Essay --

Executive summary With the arrival of WEB 2.0, business communications are no longer one way, rather, they create interaction between messenger and receiver. An organization’s website allows visitors to share and participate in the discussion. Organizations are increasingly abstaining from releasing all communications at once; rather, they are releasing bites of information in order to create a â€Å"buzz.† Social media captures information, organizes it, and presents it in context. Organizations are imbedding social media applications on their websites for the purpose of gaining business intelligence. Organizations are shaping their business strategies based on this intelligence. It’s important for organizations to understand that as result of social media, a company’s image extends far beyond the contents of its website. Through social media, a single message can go viral very quickly. An organization must be quick on acting upon any measure of success. Just as positive information about a company and its products can go viral, so can negative information as well. Organizations have found the need to create professional teams in charge of monitoring all communications surrounding a company. These communicatons take place on a 24/7 basis. Web 2.0 is serving as an experimental platform for professional communicators. Organizations are hiring software developers to design social media applications that are industry specific and allow consumers to interact with the organization. Organizations are gathering data on consumers through social media channels. Organizations are developing their own communications applications. The communications field has evolved substantially in the last decade. The arrival of new technologies has transla... ...ating a vast number of professional opportunities for people entering the field and for those with prior professional experience. For professionals who have learned to use all of the tools brought on by WEB 2.0, it’s translated into professional advancement. On the other hand, professionals who have chosen not to participate in the technological frenzy are not being promoted and their careers have stalled. For professionals like Anne Canty, the arrival of WEB 2.0 has given her a change to â€Å"put into action, management philosophies that she longed embraced, and also a chance to learn how to work with social media.† Although Canty believes that there will always be professional opportunities for those with good writing and listening skills, video editing and infographics(See bottom of page 5) are two areas where she believes â€Å"there will be increasing amounts of work.†