Page 35 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

24 WhY MUST I REMEMBER ThAT NOThINg ON ThE INTERNET

professionals.” If you choose to avoid social media in your personal life,
you may still be involved in social media in your professional life. So you
can’t be like the proverbial stork who simply buries its head in the sand to
avoid bad news. If you look at Southwest Airline’s social media site, you
should notice that the contributors come from many parts of the com-
pany, not just marketing and communication. In order to be authentic,
consumers increasingly want to hear directly from employees, not some
message filtered and preapproved by the firm’s communication and legal
departments.

Conclusion

This chapter poses the question Why Must I Remember that Nothing
on the Internet Ever Goes Away Completely? After having read this
chapter and its anecdotes that illustrate our points, we figure you have
your own answer to the question. But, in case you need a little coach-
ing on your answer, here are three possible responses to the question.

1. Great business communicators understand that just because you
can say something, doesn’t mean you should.
2. Great business communicators use social media to manage their
professional brands.
3. Great business communicators do not leave electronic and social
media communications to the “communication professionals.”