able to determine PASS within that amount of time.

Using PASS allows me to be more efficient in receiving any response I may be looking for in return. It has also given me the freedom from exchanging multiple emails when attempting to relay a clear message.

Now I send emails with confidence, knowing the reader can respond effectively and efficiently.