INTERCONNECT

A TEXTBOOK FOR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

Kuntal Tamang | Shilpa B.S.L.

Vishakha Kardam | Ranjana Nagar

W
WORLDVIEW
CONTENTS

Preface xi

INTRODUCTION
What is Digital Communication? 1

Media Richness Theory ltlent 2

EMAIL
Introduction to Email 9

Prefatory Elements of an Email 14

Structure of an Email
16

Language Register: Formal and Informal 20

Email Etiquette 26
Types of Email 30
Writing an Enquiry Email 30
Making Arrangements and Appointments 34
Writing a Sales/Persuasive Email
36

FACEBOOK
Introduction to Facebook
43
Constructing Self Using Facebook 48
Facebook Profile and Facebook Page 48
vi| | CONTENTS

How to Create a Facebook Profile

Types of Facebook Posts 2TM3TMO49

51
Writing a Personal Post
52
Facebook Business Page 53
Writing for the Business Page 53
Facebook Etiquette KorrouoRTHI 56
LINKEDIN

Introduction to LinkedIn
da 65
Constructing Self Using Linkedln 1AMS 67
Strategies to Attract Recruiters 72
Keywords and Where to Put Them 73
LinkedIn and CV: A Comparison 75
LinkedIn vs Facebook
79

Communicating through Linkedln 79

Language of Linkedin 80

INSTAGRAM
Introduction to Instagram ioggh g h p 85
Types of Accounts 86

Trolling on Instagram 92
Uses of Instagram 95
Features of Instagram 96
 CONTENTS || vi

Various Types of Instagram Posts 97

Instagram Etiquette 100
WHATSAPP MESSENGER

Introduction to WhatsApp Messenger 107

Types of Accounts 109

Register of Language 111

WhatsApp Lingo 112

Voice Messaging 116

Sharing Documents 117

Creating Groups 118

WhatsApp Etiquette 119

BLOGS

Introduction to Blogs 131

Types of Blogs 133

How to write a Blog 134

Key Components of a Blog 135

Blog Etiquette 136

VLOGS

Introduction to Vlogs 145

Ethics for Influencers 152

Types of Vlogs 153

viii || CONTENTS

154
Significance of Video Scripting
51pi 155
How to Write a Video Script
JourneyAW 156
Video Creation to Publication: A Vlogs
157
Vlog Etiquette

APPENDIX

ggn o st 160
Slack
g 161
Telegram
agal 163
Signal
anssod goi164
Previous Year's Question Paper, Delhi University
Citations
quotd gi167
SYLLABUS

GENERICELECTIVES LANGUAGE COURSES DIGITAL COMMUNICATION I

Credit distribution, eligibility and pre-requisites of the course

Course TitleCredits Credit Distribution of the Course Eligibility Pre

& Code Criteria Requisite
Lecture Tutorial Practical/ of the
Practice
Course

Digital 4 3 1 0 Passed NIL

Comm Class XII
unication-I

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

" To hone skills for online communication and provide interpersonal skills required
in the digital world.
To effectively present themselves in personal and professional capacities using online
mediums.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By studying this course, students will be able to understand and learn globally
emerging forms of digital communication in English and effectively communicate
in their everyday contexts, be it in social or professional situations.
x | | INTERCONNECT

UNIT I
CONSTRUCTING A SELF

1. Creating apersonal/professional profle for social media (Facebook, Linkedin etc).

2. Striking up formal, informal conversations (register, tone, vocabulary).
3. Social media etiquette.l
UNIT II
ExPRESSING THE SELF

1. Blogs, Facebook posts (expressing likes and dislikes)

2. Formal and informal correspondence (emails, making
announcements on social
groups: expressing/declining interests, making requests, sharing information)
3. Acknowledging and negotiating opinions
UNIT-III
ExPREsSING VISUALLY
1. Introducing oneself in a vlog (how to create a narrative: biography,
autobiography)
2. Striking a rapport/connecting with viewers/audience (colloquial language, discourse
markers)
3. Moderating content (integrating narrative with visuals/images)

Practical component (if any): Nil

Essential/recommended readings: As listed in the units
Suggestive readings: Nil

(As per the syllabus on the Delhi University website.)

PREFACE

Communication works for those who work at it.

-John Powell

Digital communication is the same old communication that now owns a smartphone.
All the rules of good communication apply to digital communication. The 7 Cs of
communication-that your message should be clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent,
complete, and courteous--are as much the cardinal rules for digital communication as
they are for any other kind of communication.
If youwish to express yourself to your friends or need to convey an idea to your
peers, or make a presentation at your workplace, you will need to be equipped with the
basic tools of communication. You might be the brightest person with the most brilliant
ideas but if you do not have the skill to communicate them, you are no better than the
person who has no ideas worth conveying. Add to the 7 Cs the three magic words-
thank you, please, and sorry-andyou will make more friends, annoy fewer people and
get your work done with ease.
The value of good communication skills cannot be emphasised enough. The ability
to convey amessage exactly as you intend is a high skill and valued in all areas of
life, be it personal or professional. With the boom in technology, communication
has moved to digital platforms and along with the skills of communication, we now
require a thorough understanding of the digital media as well. This book is designed to
help you do just that-master the art of digital communication. All of us are familiar
with most mediums of digital communication but are we using them well? Just as all
of us use language but only some of us are good communicators, similarly, all of us
are familiar with various forms of digital communication, such as email, Facebook,
Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., but onlya few can use these tools to communicate effectively.
"The world used to be a simpler place, is an adage that we often hear. One only
had to communicate with a few people-immediate family and friends, and colleagues.
But with the world shrinking to it into the palm of one's hand, thanks to the digital
xi || INTERCONNECT

eution, the contours of life have changed. We are now communicating with peonl
in different time zones. And we use various mediums to do this-a meeting via Co
Meet, an international conterence sitting at home via Zoom, a video call with
oveNcas fiend via WhatsApp. The possibilities are infinite and the usage is endles
Because we are living in aworld that is fast getting digitised, it is imperative that we
learn to navigate our way through this world.
As has been said earlier, all the rules of good communication apply to digital
commumication. Add to that an understanding of the technicalities of the digital
platform or medium that you are using and you are an effective communicator in todav's
world. While most of us are very pleased with the convenience and the speed of the
communication process in the digital world, there are many who warn us about the
dangers of this digital revolution. Issues of privacy, psychological ramifcations of living
ones lite in a virtualworld, decreasing attention spans, and increasing loneliness amidst
of hundreds and thousands of friends/followers, are some of the concerns that have been
raised by educators and mental health experts. While it is unavoidable to not be a part
of the digital world, it helps to be aware of the pitfalls and to exercise caution. It has
also been noticed that the digital platform lends itself very easily to abusive behaviour:.
The impersonality of the screen makes it easier for people to be rude to each other
lt is important to remember that good manners never go out of fashion, whether we
communicate verbally or through digitalplatforms. The golden rule of communication is
to speak unto others as you want them to speak unto you. And we would have written
this in all caps had it not been for the fact that we would have appeared rude in doing so.
With this book, we hope to be able to make you good communicators in the
digital world. We understand that all of you are familiar with the tools of digital
communication and have been using these tools actively for some time. But as teachers
of English language and communication, we have noticed that the learners could use
some guidance to improve themselves. With Covid, the reliance of the teaching-learning
process on digital tools increased manifold. While digital technology proved to be a
godsend during those difficult times, it was also noticed that communication throug
digital means led to miscommunication and friction, For instance, more and more
students now rely on WhatsApp to communicate with teachers. And almost all teachers
have been shocked and dismayed by the impolite ways in which students communicate
The students, on the other hand, have no clue about what they do that irritates the
 PREFACE || xiii

teachers so much. Another example that readily comes to mind is of students sending
assignmentsvia email. The assignments go to spam because the email ID of the student
is princesspriya@gmail.com' or brainyl234@yahoo.com, and the student believes that
the teacher has missed evaluatingher/his assignment and given a zero. This causes stress
not only for the student but also the teacher who has to look everywhere to locate the
assignment. And a medium that was used to save time and effort ends up wasting more
time and energy. That is the result of students using the tools of digital communication
without learning how to use them. The need for training in the field of this new and
indispensable means of communication was felt acutely in the English department. With
this need in mind and an aim to make the students adept at using the tools of digital
communication,this course was introduced. We hope that this book willnot only be a
useful resource for teachers but willalso help the learners navigate the brave new world
of digital communication and master it.
Kuntal Tamang
Shilpa B.S.L
Vishakha Kardam
Ranjana Nagar
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 2 || INTERCONNECT

way we access, exchange and use information. With technology becoming more m
orientated and user-friendly, individuals at all levels have beconme more digitally
and have started using technology in newer ways and in an ever-increasing literate
number
areas of their lives. By 2020, more than half of the worlds population had become active
internet users. From social media to online shopping, from web applications
remote working to on-demandentertainment services, these systems have largely reshab allowing
the functioning of our everyday life. These systems maximise the effectiveness of share
resources, build reliable solutions for individual users, and facilitate communication :
multiple aspects of our lives.
These developments have led to an enormous amount of data being created in the digital
space, propelling today's society into what is called the Information Age. To survive and s.
thrive in this Information Age, it is imperative that we become digitally literate. However.
inthe digitised world, it is not just the content but also the medium of communication
that holds significance. As media theorist Marshall McLuhan put it, the medium is the
message". It is here that it becomes important to understand Media Richness Theory.
MEDIA RICHNESS THEORY (MRT)
cbolsioiton
MRT compares all types of communication in their abilities to convey messages.
When we speak about how rich a source of communication is, we are referring to
how much information is being transferred from the sender to the receiver. According
to this theory proposed by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel, different media or
forms of communication have diferent levels of richness in the information that they
provide. MRT, also known as Information Richness Theory, helps us choose the form of
communication most suited to convey our message. Les rich forms of communication
such as text messages and written letters do not contain the kind of information that can
be conveyed through rich media such as video conferencing or face-to-face interaction.
As the form of media becomes richer, the receiver has more cues to interpret the message
such as voice inflection, facial expression, hand gestures, body language, etc. Each form
of communication has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages and its important
for us to understand these so that we may use the medium best suited to convey ou
message most effectively. The need to select the appropriate medium arisesimmediate
from i
context of the message being conveyed. If the message is urgent and requires Organised
feedback, then we must use the richest form of medium. For instance, you have
 INTRODUCTION || 3

aseminar in your institution and have invited a prominent personality to deliver the
keynote. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the seminar has to be cancelled at the last
minute. You have to inform the keynote speaker just two hours before the scheduled time
about the cancellation. What form of communication will you employ to ensure that the
speaker gets the information? Will you send an email, a text message, or will youmake
a phone call? Let's take another example. You have designed your organisation's annual
report and wish to get feedback from your colleagues before you submit the report.
It is a forty-page report with graphs and tables. Will you call a meeting and read out
the report to get feedback or will you print out the entire report and make copies for
everyone and have it couriered to all of them or will you send an email to everyone
with the report attached?
According to MRT, the following is the descending order of media in terms of
richness: face-to-face, video systems, audio systems, text systems. These are also called
very rich, somewhat rich, lean, very lean mediums.

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oba LESS EFFECTIVE Leaner Mediums Posters

de sia Fig. 1. Pictorial representation of Media Richness Theoryoilefs o t
4 || INTERCONNECT

While we might feel that the richer the media the better, this
is not entirely
direct communication which does not involve uncertainty and hence does nottrue. For
discussion, the leaner the media the better. For instance, when outlining require
rules in a memo to allemployees, we want lean media that get to the point set-in-stone
additional details that might complicate things. But when we have to discusSwithout ay
that is equivocal and does not have a straight or clear solution, we need rich
instance, when ateam needs to finalise points for a client presentation, we medi
something
a. Fo
media. Rich media adds context to asituation and leads to nuanced need rich
and well-informed
decision making. Selecting the appropriate medium to deliver the message is
effective communication in the digital world. crucial to
Digitisation has impacted the world in a big way and India aspires to become a
trillion-dollar digital economy by 2025. But, as per the Multiple Indicator Survey (MIS
report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released in March 2023, the maiorin
of respondents in the 15-29 age group reported an inability to do
Published in The Print, the survey pointed out that 73% lack routine basic computer tasks
email skills su
as adding an attachment. Such finding are
the IT Hub of the world. The 15-29 age dismaying given Indias aspiration to become
group represents more than a quarter of Indias
population, around 27.5 percent. The lack of ICT skills in this young
population, as indicated by the survey, does not bode well for the future working-age
many in an increasingly digitised world. prospects of
It is with the intent of equipping the
young generation with all the
communication skills required in this rapidly digitising world that thistechnological and
curriculum has
been developed. While technology is the base on which the
architecture of the digital
world rests, it is the linguistic and communicative skills that are
the building blocks of
this world. This book is designed to help you in
mediums of communication that have become intrinsic understanding the nuances of digital
to our lives. Each chapter is
devoted to a specific mode of digital
communication-Email, Facebook, Linkedln,
WhatsApp, Instagram, Blogs, and Vlogs. The chapters are independent of each other
and may be gone through in any order. Exercises, activities, fun facts and
discussion
questions in each chapter are meant to not only enhance your understanding of the toplc
but also contribute towards a comprehensive continuous evaluation as per the
of the UGCF (Undergraduate Curriculum Framework 2022) in guidelines
keeping with the National
N
Education Policy 2020. The appendix at the end of the book provides information 2nou
 INTRODUCTION | | 5

the new platforms of social media that have become popular in recent times. Also
included is the previous year's question paper of Delhi University.
WORKS CITED

1. Kapor, Mitchell. Electronic Frontier Foundation Information. 1993.

2. Danielson, Robert. "Digital versus Traditional Communication." https:/ishorturl.at/AUZ79.
3. Rampal, Nikhil. "India Has $1 Trillion Digital Dream, but 73% Youth Lack Basic Email Skills,
Shows NSSO Survey" edited by Asavari Singh. ThePrint, 27 March 2023, https://r.gyl3c0o9.
EMAIL

To not have an email address is the digital equivalent of being homeless.

-Dela Quist

Pallavi is a marketing manager at Vriddhi Software. She is working on her presentation

which is due the next day. As she frantically prepares her slides, a pop-up of an
incoming email from her boss shows up, asking for an immediate update on the
status of her presentation. She leaves her work to answer the email. When she
gets back to her presentation, another email pops up. A colleague is asking for a
document. She responds again. Pallavi finds emails distracting and intrusive. She,
like 75% of the emailusers, as per a report by Vision Critical Study, thinks emails
as hostile, boring and a waste of time. Only 25% of email users consider emails
friendly, interesting and useful. What is it that Pallavi needs to learn to use emails
effectively andas a valuable tool in her work life? Come, let's find out!

Email, or Electronic mail, is one of the most popular forms of digital communication.
It is amode where people exchange messages, computer-stored documents and graphics
using the internet. Email was first introduced in 1971 when Ray Tomlinson, a computer
programmer, found a way of transmitting messages between computer systems on the
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)-which eventually became
the modern internet.
Email has grown to be a vital medium of communication in the last five decades and
has remained so despite the rise of other digital channels. The reasons for its popularity
are many. It has become one of the most universally used digital channels. According
to the figures released by Radicati, a Technology Market Research Firm, there are 3.9
Dillion active email users worldwide as estimated in early 2019. That is more than a
glarter of the world's total population using emails. Further, emails have come to be
10 || INTERCONNECT

seen as a reliable means of communication, where messages reachthe intended audience

without loSs of time and cost. Emails are flexible. They can carry messages with textual,
contents/attachments. It is therefore not surprising
graphic, audio, videoand multimedia communication.
that emails have become the mnost dependable form of professional
business settings. According to Digital Marketing Ramblings (DMR), an average worker
is believed to receive 121 emails cach day. Its usage is only estimated to grow further

Fig. 1. The two ARPANET computers Fig. 2. Ray Tomlinson, the computer
between which the first email was programmer who invented emails.
exchanged.

MERITS

Facilitates routine communication needs of an organisation: All mid-sized and

large-sized organisations use emails to communicate with their suppliers, customers
partners, as well as their employees. Much of everyday communication, such as
delegating. monitoring and reporting of work, happens via email. It is the chiet
channel of routine information exchange.
Email Marketing: Companies reach out to regular customers and new target audience
and
discounts
using personalised emails to market their products, popularise sales
 15WK EMAIL || 11

inform about new launches. It is considered one of the most effective digital marketing
tools.

Email Continues to Deliver

OBERLO
aStrong Return on Investment

The average expected

ROI is

$40
for every $1 you spend
on email marketing.
(Onisend 2022)

Fig. 3. Email Marketing and Return on Investment

Email lends validity: It's common in the professional world to hear people say "Put
it in an email". Just as in the offline world nothing is final until it is written, in the
new business world, nothing is official unless it is communicated through the official
channel of email.

Email is a gateway to the digital world: As part of this globalised and digitalised
world, an email ID is an essential identity of a person or a company. Whether it
is for hunting jobs or accessing social media accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn
or Instagram, you need an email ID. Similarly, aprofessional email address lends a
sense of credibility to any business.
12 || INTERCONNECT

DEMERITS

Email as atime-waster/work detractor: Sending and receiving emails can lead to.
lot of wasted time and effort. It can distract employees from completing a criticl
job. According to an article, "Death by Information Overload" published by Harvard
Business Review, people took an average of twenty-five minutes to return to awork
task after an email interruption. The article also quotes the results of a survey of
2300 Intel company employees, revealing how they perceived one-third of the email
messages received to be unnecessary.

TIPS TODEAL WITH EMAIL INTRUSION

Allocate a specific time for email processing.

Make folders for different mails and look at the ones that require urgent
attention. The rest can be processed at the time allotted for checking mail
during your work day.
If you have not opened an email from a particular source for a long time, then
unsubscribe from that portal and if the option of unsubscribing is not there,
categorise it as spam.
The sender of emails must ensure that emails are sent only when necessary
and only to those recipients who need to get the message.

Information Overload: People tend to send irrelevant messages such as junk mal
bad jokes, chain letters, or irrelevant memos (e.g. the casual use of "cc or "Reply
all"). Going through such unwanted emails is a waste of employees productive time
 EMAIL || 13

SPAM: SHARE OF GLOBAL EMAIL TRAFFIC 201 1-2022

Spam can be defined as an unwanted message, usually of commercial nature, such

as an advertisement, sent to somebody via email. In 2022, nearly 49 percent of all
emails worldwide were identified as spam, up from 46 percent in 2021. In 2022,
the highest volume of spam emails was registered in February-approximately 53
percent of email traffic worldwide.2

Not suited for complex and sensitive messages: People overestimate their ability to
communicate via email. An email is typically suited for routine messaging. Even when
email is used for marketing, effective messaging involves simple and clear messages.
Emails must be avoided for complex messages.
Overdependency on emails: There is atendency in our workplaces to be overdependent
on email for communication. Email is only one of the many communication channels
available. The other popular mediums are face-to-face communication, telephone, instant
messaging and intranet. Depending on the nature and urgency of the message, one
must choose an appropriate channel. If it is an urgent message and a quick one, then
possibly a telephone call works better than an email. Similarly, when communicating
complex messages involving negotiation or elaborate discussion, or conveying bad
news, emails cannot replace face-to-face communication.

D THINK AND DISCUSS

Read the following case of Twitter's global vice president of policy, Sinead McSweeney
and answer the questions that follow.
 14 || INTERCONNECT

YOUR EMAIL SAYS, "YO¯RE FIRED"

THE CURIOUS CASE OF MCSWEENEY.

On November 16, Twitter sent an email to its employees to make a choice--to work
the company under new, stricter rules or resign. The email asked employees to
click on
yes if they "want to be part of the new Twiter" and 'no' to resign. Twitter's global wie
president of policy, Sinead McSweeney, did not click on yes due to alack of clarity Over
several issues, including her contractual entitlements. As she ignored the November 16
email, Twitter locked her access to internal IT systems, emails and the Dublin office. She
claimed Twitter humiliated her as if she was never a part of the company. McSweenev
received an email confirming her "voluntary resignation" on November 18th. She sought
an injunction telling the court that she has not technically resigned from her position
by not responding
Read
the
full
to a genericemail authorised by Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk.
article
here.
The court asked Twitter to reinstate her access to 1witter's system
as if she's still a part of the company. However, this does not mean
she is a full-time worker, and McSweeney will have to renegotiate
her position.?

Discussion Questions
1. What are McSweeney's arguments against her voluntary resignation'?
2. What do you think of Twitter's use of emails to fire people?

3. Can an email replace a complex negotiation and why?

4. Can you think of other instances where an email is inappropriate?

PREFATORY ELEMENTS OF AN EMAIL

Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail are some of the popular email domains. Regardless of the
domain you use, for the sake of usability, there are certain common features standardised
in an email interface. These features are:

1. To: This is where the email address/es of the primary recipient/s must be placed. Ensure that
the email addresses are error-free as any error will result in the failure of enmail transmision.
 1DHO EMAIL || 15

2. Cc: This is an abbreviation for "Carbon Copy". If you wish to send a copy of your email
tosomeone other than the primary recipient, youmust place his/her email address here.
3. Bcc: This is an abbreviation for "Blind Carbon Copy" When you place an email address
in this field, you are sending a copy of your email to his/her email address without
revealing this to either the primary recipient or the person to whom you have sent the Cc.
4. Subject: This field is to announce the content of the message, preferably in a single
line text. One should attempt to write a subject line which gives the reader a clear
idea of what the message is about. A well-written subject line grabs the reader's
attention,encouraging him/her to attend to the email as required. Amessages without
a subject line is treated as unprofessional and is usually dumped as unimportant.
5. Composition: The message you write is placed here. Creating awell-written message
is an important skillin the modern workplace. How to write an email is dealt with
in a later section.

6. Attachment: Using this feature, you may attach a document or a multimedia file that
you wish to send to the recipient.

New Message

To

Cc

Bcc

Subject

Compose

Serif

Send

Fig. 4. An email image open for composition.

 16 || INTERCONNECT

QUIZ TIME: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR

EMAIL INTERFACE?
In addition to the fields already discussed, an
email interface has many
features that are essential. Explore your email account and writethe more
answers below:
1. lam the folder where you will find the received
emails. I am ...
2. I am the folder where you can keep
emails that you are working on but not
ready to send. Iam
3. Ishow that amessage cannot be ignored. I am
4. Iam the folder where you can find emails
you have sent. I am
5. Iam the storehouse of your account. You can
save documents and presentations
in my space. I am
6. Icontain all the email addresses and other
personal data. I am

STRUCTURE OF AN EMAIL

Emails and conventional letters can both be seen as written forms of

communication
entailing the ability to write using correct grammar, appropriate vocabulary, clear and
concise sentences. Yet, when we compare emails with a conventional letter, the former
distinctly varies from the latter. Emails are more direct, quick, highly purposeful and
yet personalised communication, which facilitate quick response and even immediate
action, quite unlike the traditional letters.
While the mechanical elements of email are standardised, the language required to
write an email requires close attention and practice. This section will focus on helping
you learn how to write different types of emails. The first step is to be familiar with the
of an email. It has a clear logical structure usually incorporating the following
elements:

1. Subject Line: Every email, whether formal or informal, should have ashort subjec
line which specifies the content of the email.
salutation.
2. Salutation: Much like traditional letters,emails also most often begin with a
 EMAIL || 17

Depending on the context and your relationship with the recipient, you may choose
to use an appropriate salutation:

i. Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs Ipshita: Highly formal and mostly used at first acquaintance.
ii. Dear Ipshita: Less formal than the above. This reflects some sort of familiarity
between the sender and the receiver.
ii. Hi/Hello Ipshita: Informal way of referring to a colleague with whom you work
regularly or are in the same team. In certain multinational companies, this may be
the company's practice. It is always good to learn or observe the norms followed
in your company/organisation in order to understand how formal/informal you
are expected to be with your colleagues while writing to them.
iv. Start without any salutation: This is usually done in a long thread of communication
where, after starting the chain of communication, you may sometimes skip
salutation.

3. Opening Sentence: As emails are meant to be direct, particularly the routine ones,
the opening sentence should explain the purpose of writing the message.
i. "I am writing to..": Usually, this phrase is considered to be a formal way of
stating the purpose of your email.
ii. "Just a quick note to..': This phrase appears in informal email
messages to
announce the reason for writing the message.
4. Conclusion: An email message is a popular means of professional communication
because of its result-orientedness. In the conclusion one must clearly spell out the
action that is desired from the recipient of the message. This action could range
from noting information to sending an acknowledgement or an important document,
seeking answers for an enquiry or confirming orders. The concluding paragraph must
clearly mention the action that is expected.
i. Examples of formal conclusions: Look forward to hearing from you, I look forward
to meeting you at the venue, Kindly acknowledge receipt of the documents, Please
confirm the delivery of the order.
18 || INTERCONNECT

i. Examples of informal conclusions: Hope to hear from you soon, See you at the
venue, Just let me know when the delivery is done.

5. Closing: The language in closing also ranges from very formal to informal.
i. Sincerely: Highly formal and seldom used in emails
ii. Thank you/Thanks in advance: Use them when you desire to express your gratitude,
particularly when you are asking something from the recipient.
ii. Regards/Best wishes: Most commonly used semi-formal phrases.
iv. Cheers/Best/All the best/Bye: Informal and a friendly way of closing an email.
It shows certain familiarity between the sender and the receiver of the email.

EXERCISE

Read the following jumbled paragraphs and rearrange them to make two emails. One
formal and the other informal.

i. Dear Mr. Raghu,

i. Just a quick note about the meeting next week.
i. Hope you have a successful next quarter. We look forward to a long business
association.
iv. Hope to hear from you soon.
V. Let's meet at Pirates of Grillin Saket next Tuesday at about 6.00 p.m. Sohail
will bring the clients straight to the restaurant following the site visit. Well
have a discussion followed by dinner Does this work for you?
vi. Attached is the updated price list for our complete range of products. As ne
previously discussed, you may pass on the price increase to the customers.
 EMAIL 11 19

.. am writing to inform you about the revised prices of our prod

vu. 1 ucts from the
next quarter.
... SubJ·ect Line: Introducing revised prices from next quarter.
Vlll,

ix. Regards,
Amrit
x. Hi Gabriel,
How're you?
·
Xl. SubJ·ect Line: Meeting plans!
xii. Bye, Ravi

Formal Email:

•• e • •. • • • • • e • •. • • e • • • •
e e. e e • • • • • • • • • • • f t
f f f I I I f f ■ f I f f I • • e e e e e e • e e e e e e • • e e e e e
e e f • e e e e e • e e o e • e • • • • •

..................... ..............................................................................
f f • I e • o e f o • f o f

......
...................... ................. ........ .... ... .. .. ... .. .... ............. ........ ...... ....... ..........
.. .. ..
f f f f f f ff ■ f f f f f f f
f ff ff f ff ff f ff ff ff ff f ff . f ff f ff f f f f ff f f ■ f f e f ff f e f f ff • f ff ff f f f ff f f f ff ■ f f f f ff f

............................................................................................ ......
f f f f f f t f f f f I f • f f f I I f t

......
....................... .. ......... .................... ....... ............... ......... . ................... ......... .
.... ......................................................... ...................... .. ....... ..........................
..
Informal Email:

........................................................................................... ..................
... ..................................... ........ ..... .. ....... ..... ..... ... .. . . .. . .. ... .... ... .. .. ...... .. .....
........................................ ... ... .. .... . .. .. . ..... .. . . . .. .. .. . ...... .... .. .... .... . . ... .... .. ..
...................................... ...... .. ....... .. .. ... . .. ....... ........ .. ... .... ...... .. .... ..... .... ...
............................... ..................................... .......... ... ...... ......... .... ... .. ...........
.................................................................................................... ..............
······ ······ ······ ······ ···· ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ ······ · ····· ······
······ ······ ······ ····· ····· ····· ·····

•- -- -· •- --- •
20 II INTERCONNECT

NGUAGE REGISTER: FORMAL AND INFORMAL

LA
ality of lan gu ag e. It is the wa y the language used by
form
Register refers to the degree of sts, su ch as law yers or scientists. The
ilar wo rk or int ere
a group of people who share sim ssa ge one is writing and the person
s up on the kin d of me
register of an email depend , su ch as an enquiry of the availability
A ro utine me ssa ge
one is writing the message to. sse d de ad line. Similarly, writing to
n ap olo gis ing fo r a mi
of a stock, is less formal tha co m pa ny dealers or to people
as your cu sto m ers or
people outside your office, such the co mpany, will be more formal
ur bo ss or the CE O of
higher in hierarchy such as yo
s.
than writing to your teammate

-----------~---

~ ~
•~ ' '
- I

"I don't mind getting email from me

send
you, Stevens. But don, ever oji
another smiley-face em . •
ail
Fig. 5 Avoid emojis in a formal em
 EMAIL 11 21

FEATURES OF INFORMAL LANGUAGE

• Colloquial Phrases: When people use informal language, they use the language used
in everyday parlance, i.e. the language used in casual conversation. For example,
How're you? or See ya soon or See you soon.
• Simpler Vocabulary: The words used in informal emails are usually simpler than in
the formal emails.

Formal To To To To To
inform request enquire verify assist

Informal To tell To ask To ask To To help

for check

• Abbreviations: Abbreviations such as Rd for road, info for information; use of symbols
such as &, % are also commonly seen in informal messages. However, there are some
standard abbreviations like as soon as possible (asap),for your information (FYI) which
are common to both formal and informal emails.

• Emoticons and Emojis: Use of emoticons and emojis to convey emotions is more
commonly accepted in an informal email than in a formal one. Emoticons are
essentially textual portrayals of a writer's moods or facial expressions in the form of
icons like :) or >:<. Emojis are small digital images to convey the writer's emotion
such as @ (slightly smiling face), (.oJ (slightly frowning face), ~ (beaming face
with a grin) and U (laughing face with tears of happiness).
22 11 INl l.RCONNI.CT

•- - -•EXERCISE•- - - •

l. l'I, k tht lnfo1"1u11I I''"'''""" from the hox to fill In the

following hl.mk11,

·r,, s\'l \k"''\l\Nl' To ~l'l 'l'o To usk Als,, To To

up of
To
In lmh.:h (heck for fix tell a1ik
wllh

'fo
h,,,,k
To To he 'fo To get Ok To To be
---
To
tll\SW l'r sorry help have free put
off
-
1. To arr::u1ge: ..... ..... ..... ..... . 10. To reserve: ................... ..

2. To assist: ..... ..... ... .......... .. 11. To request: ...... ...... ...... . ..

3. To contact: ..... ..... ..... ..... . 12. To obtain: ................... ..

4. Convenient: ..... ..... ..... , .... . 13. To repair: ...... ...... .... .... .

5. Due to : .................... . 14. To postpone: ................ ..

6. To enquire: .................... . 15. To possess: .................. .. .

7. Furthermore: .................... . 16. To verify: .................. .. •

 •· ,as
~ --·- ·

EMAIL 11 23

8. To reply: .. •· .. · · · · .. · · · · · · · · · 17. To convey/inform: ......... ...... .. .

9. To regret: ... •·· ••· •·· · .. · ·· · · · 18. Availability: .................... .

_ Use phrases from the previous exercise to complete the email below. Use formal
2
register. Change the tense as required.

I am \\Titing .. ......... ... ... (1) you to send me the price list of the new men's accessory
range introduced by your company. We are glad ................ (2) you that we have recently
added an accessory section to our retail men's wear shops and ................ (3) many
requests for your products' accessories from our clients.

I was wondering if we could ........... ..... (4) a meeting to assist us with the knowledge
of your new products. The coming Friday, 29 March, is ................ (5) for us.

As I am travelling for a week from today, please ................ (6) my secretary, Mr. Riju
Gupta. to................ (7) if the above appointment suits you.

3. Write the full forms of the following abbreviations.

I. ASAP: ................................... . 12. 000: ........ .. ...................... ... .

2. Attn: ...................................... . 13. TL; DR ............................. ... .

3. At the mo: ................................ . 14. VSRE: ................................... .

4. AR: ...................................... . 15. Rgds: ... ..... ............. ... ........ . .

5. Bw: ••••••••.•.•.•••.......................... 16. Pls: ......... ........ ..................... .

6. B'IW: ...................................... . 17. w/e: ..... ... .... .......................... .

 -
24 11 INTERCONNECT

7. EOl): ....... ....... ....... .... , ....... ..... . 18. FYR: ..................................... .

8. E0~1 : ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ... .
9. F)"' I: ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... .... .... .
10.GlF : ....... . ....... . ....... ....... ....... . .
19. NYR: ....... ....... .. ... ..... . ..
·········
20. NYR'f: ....... ....... ...... ...... .
·········
21.PFA: ....... ....... ....... ... .... ....... .. ..

11. NRN : ... ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... . 22. YIN: ....... ....... ....... ..... .. ..
···· ·····
4. l\tatch the phrase in column A with its equivalent in colum
n B. The first has been
done for you.

Informal Phrases Formal Phrases

1. Thanks for your help! ( b ) a. I regret to inform you that I
will not be able to attend the
meeting.
2. See you tomorrow. ( ) b. I am writing to express my
gratitude for your help.
3. Sorry, just want to let you know, c.- I look forward to seeing you
I can't make it to the meeting. ( ) tomorrow.
4. We promise you ( ) d. With regard to/With reference to_
5. What do you need? { ) e. We can assure you that ..•
-
6. Can you ... ? {) f. Kindly let us know your

7. Should I. .. ? ( ) g.
requirements.
I was wondering if you could.··
-
-
EMAIL 11 25

8. 'Ihank)! (or the (•nwil of 21 h. I wanted lo know if you would

Mar1.h . ( ) like me to ... ?
9. Clwrrs ( ) l. 'Jhank you for the email you
sent on 21 March.
10. But. .. /So .. ./Bccuu11c .. ./ Also ( ) j. However.. ./ As a rcsult.. ./Due
to .. ./In addition to
11. We're really sorry for ( ) k. With be!it wi!,hes,
12. Re ( ) 1. Please accept my apologies ...

s. Replace the italicized formal phrases with the informal ones from the box below.

i. With reference to order number VB121 received on 2nd March, we are pleased
to inform you that we have sufficient stock of laptop bags for immediate delivery.
However, we want to bring to your kind notice that you have not specified your
preferences with regard to the colour and size of the bags. Request you to let us
know your exact requirements at the earliest as the products are in huge demand
and we may soon run out of stock. You may feel free to contact us for any further
assistance.

you to just note ... ; Re ... ; We're happy to let you know... ; you haven't said anything
about. .. ; get in touch; But; Please tell us; asap; any more help

■ t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t • t t t t t t I I • t I t I t I f t t I t ft t If t t t t t t t I I I t t t t I t t I t I t I t I t t t t I t t t t t t ♦ t t t I t t • t t t t • t • t t I • t • ♦

It It t t I It ft t t ff t t t f f t t ff t I f t ft I f f t t f t t I I t t I I t t t f t t I t I t • • • • • • • • • • • e e e I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • O O • • • 1

I If ff ff.ff ff ff. f If I I I I I I I I
I I I • I I I I I • t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I I I I t I I I I I • • I • • • • • • • • • • • • t I • • • • • t • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 • • • • • • • •

I I If f I If If ff If f. I. I I I I I I I I• • I • I I • • I I I I I I • I I I I • I I I I I • • I I I I I I I I I • • 1 I I I I I • • t I I • •
• I • • • I • • • • t • f • I • • • • 1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • I

If I If f. ff ff I I I. I If I I ■ I I f • • I ■ I I I ■ I I I ■ I I t I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I • I • I • • • t I I I • I I • I I I • 1 1 • • I t
• f • • f • • I • ' • • 1 f If I f • • f f • • 1 • 1 • 1

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I If I If f I I I I I I I
I I ■■ I I I I I I I • I • I I I • I I It I I I I It I ■ I It I I It I I I I I • • t I • f • I • • • • • f • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I • • • f • • I I

I I■ I If I If ff t t ff t ff If I
I ■ t
ft If I I I I I I I • I I I I I I I I ■ ■ I ■ ■ I I I I I I I I ■ ■ I I ■ I I I I ■ I I I • • • • • • I • I • • • • I • • • • • I • • • I I• • • • • • • • • • I • • • • •

■ II I I Ifft It t ■
ff ft• I I If I If I I I I I I I It I I I • I I I I I I I I I I I I I t ■ I • I I■■ I I I I • ■ • I I I I I I I • I • • • • • f • • • • • • • f I • •
• • • • • • • •

................................................................................................. ..............
I • • • • • • • • • •
 26 11 INTERCONNECT

ii. Thank you for tlie email received on 5 March 2023, inquiring the availability of oU
convention hall as a venue for your international conference to be held in the rnon r
of October. ive are gla,l to irrform you that our convention hall is available on t~h
said dates. Reg,irdirrg yoi,r c1ucry about the charges of the hall, it is necessary for :
to know your buffet requirements for breakfast and lunch. We would be grateful 14i
one of your representatives visit us to discuss the selection of menu and subsequent?
the venue charges. Lookirrg forward to your reply. y

we need to know; We,re delighted to share; Thanks for the email of 5 March 2023-
,
Re; Could ... ?; Eagerly awaiting your response.

. . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . ................ ............................................ ............................

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t t ♦ t t ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ I I ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t t ♦ ♦ t I f ♦ ♦ I t I I t I ♦ t I t ♦ I I f t ♦ t t I ♦ ♦ I I ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ I ♦ I ♦ ♦ t ♦ t
·····
f I ♦ t t ♦ t O t t O I t ♦ t Ott t I

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ t t ♦ t ♦ t t ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ t t I ♦ t t t ♦ • I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I I t • • • 1 1 • • • • • ♦ ♦ t ♦

........................................................................................................ . ..
1 OO 0 0

' ' ''

e e e e ••• I e I I e I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I • I • I I t I I• I I OI I ♦ I I t ♦

I e e I I. I I. I I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I I. I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I e I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I• I t • t ♦ 0 0 I t I

• I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I • I I I I I I I I I I I I I I • I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I It I t ♦ I• I t I t O O I 0

I e I I I I I I e. I e e e I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I •• I I • I I I • I I •• I I I I • I I I • I I • I • I • I I • I I I I I I I • I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t t ♦ I • I t t ♦ •t o I o I

•-- --· •--- -•

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Do's
• A professional email address which reflects your first and last name is useful. This
will help people identify your email ID easily. Avoid using email addresses that look
immature such as handsomehunkrohit@gmail.com or bubblybabita@yahoo.co.in. y~u
may choose to have them for personal use but may refrain from using · them ,or
ts
. th
professional use. Many students use unprofessional IDs to submit eir . assignme n

, ,,i
 EMAIL 11 27

nnJ they end up In the spam folder of the examiner, creating a situation in which
the student believes that she/he has not been awarded marks whereas the examiner
not rl•(c:iveJ the assignment. To avoid such and similar other incidents, create
IHI,S
an JD that dm•s not look like a fake one.
• Always indudc a subject line in your email that will help people determine the
contl·nt of your message and help them decide the action to be taken.
• Emails must be thoroughly proofread before sending. Although there are inbuilt
spell checkers un<l grammar corrections, it is still important to cross-check emails
for spelling, grammar and other important details to avoid giving a sloppy image of
your professional self.
• While sending attachments, ensure that the document you intend to send is rightly
attached. Also, mention the list of attachments in the body of the mail so that the
recipient knows what to expect in the attachment.
• It is always good to add the recipient's email address after you have composed the
message. This will help you avoid accidentally sending incomplete/unedited emails.
• Cross-check the recipient's address to ensure that the email goes to the desired person
and that there is no failure of delivery.
• Use simple and classic fonts in business emails. To ensure maximum readability and
accessibility, the font size should be eleven or twelve.
• The tone should be polite and courteous to people across cultures, communities
and genders.
• Use the "Reply-All" button sparingly. Ensure that the information you are sending
is indeed required by all before hitting that button.

t • Have an in-built signature block for your professional email. This

will help you save time and also ensure consistency in how you
f
J sign the email. (See "Create Gmail Signature" help page to learn
J how to create your signature block).
• Having separate folders for different kinds of emails may be useful in categorising
and organising emails. It helps you to keep your inbox free and up to date.
28 II INTERCONNECT

•- - • EXERCISE • - - •

1. Write an appropriate subject lin e

for the foll ow ing em ails .

Subject .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. . SubJ'ect .. .... .... ... .... .... .... .... .. .
·······
Just a qukk note to check the status of Could you please share the new HR
the project progression. I need the info policy guidelines asap? Our department
for the meeting tomorrow. needs to see them. Thx.

2. Rewrite the fol low ing emails by cor

recting the spe llin g/p unc tua tion err
ors.

Deer Shankar, Hi,

Just a shrot note tot ell you that your
we are still awaiting a reply from your end
ordr has been confirmed. iget in nr i cant understand the reson for the delay
tuch v.iht you to dicsuss the terms
hope you understand the importance of
of delivry.
a confirmation from your sied
See you sooon. If you dont reply tot he mail immediately
we will consider the deal cancelled and
look esle wher
Looking forward to hearing from you soon
kind regards,
vikas

• • f • f • e • • • f e • f • f e e • • • • e
f f • e f I f I I f I I I I

.............................................
I I f I • I I t I I t I I t I I I I I I t 1 • t t t t t t t t t t 1 1 1 1
t t I t t t I t t I t 1 1 1 1 1
• • •

I f f I I 9 9 I t e e I • I I t t I t I t t t t • • • •

................................. ......... ... .. .

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• a I I ff f I e e f e e t. f f I • t • I 9 I ■ t f

.............................................
I ff I f f • I f e I I I I ♦ a I I

............ ...... ...... ... ... ... ... .. . .........

·----· ·- -- -•
 EMAIL 11 29

oont's
, Don't use office email addresses to send persona
l emails. Remember that your office
can always monitor them.
, Don't write an email when angry. By writing an
email in anger, you not only escalate
the matter but also leave a permanent proof of you
r anger on the email. Whenever
there are differences, it is better to resolve them face
-to-face rather than using emails.
, Don't use all capitals in an email message. Bes
ides being hard on the eyes, it is
interpreted as shouting at the recipient.
, Don't write lengthy emails. It is good to keep you
r business emails concise and clear.
• Don't ignore important email messages. Respond
as soon as possible to avoid looking
unprofessional.

!mall ct •1' • Don't. lUC Captt.al let.~ers.

l~ J Look... rm son,- &bout the email.

I honestly didn 't know I had typed
it. wit.h the 'C& s Lock' on.

"Bad news, Stevens. While monitoring your

email I discovered that Y,OU're monitoring
myema1I."

Fig. 6. Email monitoring

Fig. 7. Using all caps
 30 11 INTERCONNECT

I NEvt.P. HAvt. "'" YBE YOU COULD

REWRITE IT TO BE
TlME TO RE"D EM"IL SHOii.TEil
MES!»AGES TH" T "RE

-- -
TOO LONG.

r----
' 1 0()1,,1 T
I H-'vt
1 TIME TO
ANO
~T
~V(
iJ
- - - - -.......- - - -

P.(UlT E : TIME TO
r-::=IF=== =====~
NO ONE READS
TH"T EM"lL. IT WILL
ME"N I WASTED TWO
HOURS WRITING IT.
Pl.VS. YOU'RE W"STING
MY TIME P.IGHT NOW.
DON'T FORGET TO
tNCLUOE THAT IN YOUR
FAILUP.E ASSESSMENT.
~ _ _ ) P.EAO IT.
, n,

Fig. 8. Long email.

t TYPES OF EMAIL

news, asking and

Emails can be used for various purposes. People use them for sharing
s. In the section
giving routine information, placing orders and selling products/service
draft them.
below, we look at a few common types of emails and learn how to
• Enquiry Emails
• Making Appointments/Arrangements
• Sales/Persuasive Emails

WRITING AN ENQUIRY EMAIL

ess context seeking

Enquiry emails are messages which are routinely written in a busin
of an enquiry email.
information of products and services. Given here are two versions
Which one looks better to you?

J

,-- Vt.·rsion I
Subjcd: Prmlud informntion
~
[>t:,\r G.ull'Sh,
Our sales rcprcscntativt•s nrc very
hard-working people, oltt•n spending
a.s nmd1 as h,,lf of thl'ir time trnvdling
to consult with various dknts nrnunJ
the world. ObYiously, they t•mploy
laptop computers when trnvdling, often
tapping into our company database to
prepare a proposal for a client. Some of
the representatives have requested that
we provide them with a tablet which is
easier to carry than a laptop. Therefore,
I would like some information on the
economy-tablets (M072 l -The Rugged
Tablets) you specifically customise for
your clients. First, Ia like to know
if this has a 10-inch screen and full
HD resolution. Our reps would also
need high storage as they carry a lot
of data for our customers. What kind
of connectivity provisions does your
tablet support? Does the tablet have
any warranty?
If I can provide any further
information about our needs, do not
hesitate to let me know.
Sincerely,
Samhita
EMAIL 11 31
Version 2
Suhjcl'l: Rct111c.•st for ,,rotlm:t lnformution
of M072 I, the ruJ(gcd lal,lt'ls
Dc:ar (~ant·sh,
1
I saw your Custorn Made Tablet' wchsitc
nnJ nm writing lo set·k Information
rq;arding your product MO72 l-1hc
Ruggc<l 'foblct. We're looking to pun.:hase
21 of these tablets in hulk for our sales
representatives who wish to use them
on their long and often laborious travels
instead of their laptops.
Specifically, I would like answers to
the following four questions:
i. Do these tablets have a 10-inch
screen and full HD?
ii. Docs the battery support 12 hours
of heavy usage? Since we wish to
use the tablet for long travel and
reasonably heavy data storage,
such a feature is important.
iii. Is the tablet a SG tablet?
iv. Does it come with at least an
18-month warranty?
I would appreciate receiving the
information by this weekend as it will
help us in making our purchasing
decision in our next week's meeting.
Sincerely,
Samhita
 J
32 11 INTERCONNECT

The choi ce between the two emails is quite ohvious

. Vcr, ion 2 i'9 an impri,v<:nitnt
version 1. In version 1, the use of the subject line is
gcn~ral an<l n~,t hdp ful. ·n,ctri, ;~
letter begins with irrelevant details without directly
time of the reader by giving unnecessary informa
stating what is ~ought. It wa,tt, i?
111

tio~. The _second vcr~i,,n ~h,,uld ~

considered a welt -written email. The practices followed
m version 2 sho uld be um,idtrtd
as thumb rules for writing a good enquiry email.
They are:

• Share info rmation about where one learnt abou

t the product. Present the n:qut,t in
the first sentence and back it up by giving reasons
for making the rcquc\t.
• Phrase each question dearly so that it is easy to
answer. Each que stion should "'vtr
only one topi c.
• Ask only relevant questions. If several question
s are necessary, then arrange them
in a logical order.
• Politely mention deadlines if there are any.
• Oose on a friendly note hinting at the recipient'
s benefit.
RESPOSDING TO ENQUIRY EMAILS

Just as the enquiry email, the response to the enq

uiries must be direct and polite. Let
us look at how to reply to an enquiry email by anal
ysing a response email given below.
In the case of the above enquiry email with regard
to the tablet, the response has
to convey the following:

i. No, it is not a IO-inch screen. It is 8.7 inches and

is full HD.
ii. Yes. the storage is 128 GB with an option to
expand storage up to I TB.
iii. No, the battery support is 5-8 hours, depend
ing on its usage and not 1o hours of
heavy usage.
iv. Yes, it is a SG tablet with bluetooth connectiv
ity.
 . -
EMAIL 11 33

In your reply email, begin with the questions to which you have positive answers. Rather
than responding negatively to other questions, show the customer that what you are
offering is better than what they asked for. Let us see the reply to the letter:

Subject line: Information about the MO721, Rugged Tablet.

Dear Samhita,
Thanks for showing interest in our product MO72 l. Here's the information you wanted.
Yes, our popular Rugged Tablet does have good storage with 128 GB inbuilt capacity
and an option with expandable storage up to 1 TB. It's an 8.7-inch screen which
will enable your representatives to carry the tablet easily and use it while travelling.
It comes with a full-HD screen.
The Rugged Tablet is a very efficient SG tablet, and fully supports Wi-Fi connectivity
and Bluetooth. Our battery supports 5-8 hours of heavy usage, which is the standard
for such tablets.
Our I-year warranty, standard in the tablet industry, ensures the reliability and
trouble-free services that our customers have come to expect of our products.
You may choose to see a demonstration of the various features of the tablet from
one of our representatives who will visit you with the product. Let us know if
you,re interested in one such visit.
Sincerely yours,
Ganesh Mahajan

You will notice that the reply begins by answering the customer with a feature that
positively fits her stated need of storage. Despite some of the other answers being negative,
the email starts with what is positive in its reply. It answers all questions using positive
language and pointing out the benefits of each feature. It uses paragraphs to answer each
question because each question requires an elaborate answer. It gives important product
information and closes on a forward-looking note.
 34 11 INTERCONNECT

r····--······.....-.-·····-··....--.............-........................_.........................................................................................-•-·········...........-•--······.....-.-·············-·-··----.__·-._,

i O ACTIVITY
I
l
i 1.
You, along with your four friends, want to attend an Excel training programme
i
I run by a training centre called "Computer for Students': Write an email seeking
l information on the duration, timings and fee structure of the course. Also,
I~ request for the brochure to know the details of the course syllabus. Since it is
fiye students who wish to join the course, ask for a 10% discount on the fees.

2. You are at "Computer for Students" training centre that runs the Excel course.
Respond to the enquiry letter by the student with regard to the duration, timings,
days/
, dates of the course. Send the brochure and politely refuse the discount request.
'---------- ······-·························································································· · - -- - ····-···· ······-·············--·-···------

MAKING ARRANGEMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS

Another kind of routine email commonly written in the business context is making and
confirming arrangements/appointments. Let us learn how to write these email messages
through the following exercise. Note how each email states the time, date and the day
dearly while fixing appointments. In addition, seeking and giving confirmation is an
important part of fixing appointments.

•-- - - • EXERCISE •----•

Savi wants to fix a meeting with Varsha and Sam. She writes an email to both of them.
The schedule seems to suit Varsha but not Sam. Write the three emails to learn how to
schedule, accept and renegotiate a time by using the phrases/clauses from the boxes given.
a. Email-I

Is 4:30 Okay; send me an email; to arrange; What about

Subject Line: Meeting to finalise conference schedule

Dear Varsha and Sam,
 EMAIL 11 35

. ......... . .. .... a meeting to finalise the conference schedu le

writtng . ... .. .... .....
Ju st d the 4th May? We could meet over a cup of coffee at the Coffee Bean outlet
Wcdncs ay, ?
on Copernicus Marg........ ........ ........ .... .

p\s .. ..... .. .... . .. .. . .... today to confirm.

Regards,
5avi
b. Email-2
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- -,
4:30 suits me; I look forward to seeing you; to confirm

Subjed Line: Re: Meeting to finalise conference schedule

[)ear Savi,
1a like........................... our meeting on Wednesday.
...... ....•. ... ... ... ... . . ... I'll bring finalised details of the conference with
me .
............................this Wednesday.
\'arsba
c. Email-3

prefer a meeting; confirm; doesn't work for me,

Sal,jcct Line: Re: Meeting to finalise conference schedule

Dar Savi and Varsha,
Sorry, I am very busy on Wednesday. It........................... I'd ... ........ ..... ......... . ..
on Thursday (5th May) morning perhaps at 9.30. We can meet at Samvat Restau
rant
for a working breakfast.
Is this convenient for both?
<:ould JOU .................this by the end of the day?
Clleers.
Sam
36 11 INTERCONNECT

WRITING A SAi.ES/PERSUASiVE EMAIi,

Sall'S email is another important email whkh you must lc.irn to write. In this kin<l of crnail
the ,hil'f goal of the sender is to move the readers from an uninterested or even antagonisti~
position to being an interested audience. To achieve this, you may keep in min<l the foll<>wing:
• Knowing your readers before writing a sales letter is critical for its success. Keepi ng the
demographic information such as age, education background, culture an<l geographical
location is vital for framing an effective sales email. Similarly, psychographic information
such as personal preference, social leanings and personal values helps you to frame
your sales email more effectively.
• In sales emails, unlike the routine ones, an indirect method is usually followed by
first preparing the readers to receive your sales message before making a sales pitch.
For example, a company may establish their credentials as a specialist of their field
before asking investors to put their money into their brand. Or, they highlight the
product features before asking customers to buy it.
• Use the age old method of AIDA: (Catch Attention, Develop Interest, Create Desire
and Call for Action):

• Attention: Create your email with an opening/starting that catches the attention
of your audience.

• Interest: Develop the interest of your audience by talking about the various product
features. Give details of the various certifications and validations from product users.
• Desire: Elaborate on the product's features to make them see how it will help
them in their real life. Mould your language to show the usefulness of the product
you are asking them to buy.
• Action: End the email by telling the receivers what action you expect of them.
Should they click a form to register, make payment or make a call!

Here are two examples of sales emails.

Look at a promotional email by Immi, a food company specialising in healthy, in 5lant
ramen, highlighting how their Immi Ramen is adding nutrition and taste to its noodles,

J
 EMAIL 11 37

. d one of the best 21 sales emails of 2022 by Shopify.com see h th . .

cons1derehas been app1·ied h ere. , ow e pri nciple
of AIDA

RAMIIN RB-IMAGIHN•D
•
Catching Attention
The email captures
attention with a slogan
and a photo.

Developing Interest
I\ I I, <l\ll I<> I Ill I \ \ I l l \
The text highlights their
credibility by talking about
1 ,.,,,l 11.1, .11,,,1\, l1.1d .1 h1g 11np.1'-1 011 0111 li,l·,. \\l·
the long lineage of food in
lit' l1l·1,,,.,~ (JIii t.1111,lit·, 'l'I \l' l1.1,,kt·1· ,t.111tl
the family and also suggests
1,,,,,ilt, 111 lli.,d.111d .111d h.,1,4,,·-..1 lruit t, 0111 t.,nn-.. in
the problem of traditional
j 1 1, ill
noodles, thus creating an
interest in an alternative
\.\, '-l,111, · ,I 11111111 It) lt'ill\l'lll tll\.' lll·l11.itt\1-.. \,1.111 product.
111,11,.111 lo,11.f.., ''l' lo,c..· \\ilh .added lllllr-iti 1111 _ ()ur
11. I, ,I l rt·.lll· ., bt.'llt·r ln,l.1111r,tJlh.·111h.11 1n.ikt·,
•'ll 1,~·l :...:.,~·.tl ,,hilc._· t.1,t11l;..!. .1, dcl1l1n11-.. .,, \Oll
Creating Desire for
the Product
11 ,111, t,11 111111111~ ll-..1111 0111 111i,,1011 to 1.·11111..li l n l · ,

11 1011d
It tells about the features of
their product. It highlights
nutrition and taste which are
.-,., 100",
the most important USP of a
food product.

Calls for Action

'111 1 I ., I I ~ l
It ends by telling readers what
"' llllllll
111111111" !111 \ l ,II

1,, , , \ P 111 111.. ,II I

action is expected of them.
''
Most sales emails end so.
I I,. \ 11 II ,, 11 111 \ I I I ~ ·_ l lj I 111 tli, \\tll Id
I• , 1 11,il,
"' " \\ I I ! Id t1I l,tl11l.'ll ~

Fig. 9. Sales Email sent by Immi.

 l
38 ll INTERCONNECT

Subject: Book Club- An Invitation

Dear Freshers,
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader
-Margaret Fuller.
You know that the success of our student life is contingent on our learning, knowl
edge
and skills. Gaining them is dependent not only on our individual efforts
but also
on the company we keep and learned groups we belong to. Engaging intelle
ctually
'4.ith one another at regular intervals is an important part of this proces
s. That's
precisely what we do at ApnaCollege Book Club.
I an1 writing this email because I am sure you'd be interested in joining
such an
intellectually stimulating club.
By being part of ApnaCollege Book club, you may join any of
your favour ite
genre-specific student groups (Indian and English classic groups, speculative
fiction ,
detective fiction, popular literature and graphic literature) where you can
meet up
with members of your group to discuss books of your interest every fortnig
ht.
You can also write reviews on our blog, helping others to decide what
book to
read and why.
Most interestingly, you regularly get to hear authors of repute, sharin
g their
experiences. Just the other week, we had Manjula Padmanabhan, the famou
s fiction
writer, artist, playwright and India's first woman cartoonist come and speak
to us.
It was exhilarating to know the person behind the famous Suki cartoon series.
Her
motivations, concerns and authorial design were elaborately discussed, makin
g it
inspirational for many of our budding writers.
Imagine how such literary engagements can add value to your life! Imagin
e how
much it would help you grow in your knowledge and experience! If this is somet
hing
that you want to do, you must register yourself in the club!
Visit the college website to find the registration link. Remember, the memb
ership
will be given at first come first serve basis. Don't delay, register today!
Sunaina,
ApnaCollege Book Club President
 EMAIL 11 39

,•.--..•······...-·....--·······...-·•··············-········ ·······························-······...................................._. __ ···-·················--·······- .._._··1

/ O ACTIVITY j
I i
1

i Imagine starting a business outlet which sells traditional sugarcane juice in a

l,i modern way. ':r~te a sales email thinking of how your new outlet is rebranding
l the traditional JUICe. Focus on the way you use your language and structure your

L~:~:~~-~~:'.: ~-~~~e ~,~~ _

1:~~:i~~~:__ _ _ _________ _
FUN FACTS

• The first email from space was sent in 1991 by the STS-43 Atlantis crew. They
used Apple's early AppleLink software on a Macintosh Portable. The message reads:
'Hello Earth! Greetings from the STS-43 Crew. This is the first AppleLink
from space. Having a GREAT time. Wish you were here ... send cryo and
RCS! Hasta la vista, baby. . . we'll be back:
• Did you know that the term "spam" originated from a Monty Python sketch?
In the sketch a group of Vikings repeatedly chant the word "spam" which led
to the term being used to describe unsolicited email messages.

• The first documented use of an emoticon in an email can be traced back to 1979.
Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist, suggested using:-) to indicate jokes and :-(
for serious content. These symbols eventually evolved into the emojis we use today.
• Email attachments have come a long way, but in the early days, there were
strict limitations on file sizes. The maximum size for an email attachment in
the early days was just 1-2 megabytes, whereas nowadays, it's common to send
attachments several gigabytes in size.
• The use of the@ symbol in email addresses can be traced back to its meaning as "at"
or "located at." Ray Tomlinson decided to use it to separate the recipient's name from
the domain name, and it has become an integral part of email addresses ever since.
• In different languages, the @ symbol is referred to by various names. .For
instance, in Spanish, it's called "arroba:• in French, it's "arobase;' and in Italian,
it's "chiocciola," which means "snail" due to its appearance.
40 11 INTERCONNECT

□ QUESTIONS

I. What is an email? Who is considered to have invented email?

2. What are the merits and demerits of email?

3. What are some of the prefatory elements of an email?

4. Identify characteristic features of informal register.

5. State some of the in1portant aspects while writing an enquiry email.

6. Elaborate on the AIDA approach and its application in a sales email.

7. List five most important email etiquettes.

NOTES

1. Hemp, Paul. "Death by Information Overload:' Harvard Business Review, September 2009
l

https://bit.ly/42jqwYQ.
2 Petrosyan. Ani. "Global spam volume:' Statista, 8 March 2023, https://bit.ly/3MAuHeh.
3. Sengupta. Abhilc. "Elon Musk fired her over an email, now court forces Twitter to give herjob
back.• India Today, 1 December 2022, https://bit.ly/40apE7v.
fACEBOOK

l'<>u have to cultivate it, nourish it,

. .,,h·l•l1,,,,k is like a g,mlc,i.
,md prune it to nwke it flourish."
- Anonymous

Ruhi is clc.'arly upset today. She has many disapproving comments on her Facebook
k\f the latest photo she has posted of herself in her new haircut. Many of her
fk-cbook friends-who run into hundreds-have given negative comments telling
her how unattractive her new haircut is. One Facebook comment says, "How
tfflible! Could you not have afforded a better hair stylist?" Another one reads, ''A
1'ig suits better than the new hair cuti» Ruhi is affected by these negative comments
and is feeling low. Is Ruhi right in the way she is reacting to/using her Facebook?

Facebook is an American company that is considered one of the world's leading social
media platforms. It was founded by Mark Zukerberg in February 2004 essentially as a
social networking site for students of Harvard University. Gaining a lot of popularity at
Harvard, soon the site was opened up for other elite universities in the Boston region to
cmnect with one another. It attracted the venture capitalist, Peter Thiel, to invest in the
firm and the platform had more than a million registered users by the end of the year.
1he big innovation in the platform came in September 2006, when Facebook added
daefellur!of'News Feed' which provided its users with a continuous up-to-date summary
• tlaeir friends' posts and updates. This revolutionised the way people kept in touch with
dlcir friends and their lives. Again in 2006, Facebook introduced the feature to allow
people to share content in terms of photos, videos and posts on their Facebook profiles.

--just
la 2007, Facebook started its first mobile site which made the platform accessible for
their cellphones. It helped them to grow the number of users exponentially.
11.e ,-. is important as it attracted a large investment from Microsoft. It was also the
th
,_ "'-en Sheryl Sandberg joined the company. She was instrumental in shaping e

_J
44 11 INTERCONNECT

company's revenue model which depe nded on advertisin

g rath er than user subscription
In 2009 , the 'Like' button was intro duce d to enha nce user
engagement on the site. ·
Facebook continued to incorporate changes to its featu
res and interface over Years•
today, users can do multiple things on Facebook such as
create a personal profile, connec~
with friends and family, share photos and videos, join
or create interest-based grou s
and post updates about their lives. In addition to conn
ectin g individuals, Facebo~k
is also used by businesses and organisations to prom
ote thei r prod ucts and services,
communicate with customers and buil d online commun
ities.
Facebook Inc., renamed as Meta Inc. in 2021 , offers a rang
e of services and products,
including Facebook Messenger (a messaging app), Face
book Marketplace (an online
marketplace for buying and selling goods) and Ocu lus
VR (a virtu al reality platform).
Facebook (~!eta) also owns othe r social med ia platforms,
such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
Facebook has grown to become one of the largest soci
al med ia platforms in the
world with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of
Dec emb er 2021. The Wall Street
Journal calls Facebook and Google the "digital duopoly"
, i.e. referring to the current
situation where the two digital service providers (FB
and Google) dominate the market,
accounting for nearly fifty perc ent of all digital spen ding
globally.
However, Facebook, like all media, has both merits and
demerits.
MERITS

• Facebook has emerged as one of the biggest platform

s for people to connect and
network. It facilitates people across the glob e-fr iend s,
family and even strangers-to
buil d relationships and find ·new oppo rtun ities to conn
ect with one another.
• Face book serves as a platform for massive info rma tion
shar ing. According to a report
by Pew Research Centre, nearly 66% of Facebook user
s get news from Facebook,
mak ing it a mass platform for news cons ump tion . So,
the med ium can be useful to
learn abou t latest news and information.
• Facebook, bein g one of the mos t used social med ia networks
, offers businesses the
broadest rang e of tools for business prom otio n and mark eting
. By creating a business
page and buil ding a big following, businesses can reach out to a wider audie
nce ao<l
inae ue their bran ding and sales.
 FACEBOOK 11 45
. . l ,u,k "Is,, otli.·rs n wl\lc vurll·ty of l'llkrt,,i
J,.1,t', nml'nt 01,tiuns "·I , .
• ·lrnr~ vidt·os, ~i\l l\t'S nnd t\\l'll\l'S, whkh cun he u . " ll re you c,111 vk•w
1,n,1!ii L•rc:i\t w·,y t0 ·I
ri ' re: ,,x llnd unwind .

• F.i(thtn,k, in the }',\~t, has .fo(l'd scvcrn

l ndals rclah.'J to datu hn:udtl'S and misuse
s,,, ust·rs risk a sitmh,r nushunJllng of sca thd r datu nn< l priv,l(y.
.

• f,h:dlot,k c,\I\ hl'l'OlllC n compulsive hah

it, tcnuing towards an addictive disonl
A,,orJing to a study (Clrnkrnhorthy 2017), tr.
around SO percent of focdHwk users
in the age group of 18-24 visit the sitcfopp
us soon as they wukc up. 1his kinJ of
a,IJi,tivt nature of Facdmok can have neg
ative implications for its users (purtkularl)',
the youngsters) in terms of loss of their pro
ductive time and attention.
, Users may be subjected to cyberbullying
, online harassment and abuse, resultin g in
1 neg ative imp act on mental health and well-being.

Fig. I. Effects of cyberbullying.

• Pac.book has been criticised for its role in spreadmg

. · .· , .
miSmiormati m and fake nt:ws.
tt...___ . (.
"IV I may be exposed to false information, wh'1ch can b h·,rmful and m1slt!admg.
e •
 NNECT
46 / I INTERCO

Deihl panel
ed a ro fe In fuelHn, riots, says
f acebook play
By~ 1t ;;_;:._
rJ O O O
l!
. N Oelh
h
Hl.. ..<MT,_
2020 07:lS AM1ST
SepOl.

id elh,~.
insDc
dw
seVi
ts iv
rioSh du
enha inpe
r,m Ne
~u · ;~thlhi
ri ts 'i at
riolh
e De
· hicmo -:' we ~c t
re Nort fir~ - . as
rrag
Dacki lot\/Csix
nged hsich
lesntwh af te r the
pa PHOT O)
/H T
/Sanchit Khanni!
.
ku se d to fuel riots
Fig. 2. Faceboo
I

ISCUSS
O THINK AND D

the questions that follow.

ss
g excerpt o f an article and diseu
Read the follow
in D FOR
P R O P J L E S HARVESTE
C l! B o o x
E A L E D : so MILLION P A R DATA BREA
CH
REV IN M A J O
ANALYTICA
CAMBIUDGE mp \
tha t w o rk e d with Donald Tru
tica (C A ), th e data analytics firm illio n s o f F ace book profiles
y d IR
Cambridge Anal in g Brexit campaign harveste h es, and used them
to
d th e w in n er d ata bre ac
election team an o f th e tech giant's bigges
t ev
the ballot box.
vo ters, in o n e ce ch o ices a t
o f US lo Predict and infl
uen
ar e P rog ran,
l softw
build a powerfu
 FACEBOOK 11 47

A whistleblower has f
revealed to the Observer how Cambrid A
d b'll' . R b ge na
.
1yt1ca- a com
d by the hedge un 1 1ona1re o ert Mercer, and head d t h . pany
owne d e a t e time by Trum '
dviser Steve Bannon-use personal information taken w'th h . . ps
key a . . l out aut onsation in
20 14 to bmld a system that could profile individual US vote . d
ear1y 1· d 1· . I d . rs, in or er to target
with persona 1se po 1tlca a vertlsements. Christopher Wy]· h
them . ' ie, w o worked with
cademic to obtam the data, told the Observer: ccWe exploited F k h
an a , . ace6oo to arvest
millions of peoples profiles. And bmlt models to exploit what we knew about them and
target their inner demons. That was the basis the entire company was built on."
Documents seen by the Observer, and confirmed by a Facebook statement, show
that by late 2015 the company had found out that information had been harvested on
an unprecedented scale. However, at the time Facebook failed to alert users and took
only limited steps to recover and secure the private information of more than so million
indhiduals. The data was collected through an app called thisisyourdigitallife, built by
academic Aleksandr Kogan. Through his company Global Science Research (GSR), in
collaboration with Cambridge Analytica, hundreds of thousands of users were paid
to take a personality test and agreed to have their data collected for academic use.
However, the app also collected the information of the test-takers' Facebook
friends, leading to the accumulation of a data pool tens of millions-strong.
Facebook's "platform policy" allowed only collection of friends' data to
improve user experience in the app and barred it being sold on or used
for advertising. The discovery of the unprecedented data harvesting, and
the use to which it was put, raises urgent questions about Facebook's
role in targeting voters in the US presidential election. 1
Dilcauion Questions
I. What does data harvesting mean?
2. How did Cambridge Analytica harvest millions of Facebook profiles of US voters to
inffuence their voting choice?
3. What were the shortcomings in the response of Facebook when they l_e~rnt of such ~
c.
data breach? What consequences did Facebook iace d tO 1·ts lackada1s1cal response.
ue
4· Diecuu the ethical implications of data breach and harves ting information.
5• Wlaat privacy protection features does Facebook Ofti toda in the aftermath of such
er Y
'lltlncte of data breach?
48 11 INTERCONNECT

CONSTRUCTING SELF USING FACEBOOK

. . if ur ure. You are what you post."

"Facebook 1s a nurror O yo 'J'
- Germany K
ent
.
Constructing oneself today is more co mPlex and nuanced than .
ever before. In the a
. Pst,
' ' l'ty through face-to-face mtcract10n, recommendati
P eople would karn about your persona l d' . 1 h d on
• 'l' d y in addition to the tra it10na met o s,
letters, b1odata and resumes. 10 a' . people get
. . . r .
an 11npress1on of your personart 1Y
through the small snippets of m1ormat1on
. you shar
e
on various digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Lmkedln, etc.
.
Sam Gos1mg, a psychologist studvin
1•
g impressions people leave virtually, states that most
• • • . .
peop1e are often una ware of what impress ion their onlme profiles give to their audience
.
He also states that if you have to construct yourself in the way you desire, then you
ought to be aware of how you are seen. To complicate things further, virtual platforms
such as Facebook are used not only to construct an online persona of individuals but of
businesses and brands too. Companies invest heavily in building a positive and vibrant
online presence of their brands, products and services.
In the following section, we will look at the features that Facebook offers to construct
the virtual presence for both individuals and businesses.

FACEBOOK PROFILE AND FACEBOOK PAGE

Among the various profiles you create online, Facebook is certainly one of the most
common. As mentioned earlier, Facebook offers a digital space for both individuals and
businesses to create their online presence.
When individuals use digital space on the Facebook platform to share their personal
information, then that is called a Facebook Profile. It allows you to share your photos,
stories and daily updates directly with your friends. It also enables you to comment on
your friends' posts, photos and activities which they share on their personal profile pages.
On the other hand, when businesses create an online presence for their companies, brands,
services and products, it is called a Facebook Page. It helps companies collect reviews
and share updates such as new launches and new products. It is a place for businesses
to connect with people of their profession such as their clients, suppliers and customers.
The essential difference between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Page is that the
former is to keep in touch with your friends and family on a day-to-day basis while the
 FACEBOOK II 49
. intendcd for professional and business use. The two thus serve d'ffi
latter 15_ ful to keep the two separate. I crent purposes
·tis use
and 1
CREATE A FACEBOOK PROFILE
aowro
you ereate a Facebook Profile1 there are different fields where y
h
\\'hen ersonal information. You may
choose to share your photos (profileou can s are
your P. re) create a cartoon self of picture and
~~N, your self (Avatar), describe yourself in
co' bri f
racters (bi'o), choose to show your current town, workplace, school or unie·ve- 101
cha and relationship status on your Facebo •ty
rsi ,
hornetown ok Profile.
In addition, you can access another m-. .
bmlt template to present detailed informa
urself. If you click on the i\bout' tab tion
on the Homepage, you can add more
~l,ollt :o n about yourself in dif
ferent categories-Overview, Work and
~Contact and basic info, Family and relationshi education , Places
ps, Details about you and Life events .
n- , you can create your o~line Facebo~k
self. On
connect with friends by sharmg photos, videos, pos ce you have your profile, you can
ts among many other things.

,_ About Friends Photos Videos Check-ins More •

About Life events

CMrliew (±) Add a life event

Work and education

Pllcll lved

Centact and balk: Info

,. ., and rtlltionlhlp1

Dlllllllloutyou

Fig. 3. Facebook 'About1 page.

50 11 INTERCONNECT

•- - -• EXERCISE • - - - •

Complete the Profile Sheet below and share it with five friends. Ask them wh
impression they gather about you based on the small snippets of information at
You
have shared in the Profile sheet.

Photo First Name

-
I l
-
Last Name

I l
My Friends Call Me

I ~
My Birthday My Favourite Subjects

l I I I
My Favourite Book/s

My Favourite Movie/s
~

My Favourite Food
--

J
 FACEBOOK II 51

-
urite Quote
MY favo
~
M family .
Yth 's Name/Profession
.
rvto er
her's Name/Profession
fat
Siblings if any
~

School/s I have attended

-- Places I have lived

~

My favourite things to do in free time

I want to grow up to be

The Clubs/Sports I am a member of

Three things you should know about me

My favourite social media platform

One person I follow on Facebook

TYPF.s OF FACEBOOK POSTS

ok
Onc.e your Facebook profile is created, you have an opportunity to create Facebo
which
l>Olts. Post is any content you share on social media through a user profile. Posts
~ maximum likes and people•s interest are usually considered successful. Among the
pages,
: - types of posts which people usually put out on their personal Facebook
lllc>at popular ones are as follows:
52 11 INTERCONNECT

• Personal stories that inform and entertain: Facebook is essentially a platfor

m to
connect v.;th friends. People who connect on Facebook usually do so becaus
e they
are interested in you as a person. So any information about you and your life is
what
they are there for. \\·hat movies did you watch recently? How did you like them?
Did
you go on a trek last week? Or did you get your tooth extracted? What did you
buy
recently? Did your spouse get promoted or your daughter get admission in a
good
college? Stories about your life, incidents and anecdotes make good personal stories.

• Topics of general interest and impor tant news: News or information of collecti
ve
interest and importance also attract people's attention. In fact, according to
one
survey? a third of US adults (36%) visit Facebook for their regular news update
s.
So, posting latest news is a great way to engage with people.

• Questions: Asking questions that invite responses is also a good idea for a post.
Did
you watch Top Gun Maverick? Which is your favourite, the original or its sequel?
Where can you find the ultimate butter paneer/chicken in North Delhi? What
are
your fa,-ourite hang-out places near your college? Questions like these always
get
people talking and can make your post popular.

• Stories: Good stories are an all time favourite. Personal, motivational or humor
ous,
stories when told well, always work.

• .Memes: Meme is defined by Oxford Language Dictionary as "an image, video, piece
of
text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by interne
t
users, often "ith slight variations~ They are popular on Facebook.

\\rRIT ISG A PERSONAL POST

\\~ile creating a post for your personal profile, there are no hard rules to follow
except
the basic rules of propriety and communication. Since personal posts target friends
and
family, you may think of your Facebook as a place to give updates on your
life events
and issues that are on top of your mind. How you give them is your choice
. You may
just post a picture, a question, a one-liner or a long descriptive passage. Your
friends
and family members are going to like it the way you post it.
 FACtBOOI( 11 53

(J ACTIVIT\'

('n•tll' a hll"l'lmok po~t for your 1wr,111111l pagr to ~1,.,rc 11

I. ' .. . · ' "YJ)(•r,1111,1 1 'll11ry/
t•wnt of ~i~nihllllh.C In your life thut ltu'I rt'lc.'lllly liappt m•J.

, J)i\"u~s
•. · y,n1r 1:w,n1rltc nwmc on Fill'l'lmok. Why do y<,tl ti · k •t .
1111 1 went v1r.il?
........................ ... ,,, .....,

rACUUlOK UllSINESS PAGE

tf ~'\lU a Fal'l•hook p~ofi~c, then you can create a Facchook Page. ·rhe procc,~ of
h,l\'C'
"·rratin~ a FJl'l'hook Page is simple.
I.,~ in to your pl·rsonal facchook account. Click on 1'ages' tab from the drop<lown 1

nu·nu. sdc,t 'Create Page.' 111is will take you to the page creation process. Choo\c the
~rt of page you want to create. Faccbook offers several options such as Busincc.;s or
Brand. Community or Public Figure, Entertainment, and more. Select the category that
best fits your page's purpose.
Once you create the new Page, you may proceed to name and brand the page the
-,.•ay )'Oil desire. Such Facebook Pages are specifically meant for businesses, brands and
public figures to share their stories with their followers.

WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS PAGE

Writing for the Facebook Business Page is not the same as writing for Personal Pages.
You may keep in mind the following points to create a successful Faccbook post for
your FB page.

• Have a dear purpose: Do you intend to give information (tell), persuade people to
do something (sell) or entertain your customer or engage with them on a particular
topic? Once clear about the goal, you may write the post to achieve it.
• Le. ii more: Processing information online is more strenuous than in print. Write
in chunks• i.e. short paragraphs, of a few words (30 words as per some good web
Writing manuals) for easy online read.
 54 11 INTERCONNECT

Titan e
25 "4..cl'I at 18:03 · 0 .

ea,-
Tit.an
.
Somettrnes fashion can
be tun a tricky. Tel us if you see • Pink

c,ornr'Mflts be1oW (95189KC01J.

· · the
(95189KC03) Of' I White Titan Ceramic .,

_ _ both the c:olows and more online

1n either cue, you can--~
by clieklng the ~ in the blo Of' at I shop near you.
. . #Ti..anCeramic #rttan #TitanWatches
•ArtOIAcceS$01'1Zlll9 "

-- .... ._.------- ---

1tTitanWatchestndia #LookBook #OOTD

~. -~- "'
.
I
/ '

Fig 4. In this Facebook post by Titan, note how all

the relevant product information is given in short paragraphs.

• Prioritise: In online writing, people want to access all the important information at
the top of the page/Facebook post rather than scroll down for information. Many web
writing experts believe that following a tadpole structure is a useful strategy-where
the 'meat' or the critical pieces of information are in the head and the 'extras' are
in the tail. This ensures readers' interest and that they do not entirely skip the post

Tail: Extras
Head: Critical Information

"
Fig. 5. 1he Tadpole Structure.
 FACEBOOK II 55
. g straight to the point, using direct and plain language sh t
e· Gotn . . h
anS°a g · ents are all helpf ' P
ul m onhne writing because readers a ft rases
or
, L ief statem ' . .
and br h e short-attention span. re o en m a
nd av
hurrY a c . C . d
,o...
·se but -ple te iniormatlon: ompames, aca emic institution s and b .
usmesses
• con''0 nee van·ous events, fests, conferences and product launches through th •
ann° e1r posts
facebook pages. While giving such infor. mation, cover all the important as t
on •here, when, why and how to give readers complete informatio pee s
like what, ~ n.
. d' Content: Combine various media elements to make the
Multune ia . . message more
• . . d accessible to different types of audie nces.
efle,uve an

~ \ Conference Alerts
-=~ 16 \~dl ~h ~

international Conference on Social Science and Economics

(ICSSE)
will be held in Bangkok, Thailand during 5th April, 2023
Visit here to register
http/ltheiier.org/Conference2023{Tha11and/4/ICSSE/... See
more

ONFERENC
.org

1NTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON
SOCIAL SCIENCE AND
ECONOMICS (ICSSE)
0Jte :
- , ' 1 r, f., p r i I 7 O2 3
pI )(_ (;.

Fig. 6. ln this post by Conference Alerts, note how all the queries
are answered in the first line of the text- Wha t, where and when.

;,.;• ~,.
..........:~ ~ ..
, .,
56 11 INTERCONNECT

FACEBOOK ETIQUETTE

• Accept a friend request from people whom you know. It is considered courteous to
respond promptly to friends requests rather than keeping them waiting.

• Don't send someone a friend request when you barely know them. They may not
be sure of adding you. Sending too many friend requests may also lead to people
rejecting your requests and some even marking them as spam.
• Respond to people who have commented on your post. A simple 'Thank You' or an
emoticon could suffice.
• If there is a Facebook Post on which you have an opinion, it is good to engage in
a healthy discussion. However, during such discussions remember that although the
platform is digital, people are real. So keep your tone respectful even when you disagree.
• Avoid impulsive removal of people from the friend's list.
• Do not spread misinformation. If you are sharing a post that somebody has posted.
doing a quick fact-check or a Google search will ensure that you are not spreading
misinformation.

• If any of your friends have shared a false story/news, you may also Iea\'e a link in
the comment's section of the post for him/her to fact-check the story.
• Do not post indecent photographs. It is both inappropriate and unsafe.
• Ifyou are sharing group photos where you and your friends are there, seek their perrni55ioO
before tagging them to the photos u they can be viewed by their friends/family toO·
• If you have a friend's uncomplimentary photo, avoid posting it or tagging hirn,_he;
in your post as he/she may not want that photo online. Do unto others as ~•ou "aJl
them to do unto you.
l
 fACEBOOK II 57

- .('(' m.l limits \)ll hf•W , .. ttc.'n )'\\U c.,n r,. st. •"'\\id \)\'c.•r r •t '
a:h I h(',, . • I. L 0 ~ Ill~.
lnh.•~sti, ~
.\ith,~.. . ,·ut n....._.,,.,~ .it a cc.'rt.111l anh.'n·" 1s Pc.'tkr th u, s , ,,,,., . ,... · '~
• ,,w.I 111('.lll .~ -..utin~ Jc.·t.u., s ,,.•. }'\'Ur 11k.
• lllL' ,-
·• ' '1• ,\11\l• 1• , • ,"-.
:- 'I..\ l'"''"\ . With
nJ~$ l .... I'\
hi• . t"thc.'f'S (\0 t·&Ile;. • It is• n ,,t c.,ntv · · •nsahn.'
• 1n~c.: ·· · L
llllt Ill,\\' h ,. • . . .
,o'I 1'u11~ . . , ll .· , .. . .
• I" . . a§ ~·r .-\nt1-C\ he: r Ru } Ill~ Ll,, s ot ln\lt,\. } hrsh ."·om, .i c.: ~, rh,us k~,ll
.
. li,-.ltl'""s · r - • . " lWnts '-'·"' ntk,:t
,n,r . rti,ul.irh·. voung
,'\lhc.•1'$. r- . .
• ·
rc.'\'\plc.\ an '10 aJvc.'rs~ WJ\'. 1.e.nn tu t ..., ,t 'll
I... l h .'t'S ns >\)U
n1 to treat )"'-'u .
.--.ant I hit
·J ~•
~"\I
··'--.iring sensitive inf,,rn,.itio n onlinc.... Sh.uin~ sc.•nsitin~ int~\rnnti ,,, . .
. . .. • \ '- ,\ll n~,\ It\
• !IA«
· 1-Y-al implh.'1ltions. So. at as hoth a n1attc.•r of ethkalitv un,l k,, ,lit,· t " .J
"'&' • • ~· • ') a,·,,,
shaJing sensiti\·~ inforn,atao n.

□ THINK AND DISCUSS

a.I tlae tollowing two excerpts. an interview of En1ma \\'atson with Alvss.i lt1ikv
.
(publi.,hed in Elle) and an article by Nikol.iy Nikolov and answer the quc..•sti,,ns that '
follow.

NOT EVEN HERMIO NE IS ll\lPERVI OUS TO THE

SOUL-DE STROYIN G PO\\'ER OF SOCIAL l\lEDIA

&, Z Watson has T"·itter. J,rst,igra,n. and Facebook aet-ou,its like ,n()st ft'tlp/c:. Rut
111111, ~ her posts are soldy foc.--used 011 ht·r work dnd al°ti,·ism. She: ,ldil,a,itdy
w!I L Mr lfflonal life out of it.
~ n s for doing so.. Emma \\'atson says,

• aq,e,, conscious line between wh&lt is public and "'h&it is pri,.•,lft'. anJ ~J,~t
+-.-, . ne maintain a c~rtain degree ofs&Jnity bt·causc: fon-ing pc.'t'fl.: ..·c.·,~,r '"
....._:__ -L · t J ·•tr,,., mt as J lwm..in.
-r-wavn on uosolutely n,erything about me " ·ou /J _1us 'u ✓ c..
58 11 INTERCONNECT
. ll dangerous is curatio n. What does cu .
thinks espec1a y t Curati on is t h e act of fi na·mg and shratio. n
But the practice, Watson . , . ar1n
f . I media? Conten .
mean in the context o soc1a . c. llowers to increas e ones onlme popul .g
fi r the onhne 10 ar1h,
excellent relevant content o t only becaus e peop1e steal content fram .,.
, . t be dangerous no
Watson believes curation o . I dia interesting, but also because th
. F bOok/other soc1a me . ey are
others to make their ace. their own es se
• b t Ives to be posted onlme. She says,
more focused on presenting
ratinu yourselffor that momen. t you're going
.
. .h ng people now cU, · ,:, . .
J notice so much wit you , . tO be on your social media, which is gaing to
th t picture thats going
to have to ta k·e a oif likes . h. h . ing to rank you in a certain way, which is,.
. br w zc is go
get a cert am num e , ' . . t ad of living.... And your whole life becomes how
k · , 1·k you re posturing ms e
you n~w, ,ts ~ ~... if h0 w something feels. And there's such an emptiness in that.
somethmg looks mstead o
_ . She further adds, ''At the point when my self-worth is really
~j wrapped up in that and not in my own sense of how I. think I'm
; :g doing and how something feels to me, then I really think you're
It:
ci: • in trouble.'"3

Discussion Questions
J. What do you think of Emma's decision to keep her private life out of
social media?

2. What is content curation? What are its dangers?

3. Have you come across people posting little details of their life on social media? What
does it tel1 you about them? Do you condon e such behav iour-w hy or why not?

4. List down two things that you can learn from Emma's social media strategy
.

II

"HE FOOLED AN ENTIRE N"-TION WITH A FAKE

FACEBOOK PROFILE. THEN I TRAC KED HIM DOWN."

This is the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but in the world of social media and fake
news. Have you met every single friend you have on Facebo ok in real life? We all kno;
the buic· ruJes about keepmg · frien
· p hotos and posts private and carefully vetting
requem. But things can get complicated. And danger ous.
 FACEBOOK 11 59

al Alexan dre Martin ez on Faccbo ok over the summe r H . .

n1ct the re . , 1
I d·u-k hair and cluselc d 1eatures. Those features are now .h • ehi ives m France
.
h•1s short • tg y recognizable
an J • · . ,here Alexan dre, better known as Alexan der Nikolov becam . .
. Bulgaria, '' . . . . . . , e an unwittin g
an . Al xandre fell victm1 to an 1ncred1bly mtncat e case of identity th ft H·
·kbnty. c . .
c, . hs and persona l mfonna llon were used to create a multitu de e f •f k1s name, .
hotogr,1r · . . o a e social
r cJia a(COunts· This continu ed for over five years when a Bulgarian man w • . d c
01 as Jat 1e 1or
. th fabricat ed identity to scam people.
using e
Not long after that, the fake Facebo ok profile, gleamin g with Martinez's photos, was
taken on~r by Bulgari an authori ties, who announ ced it by putting a logo on the profile
. e and a banner on the cover in1age. It read, "This profile has been taken over b
r1dur . . . . . .
the Division for Organi sed Cnme for its cnm1na l use, 1n accorda nce with the CriminaYl
Code of the Republic of Bulgaria.,, The surreal sight is exacerb ated by the photos belonging
to Alexandre tvfartinez still visible on the bottom left (scan and refer to the picture in
the article). The accoun t has since been taken offline.
More than two dozen people I spoke with had willingl y given large sums of money
and shared persona l details betwee n 2015-2 017 with a man they were convinc ed was
real They had been interac ting with his statuses and his pictures for years. They felt like
they knew Alexan der Nikolov. I, too, had been friends with that fake accoun t for years,
interacting with someon e hiding behind a social media mask all along.
Meanw hile, fake Alex had establis hed himself as a social media star in
his own right, garneri ng a sizable online following, includin g journali sts,
politici ans and public figures. Over time, this helped him pen countless
articles in various news outlets. He would even dial in as a political
comme ntator on nationa l TV news program s and radio shows. And yet,
ladthefa ll
artide hen. no one in Bulgari a had ever seen this man in real life. "It was a total
shock to me and my family. I can't believe my photos were used to scam
people," Martin ez said.4
o·ISCUalao
. na Questions
I. What is identity theft?
2
· How was Alexandre Martin ez's Facebo ok accoun t misused ?
3
!f
· you w~re Alexandre Martin ez, what due diligenc e could you have taken to avoid
UCh an identity theft?
60 11 INTERCONNECT

4. Research and discuss the legal frameworks of Right to Privacy and its current

provisions in India.

FUN FACTS

• Divya Narendra, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, all fellow Harvard
students of Mark Zuckerberg, sued him for allegedly stealing their idea.

• After 4 years of fight, Zuckerberg paid Divya Narendra and the Winklevoss
brothers $65 million.
• People are most active on Facebook at 8 a.m. & 10 p.m.
• 39'6 of users actively follow brands offering giveaways, contests, and offers on
their pages.
• A Pew Research Center survey found that 75% of women use Facebook,
compared with only 63% of men.

□ QUESTIONS

1. What is Facebook? Who started it and why?

2. What is the difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page?

3. What are some of the popular types of Facebook posts?

.f. List some of the aspects to be kept in mind while creating a post for a Facebook page.
5. What are some of the Facebook etiquettes?
 FACEBOOK 11 61

~01£5 . "
adr, CaroIe, and Emma. Graham-Ha
. . rrison. Revealed:
,, 50 million Facebo k fil
o pro es
1. c,d"-alled for Cambridge Analytica m maJor data breach. The Guardian, 17 March htt ·//
haf"iest 2018 , ps.
. 1..f'pJUlsM. . d F b 1.,,
b1t.•1 .. .. 10 facts about Amencans an ace oo~ Pew Research Center, 1 June
raJllrch John. 2021·
i G ; :.m.ch/3NDHfSF. . . .
httpd pe "Not Even Hermione Is Impervious to the Soul-Destroymg Power of Social
3. Bail~,.~~ February 2017, https://bit.ly/44flsSa.
Media•
·ikolov.~, Niko1ay. "He fooled an entire nation with a fake0Facebook profile. Then I tracked him
t ~ ' ·--L-LJe February 2018, https://bit.ly/3Hv7E s.
do-,i Mll5flUV ' 26
uNKEDIN

One out of three professionals on the planet is on Linkedln.

- Jason Miller

Gaurav is a software sales manager who worked at a talent management organisation.

Due to downsizing at his company, he lost his job. At first, he was not worried
because he believed he could quickly find employment with his background and
experience. However, he remained without a job even after three months. Anxious,
he shared his situation with a friend who suggested that he should create a profile
on Linkedln. Gaurav took time to create a good Linkedln profile-the kind that
would get noticed by recruiters. Soon, Gaurav heard from several companies that
were looking for someone with his kind of expertise. Now, he is happy preparing
for the various interviews lined up.

l.inktdin is a social networking platform created in 2002. The founders, Reid Hoffman,
Konstantin Guericlce, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Allen Blue and Eric Ly, created the platform to enable
professionals to connect, network and showcase their skills and experiences. It provides
1 digital space for individuals and organisations to establish
and maintain professional
relationships, search for job opportunities and promote their products and services.
On Linkedln, users can create a profile that highlights their education, work experience,
skills and accomplishments. They can also connect with other professionals in their induStry
or field. Join groups, share content and participate in discussions. Linkedln also offers a
range of features such as job postings, company pages and premium subscriptions for users
to acceaa additional tools and features. It also provides plethora of educational courses.
li..1.-~. has . JO . b seek nd businesses to find
-.ccun become a critical tool for recrmters, ers a . d
and cnn........ . d arket their pro ucts
:11.. d --...~ , With the right talent, establish brand awareness an m th go-to
....Dl:att~~----
•-.a.
w· 'd
1th over 700 million users worldwt e, L'10 k
e
din has become e
.--~ 6 b
1 rands.
'Id
or professionals to manage their careers and bm t e h ir persona
 66 11 INTERCONNECT

MERI TS

• Profcs1-ional networking: I.inkcdln is an excellent platform ~or professionals to

connect and network with ca(h other. It provides an opportunity to connect w·th
1
• th c san,c 'i11(·lJ , •share knowledge and experience and even find potential
pcop Ic in •

joh opportunitic.·s.
• Givt rmmincn,e to your brands: Linkedln provides an opportunity for individuals
to build their personal brand and showcase their skills and experience to a wider
aud,rnce. Users can create a profile highlighting their achievements, education and
work txpcricn,e. which can help them stand out in a crowded job market.
• learning and development/promote your skill set: Linkedln Learning is an online
learning rlatform that provides access to thousands of courses and training materials.
This can help users develop new skills and enhance their knowledge in various fields.
• Job Opportunities: Linkedln is a valuable resource for job seekers as it allows them
to search and apply for jobs directly on the platform. Many employers also use
Linkedln to search for potential candidates and post job vacancies. As a result, job
t.eekers have a high chance of getting the position they want.
They use keywords such as educational qualification, skills and years of experience
to find J)O'Sible contenders whom they contact through email IDs and other contact
information. Also, many companies and institutions place advertisements on Linkedln
inviting people to send their resumes and CVs for job openings.
• Showcue your knowledge and skills: With Linkedln, you can showcase your ;
knowledge, your abilities, your core strengths and your ideas. Recruiters look at i
your recommendations, relationships and examples of previous situations where you I
brought value. Therefore, it's crucial to request reviews, provide excellent sen~ce 10 1
th<>ie you've worked with and watch out for positive recommendations as all of th ~se
will help demonstrate to potential employers what you have to offer.
• Euy titting and wide publicity: Other advantages of Linkedln include vast and large
Job lutJnp, publicity and ease of resume update.
 LINKEDIN 11 67

~£RJfS
JJE .
s· Like any other social networking platform , Linked! n 1s
and scam • . . . prone to
spaJil ms Users may receive unsolicited messages and connec f10n requests
and sea ·
spaJll they don't know and some of these messages may be fraud 1
froJll peop1e u ent.
cerns and risk of identity theft: Linkedln collects and stores a 1ot 0 f
riva'Y con . . . .
P rsona1data from its users, including their work history, education and con nee t·10ns.
~is has raised concern~ about privacy and ~ata security, especially after the platform
suffered a data breach 1n 2021. Theft of pnvate data may result in identity theft.
nsive premium packages: While Linkedln is free to use, some of its features,
Expe as job postings and premium
' such . · payment. This may be a
memb ersh.1ps, reqmre
barrier for some users, especially those who are unemployed or on a tight budget.
, ruae-consuming: Time consumption is one of Linkedln's main flaws. The amount of
time required to master its effective utilization is a lot. In contrast to other websites,
using Linkedln effectively requires you to be prepared to sacrifice some of your
valuable time regularly.
Despite the demerits, Linkedln has become a professional necessity.
to be able to leverage the benefits of Linkedln, you must have a Linkedln
F-c,r you
prmile. Creating a Linkedln profile is easy. For this you may either go to the Linkedln
website or the Linkedln application on your mobile phone. Click 'Join Now' and then,
you can proceed to add your basic details such as your name, email ID and password.
~ JIIII have a Linkedln account, you can create your Linkedln profile.

C0NnaucrING SELF USING LINKEDIN

.
ltitdiiIlk to d1SCuss .
Linkedln because it continuously updates its platform and whatever
Beta here may become outdated overnight. However, there are certain essential
are central to a Linkedln profile.
• c ·1 ) Do not . use any
your name (your first name and your 1am1 Y name ·
"-
• ur. . alificat10n such
or Professor. Also, you don't have to wnte your q u
or M.A English here.
 68 11 INTERCONNECT

• Headline: In Linkedln, this is similar to an Executive Summary in a CV. Headline

is meant to enable a recruiter to get an idea about your qualification and skills
without having to go through your entire profile. The most important thing about
the headline is to highlight your unique achievements and skills. A good headline
should announce your expertise.
• Profile Photo: Linkedln offers a space for its users to upload their photograph. Your
photo on your Linkedln profile represents you. How you look in the photo can
tell a lot about you. Recruiters who are visiting your Linkedln page keenly observe
whether you are smiling or not, whether you appear sincere or not and what attitude
you exude in the photo. It is always good to post a professional photo that does not
distract the recruiter/visitor. Like in all profile photographs, it is important you post
a photo that features you individually and not as part of a group.
• Background Photo: You can also upload a background photo, usually a ""l#'Ci
a
narrow one which serves as a backdrop for your profile picture. It is 1111 .......
to make the best use of the picture. Remember, a picture spQks a t h e ~
• Contact Information: It is crucial to give correct and updated contict Iliff CJi I
on Linkedln. Although some people may directly m--.
you ~
interest, a large number of companies will get in touch with }'QU via
a dedicated email ID to deal with Linkedln enquiries may be a iood
with Linkedln-generated interest.

• Summary/About Section: In the summary or die ~~ ■ re■:r11:_a•a.,tr~- ~ •

define yourself in your own words. It allows you ta ....-oul
two thousand characters. Use this space to give an ~ ~
The summary is your opportunity to present your ~
CV, here you can use the first person voice and be less

For example: Developed positive workspace cultures •

6 years of experience in Human Resource Management.
the quality employee training, in recognition of which I woa
Professional Award of the Year. (Notice the use of the first person

• Other Inclusions: In addition to the above, you can mention your

education, location and industry to which you belong.
 LINKEDIN 11 69

to finding a new job/hiring/providing services·. Th.IS indic. .

k' C • b
ates
open
If you are loo mg ior a JO , then men tion th t your current J. b
• a you are .findi n o
status. . open fior h. . . g a new job• in
• are look ing for people, then say iring or 1f you '
case Y00 •• want to connect
e custo mers , say providing services.
to 010r

A,nanGupta ml .!. boAt

Co folKder and CMO at boAt lifestyle (Hiring at all Levels)

:)€ ►,. l~O.o
II Indian School of Business

:1.1 ·::. ::.-;e, s · 5JO+ conne ctions

boAt.
Fig. 1. Sample Linkedln profile of Aman Gupta, co-founder of

In addition to the above basic information of the profile, there

are specific sections where
:
you can give detailed information under the following categories

anies and non-profit

• Experience: Professional jobs and positions held in comp
·o--iuti·
oro~n - ons.

• Education: School and higher education information.

you have attained.
• Uceaca and Certifications: Any specific licence and/or certificate
• SkiUa: All relevant skills which help people know your area of expertise.
. d• • nal CV, these are
• R,.,.,,.__ . • letters m a tra 1 10
t
--..vuunenclations: Equivalen t to reference
lleagues and peers.
Professional endorsements you have earned from your co

• Co.ar.e.: Any courses other than your educational qualifications.

70 11 INTERCONNECT

• Honours and Awards: List your awards and honours here.

• Languages: Languages you can speak and/or write.

• Organisatio ns: Any involvement with organisations or communities.

• Patents: Any patents which you have either applied for or received.

• Publications: List your published works here.

• Projects: Mention the projects you have completed or are working on here.

• Test Scores: Any test score of significance can be put in here. Your JEE, CAT, TOEFL, etc.

• Volunteer Experiences: If you have served as a volunteer, mention it here.

Note: It is not necessary that you should complete all the sections listed on the Linkedln
page. You fill in the ones that pertain to you and you have certificates for and leave the
other sections.

m:::,E DJ
t::!Jm?!tm llc::J

AlhneerGrover • Self~
FCUlder-BhlratPe
!\nut'l :,..i.,. o.,.:n1. !'ld1~
G) Indian lnstitu«i al T~chnology,
Delhi

About
Ft'N-.....,ofMe
Slw1l Ill 1at Sluon o1 Stlll1I Tri lndil.
~ MO 111d CO • Foundlr It BhlrltPII.
~Hlldot New ..._ltPCJ.
Built GrolM bulinttl out• CFO IRliled USS 170 ,m.
HNded Corp 0.Vf• Ama lndil ILid ..,.._.in.._ ■ of Mallhlk.
w.tllc••••••lllnki nl17Ywll10Dell ltUSllllnTrwact ian-...
. . Mm1d•111
ITDIN.

Pia- J. JJakedln profile of Ashneer Grover, founder BharatPe.

 LINKEDIN 11 71

lftlCaam,
l.......,mJ

Cr ea tor Ac ce ler ato r TO p

Pr og ram Alu mn i vo1cEs
r ~I ,cf '~•;,

Mamae arth
Tanya Bahl fm
. liop voice 2022 I SRCC I Mamae arth I LI Creato r
unkedln • Shri Ram College of Comme rce
AC(:elerator Program
New Delhi, Delhi, India .
SJK follower s . 500+ connec tions

Join to follow

AbOUt
1belie¥e that words have the power
to inspire and that's exactly what I aim to do with the content that I
l and power packed one-
cnate. I like to pan down my though ts on college life, experie nces in genera
liWS.

•-hanour9d as• Llnkedln Top person

Voice 2022 in the Next Gen Catego ry and enjoy having
al brandi ng and everyth ing in betwee n. I like talking to other
c:o,warutions .-ound market ing,
away valuabl e nugget s from t he
peap19, ob9ervf ng the intricac ies of their experie nces and taking
- · I b■lel419 that learnin g is all around us, we need only see.

set of learning s and experie nces

Having been a part of multipl e college societi es, I have had my own
up new and challen ging things
t111t ,_.bn»adened my perspe ctive and helped me grow. I like taking
of accomp lishmen t.
thll bring with them the thrill of a novel experie nce as well as the feeling
On the same lines I
0.. - - • PIOfol mly believe in is that "No one is you, and that is your power.•
an extrove rt who finds it
- - - • to describe myself as 'A movie buff brimmi ng with optimis m and
cll'lbllt ID PUt •capo n creativ ity!'

,_,._ of the 200 people selected for the Initial cohort of the Linkedl n Creator Acceler ator Prog_ram
I have collabo rated with compan ies
: . - - •- aleo • pan of the Linked ln for Creato rs Progra m.
on
....::: •id. Qua, Storl for articles , intervie ws and have also taken a session on conten t creation
far'-v . JMC.
......... •Id.ta forward to • collabo ration, feet free to drop me a messag e!

Fig. 3. Linke dln profil e of Tanya Bahl.

72 11 INTERCONNECT

STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT RECRUITERS

• Keywords: Keywords are essentially common words or phrases which recruiters USe
while searching for potential candidates. They play a significant role in finding your
Linkedln profile. For instance, if a recruiter is looking for an accountant, she will put
in the word: 'M.Com with specialisation in accountancy; fresher, Delhi University:
She will see profiles of potential recruits who have used these keywords in their
profiles. After fetching these profiles, the recruiter contacts the candidates via email.
Knowing the keywords that are critical for your field is the first step towards creating
a successful Linkedln profile.

• High level of detail: Potential recruiters look for important details in your profile
such as the skills you possess, the internships you undertook, who you worked for,
the job titles you held/hold, etc. Just as in a CV, these details help a recruiter know
if your career is progressing in a specific field.

WHAT ARE KEYWORDS?

Many companies today use Linkedln as a resource to find potential candidates.

Regardless of the field in which you work-engineering, commerce, hW1)anitia,
marketing or HR, learning to use keywords in your Linkedln profile is vital to
getting noticed by recruiters.
Keywords are common phrases which are keyed into the Linkedln Reaai1er
Platform to search for candida_tes. This practice is similar to recruiters seardnna
for candidates using traditional CVs; however for CVs or raumes tbq clo Id
using Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Another important dilference ~
a traditional CV and Linked In profile is that CVs and resumes are tailore4
specific job profiles whereas Linkedln profiles target multiple positions u4
in searches of various recruiters.
Here is a list of top keywords to ensure your Linkedln Proillt
recruiters' search:

• Position Titles: Specific job titles are among popular keywords. Exam
Content Creator~ "Income Tax Auditor" etc.
 LINKEDIN 11 73

. . Mention your current location. In case you want t 1

iocauon, . o re ocate to a
• . r city, mention where you want to go.
parucu1a
Ski.11s and Certifications: Integrate names of specific skills- both hard sk'll
1 s and
• soft skills-throughout your profile. Include certifications that you have acquired.

To learn the top keyw~rds for your Linkedln profile, you must look at job
. t·ons that you aspire to get. From there, you may determine the k
descnp 1 eywords
ld feature in your profile.
that sh0 U
Where should I put my Keywords?
1he best places to naturally integrate these top keywords in your Linkedln Profile
are the following:

, Headline: Your headline is the first thing a recruiter will see when they look
at your profile. Ensure that you do not waste this valuable space by only
mentioning your current position/title and company. A good Linkedln headline
includes relevant keywords to catch the recruiter's eye and make them want
to see more of your profile.
, About section/summary: Your i\bout' section is the most important section of
your Linkedln profile. It's also an easy place to include keywords. While writing
your professional life story here, you must include your major accomplishments,
your skills and certifications. It is a good idea to list 6-8 core competency skills
so that any recruiter looking for them can find your profile.
If you are not currently employed, you should list your desired position titles so
that your profile can be fetched by the system when those positions are searched for.
It is important to keep the content relevant. Do not be unrealistic; also do
not exaggerate. Too much content is not the purpose, relevant and meaningful
content is the cornerstone of a good i\bout' section.
• Experience section: Many Linkedln users neglect this section. As a matter of
fact, this is a great space to highlight your expertise. You can fit in keywo rds
here bv, opt'1m1smg
. . your position titles.
7 4 11 INTERCO NNECT

You should not change or make-up your official job titles i.e., calling yourself
a 'Content Head' when you were only a 'Technical Writer: However, you may
include areas that you were in-charge of.
There's no limit to the number of job experiences you can include here. You
may go back to older positions if you wish to include strong keywords through
them.
• Skills section: Linkedln offers as many as 50 slots for you to fill in your
skills. Typically, skills can be of two types: technical/hard skills and soft skills.
Technical skills are specific skills gained through training, for example, Java,
accounting, auditing, copywriting, editing, etc. Soft skills are the skills that
help the candidate to apply the technical skills more productively. For instance,
presentation skills, team work, analytical abilities, problem-solving, etc.
There is no harm in mentioning every skill you possess. But do not stretch
the truth-on ly list a skill for which you can provide an example while being
interviewed. Include different keywords (and their synonyms) of your expertise
to increase the chances of your profile getting fetched in a search enpc.
For example, if you have worked as an editor for a jownal, include all, .i.
words related to the process of editing such as revising, editing. ~
proofreading, etc. Some experts advise to employ different forms of the ume
word, for example- revise, revision, revising. Similarly, use words like~
research thesis, etc. for optimising your chances. This is particulady ~
for people looking for a job opening using Linkedln .

Further, focus on hard skills first and then on the soft akiU.
going to be searching for 'eye for detail'; rather they would lie fint
hard skills such as 'Editing:

Finally, remembe r to prioritise your skills and be sure to use

 LINKEDIN 11 75

DIN AND CV: A COMPARISON

LIN KE
'Jbe chief differences between a Linke<lJn profile and a CV are as follows:
, Linkedln is a live CV that gets updated continuously and can be accessed at all times.
, Linkedln helps you to build your network, endorsements and recommendations over
years. When a recruiter lands on your Linkedln profile, she will be able to see the
people you are connected to, your networking skills and who has endorsed you and
for what. This will give her a fair idea of how you stand in your field and industry.
A traditional CV can not showcase your connections and endorsement by other
professionals and your peers.
, When recruiters see recommendations, they know that you have made a valuable
contribution to get someone to come and recommend you on Linkedln. Many
recruiters may be connected to the people who have recommended you and this may
work in your favour. However, they are also aware that many recommendations are
self written and published by requesting friends and colleagues. Be aware that these
contributions posted on your page are likely to be tested in the interview.

• - - - • EXERCISE • - - - •

,
I. Familiarise yourself with Linkedln profiles by reading five profiles of people
working in your field. Identify the following from their profiles.

Job titles they hold

I I I If I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t t I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I t t I I I I I t t t I I I I
• a I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I I It I I I I I I I I I. I I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f I I I I I t I I I I f I I I t I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 1 I I I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I

t I t t t t t t t t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f 1 1 I I 1
I It I I I I I I I I I I I If I I I I If t I I I I I I I I I I I I I f I I I I I I I I I I I I

e e. I •••••••••••••••• I I. I • I e I e e I e • t t t I I t t I I I I t t t I e t I t t t t I t t t t t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I • I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 I

...........
I I ••

1 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 I I I
t •• I. I •••• It I I I I I. I. t I I I I I t I I • eI e • e e I. e I e I It t I I I I t I It t It I I. I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 1 I I I I I I I
 7 6 11 INTERCONNECT

Educational qualification they have

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ♦ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
.................................................. • •••••

O ♦ O O ♦ O ♦ O ♦ O ♦ o ♦ 0 t I I O ♦ o ♦ I ♦ I O I O I I I I I • I I I • I I I I I I I I e I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f I I I I I I I I I I I I le f
O O O O O 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 O O O 0 0 11

o o o o ♦ o o ♦♦ ♦ o o ♦ o o o o ♦ ♦ o o ♦ I ♦ I ♦ ♦ I I o o o ♦ I ♦ I ♦ t t t I I I t I I I t I f I I I I I I I t I I t I I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I If I I I I I I I I I I IfI I I I

··············································································································
O O o o O ♦ • o o o ♦ ♦ o ♦ I o o o I ♦ ♦ o ♦ o ♦ t o o t ♦ ♦ 1 o O t t t ♦ t O ♦ ♦ I I I I I I I I I I I I t I e I I f I I I I I I I I I f I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I If I I If f If I If
O O

Certification they have completed

• • ♦ ♦ • • • 0 ♦ ♦ ♦ • ♦ ♦ ♦ o • o o I • ♦ ♦ t O O O ♦ • o o O o O O O O ♦ o O • 0 I O O O • 0 ♦ 0 0 0 ♦ ♦ 0 ♦ ♦ 0 0 • 0 0 • ♦ 0 0 0 ♦ 0 • • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 e O O. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 0 0

...............................................................................................................
.. . .. .. . ... ... .. .. . ... ... ... ................. ....... ...... .. ... .. ... ... .... ........ ...... ......................
■
•••••
•••••••••• ••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••• • • • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• •••

... ... .... .. ..................................................

• • • • • • • •

. . . . . . .. .. .. . ... .. . . .. .. ... ...... .... . . .. ... .....

.. .. . .. .. . . ... . . . . .. .. . ... .. ... ... ..... ........... .. . ...... .. ... ... .... .. ...... ...................................

Hard and soft skills they possess

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • • • • 0 • • • • • • • •
0 • • • e • e e e e • • • • • • • e • e • • I • • • • • • • •. • ••••• • e • . e •••••• e •••• e •• • • • ••• ••••I
• • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • o• o • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o • • o o • o o o • o • • • • • • I o • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e • • • • • • • • • • • e e • • • • • • • e e . e . e. • •• • •• • ••

....................................................................................................···········
..............................................................................................···•·····•·.......
... ..... ... ...................... .. ..................... ..................... ..................... .... ~.
Companies they work/have worked for

............. ............................................................................................
···· ···· ········· ···················· ···················· ··········•·······•· ···················
····················· ·········· ·· ···················· ···················· ···················· ·········
····················· ····················· ······ ···················· ···················· ······•·······•
• • 10 Io••• I• I••••••••• I•••• • t •I•. I•• o o ••I• I I•••• • • I I••• I• 111 I•• I I I e I ••••••••••••••••• , ........., ..,..,_,,

After this exercise, identify keywords which are most comffMlllr ,.._.....,
Linkedln profiles in your field.

····················· ······.. ··· ·· ·· ·· ······· ·............................................•

··············································•
I. I O I It • • • • I • • • • •• • • • • I • • I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I I •

• • • • • • I••••• • • • • ••I I•••• • • • 1 1 1

I • I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I • • • • • • I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • 1 • ae
 ..

LINKEDIN 11 77

.... ·····································································································
······ ·················································· ·····················································
....·······
'lls do you currently possess? List them below.
Whats k1
······················································································
·······················
···············································································································
···············································································································
···························································································· ·· ··············...
··················································································································
2. You are an undergraduate student. You are in the phase of acquiring your skills
and qualifications. Imagine what your Linkedln profile would look like after your
graduation and your first job. Use the following pointers:

What will your headline be?

...............................................................................................................
. .... . .. ............ .. . ................ ......... .......... ...... .......... .... ... .... ...... .. .. . ......... ......
..... ....... ............ ........ .... .... .. .... .. ... ...... ................ ........ . ..... .... ..... ..... ..........
..... .......... .................. .................. ...... ............................ ....... .. .................
..................................................................................................................
What will your summary look like?
I I I I I It • t I It• I• • • • •I• • • • • • • • • t • • t • • • • t • • • I I• o • • • t o t • • • • • •
• • • • • t • • • • t • • • t • • • • • • •• • •• • t t •. • •••••••I I I I• I I• I I It I I •

.............................................................................................................. .
······································································································· .. .... ..
···············································································································
1 • e • 1 o t I t • •
I O • • • • • • • • • • • t I IO t • I I I I • . t I I I t I I I I I I t • • t • • I • t • • • t • t • t • • • • • • t t et• I•• • t I I••••• • • • • • • • • I • • • • • • • • • • I I • ••I t •

What qualifications, including your degrees, field of study and any relevant coursework
would you have?

' ..............................................................................................................
I I • o • • I • • • • • I O • • t O I
I I.• It I t t t •. t I It. I I It •• t t ft I It. I I I • t •• I I I I • t It t t I I •• It I • • • I •• I I. I• •I . I I I • I • • I I I I I t • I • I• I• t t •

....................... ................................................................ ........................

.............................................................. .............................. . ..................
........................................................................................ ...... .... .. ... .. . ........
78 11 INTERCONNECT

lities.
List your work expe rienc e-job title and specific responsibi
e O O O e O O O o
♦
IO
IJ O O O O O O O O O O O O O I
♦ O O O I I O O O I I O I O t • O I IO O O O I I O O

♦
O I I
♦
O O I
♦ ♦ O O O t O O f I O I O O I I
o O o O O O O o o O O O O o • o O o O O t

...............
• • • • t • t O • O
•

.............................. ..................................................................
•

■ O O O et t t t
♦
t t t O O t t O I
♦ t t t O O It O O t O O t O t t t I t

♦
I I I
♦ o t t t t I t t t t I I I I t t I I I
t O O t o t O I t o o 1 t 1 1 t t o t
o o o o o O o o O O O o t O o I O I
o o o O o o o o o o •
I O O 0

♦
O I O t o t O • t It t t
♦
O t O t I I O
♦
O t I I t I t O t t I
o e t t t t t t t t o t e t I I t I

o o • o o o o o o o o o O ♦ o o t o o o o o o o I o o t ' o • t O t
• O • 0 t o t o o o o o o o o o t o t o o

♦ a ♦♦ It ♦ t I O O O • e e e
♦t
t
♦
O a t O IO I
♦o♦ ♦
t t t t IO O Of

♦
t O O O t t O O I O e I t t I
t O O t t I t • t O O t
o O O o t I t o o O t O O
' o o o O O I O O O O I
o o o O o o o o o O O O o o o o O o
O O •

ds.
Add any relevant skills, languages, certifications, or awar
. . . . .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . ........ ...... ... ..... ................. . ....... . .... .. ....
. ......... ........................
. . . . .. .. . . .. ... ... . .. .. .. . . ... . ... .... ...... ... ........... ..... ... ........
................... ................. .
. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. ... .. .. .. ... ........ ................... ..... ....... ...... .....
................ .. ... .......... .. .
. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . . .. .. .. ..... ... . .. .. ... ... ... . ... . .. .. .. . ..... .. .. ... . .........
........... .. . .... ...... . . .. .
. . .. .. . . . .. .. . . . .. . . .. . ... . . ... ... ... ....... ... .. ............. .. . .. . .. ... ...
... ... ... .............................
do you thin k is the most
3. There are three profile pictures below. Which phot o
appropriate to be posted on the Linkedln profile and why?

...................................................................................................... ...
...... ..... . .... .. .. .............. ........... . .. ... - ........... ....... .•.... •.••• ...•.. ..•••
....,, .....
....... ... ... .................. ..... ...................... ...······ ······ ······ ······ ·····--···•,-•··
....................................................... ·························••
e O O • 0 • 0 0 0 0 e O O I O • t O O O • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0
........................ ...
......
......
·•··...... .
..... ~
e •• 0 0 0 0 0 I e O O O O O O O IO O I O O O

·-- --• ·- --- •

 LINKEDIN 11 79

LINKEDIN VS FACEBOOK

You have learnt to create profiles on both Linkedln and Facebook. Let us now understand
the difference between the two.

• Professiona l vs. Personal Use: Linkedln is designed specifically for professiona l

networking while Facebook is primarily designed for personal use.

• focus on Career Developme nt: Linkedln is focused on helping professiona ls develop

their careers, find job opportuniti es and connect with others in their industry or field.

• Networking Opportunit ies: Linkedln provides users with a range of tools and features
to connect with other professiona ls such as groups, company pages and advanced
search options. Facebook also allows users to connect but it continues to be primarily
for personal connection s.
• Profile Informatio n: Linkedln profiles are designed to showcase professiona l experience,
skills and education. Facebook profiles are more personal and can include a wider
range of informatio n such as hobbies, interests and personal relationship s.

• Advertising: While both platforms offer advertising options, Linkedln's advertising

is more focused on business-to -business (B2B) marketing and lead generation , and
Facebook is more geared towards business-to -consumer (B2C) advertising .

COMMUNICATING THROUG H LINKEDIN

Posts and Articles

Linkedln allows its users to create Linkedln posts and articles through which you can
share information and knowledge. The chief difference between them is their length. A
post is shorter than an article.
While writing either of them, first identify your target audience. Are you writing
to your industry peers, potential clients, or potential employers? Consider why you
:ant to reach out to them. Is it to give informatio n or knowledge ? If it is knowledge ,
t en choose a topic that is relevant to your audience. This could be a current industry
trend a d
• new pro uct or service or a personal experience that you want to share. Then,
create a strong headline which is clear, concise and attention grabbing. It should give
ao 11 INTERCONNECT

proceed t0
an ide a of you r pos t/ar ticl e and encourage the m to rea d it. Then,
rea.der s
le, cov erin g the ma in poi nts of you r top ic in accordance with their
wn te you r po st/artic
fes sio nal and con ver sat ion al ton e; avoid ind ust ry jar gon or excessively
len gth . Use a pro visuals and
cal lan gua ge. Aft er wri ting , car efu lly pro ofr ead you r pos t/ar ticl e, add
tec hni
t has hta gs (us ual ly I -3 has hta gs) to rea ch ou t to a large audience.
inc orp ora te relevan
Finally, p ublish it.
Co mmen t
dln pos t and arti cle s, you can als o po st a com me nt on the various
In add itio n to the Li nke
d on Lin ked ln. Thi s can ser ve as a me ans to net wo rk with people from
pos ts you rea cuss points of
field. Wh en you ask me ani ngf ul questions, give app rec iati on and dis
yo ur sional.
t you are keenly following a profes
disagreements politel y, it shows tha

Message
nts. While
ln gives you an opp ort uni ty to frame messages to specific recipie
Linked nal
et you r rec ipi ent wit h his /he r nam e. This hel ps to establish a ~
doing so, first gre , introduce
inc rea ses cha nce s of yo ur messages get tin g rea d. Always
en, sta te the rea son for ~ tlae
connec tio n and
me nti on com mo n int ere sts . Th
yourself and briefly
kno ws the purpose of yo ur
message dea rly so tha t the recipient lbesr pt
ice, net wo rki ng opp ort uni ties or pot ent ial collabora tio n. Re meml1er.
adv
ipient and the sea4er. So, woJIKl;l-'11
only when the y serve bot h the rec
reaching ou~ do not focus onl y on
what you want but l1so
n. You may ll v t~
is going to get from this collaboratio
In the end, sign off politely.

LANGUAGE OF LIN KE DI N

pla tfo rm , so it is
Linkedln is a professional networking
He re are som e ti~
formal language in your interactions.
on Linkedln:
 1

LINKEDIN 11 81

r sional: Use formal and professional language in your profile, posts messages
Be pro1es . . . '
• and comments. Avoid slang, abbreviations and emotlcons.

. roper grammar and spelling: Make sure to proofread your writing for errors in
• Lse P .
grammar and spelling._Poorly written content can reflect poorly on your professionalism
and attention to detail.

• Avoid jargon and acronyms: While it is important to showcase your expertise and
knowledge, avoid using industry jargon and acronyms that may not be understood
, e,·en·one.
b,· ,

• Be dear and concise: Get to the point and communicate your message clearly and
concisely. Avoid long and complex sentences.
• Focus on benefits and value: When describing your skills and experiences, focus on
the benefits and value you bring to potential employers or clients.
• Be positive» professional and respectful: Avoid negative or controversial language
and maintain a positive and professional tone in your communications.

• Customise your language: Adapt your language to the audience you are communicating
with. For example, if you are applying for a job, tailor your language to the job
description and company culture. This shows that you have taken time to understand
their situation and are offering something of value.

• Engage in conversations: When commenting on posts or articles, engage in meaningful

conversations by sharing your opinions and insights. This helps to establish your
expertise and can lead to new connections and opportunities.

• Share valuable content: When sharing posts or articles, make sure they provide
value to your network. This can include industry news, thought leadership, or tips
and advice.
 82 1 1 INTERCONNECT

D ACTIVITY

1. Create a Linkedln profile by highlighting your current skills and achievements.

Tailor your profile for the internship opportuniti es you target.
2. Find a Linkedln article written by a professional from your field and discuss
it in your class. What is the article about? Why is it important?
3. \\'rite a short Linkedln article on a topic of your choice.

4. Create a Linkedln post on the same topic as the article above.

5. \\Trite a message on Linkedln to an eminent person in your field and ask her
for career advice.
' - - -- - - - - - · - · · ·····························-······················································ · · - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . J

FlJN FACTS

• Linkedln turns 20 years old in 2023.

• Linkedln has 36 offices and 21,000 employees.

• Linkedln is available in 26 languages.

• Women represent nearly 42% of Linkedln'$ • - - - ~

□ QUESTION S

l. What is Linkedln?

2. How wiJl you construct your profile on &...·uUlj•

3. What is the difference between Linkedln and

4. What are keywords and what is their role in Linke

5. What language aspects should be kept in mind while com

platform?
 rNSTAGRAM

"lou don't take a photograph, you make it."

-Ansel Adams

Reena is an undergraduate student who has an active social life. She likes going
out -y.;th her friends and posting pictures on her lnstagram profile. She is also
interested in trying out new recipes and can often be found scrolling through her
Instagram feed looking for the perfect recipe as per her mood and taste. She also
likes to keep herself updated with the latest stories of her favourite Bollywood stars
by follo-Y.;ng them on lnstagram. She can't imagine going a day without instagram
as it helps her in staying connected with her friends and family through the updates
they share. It has become her go to app whenever she is bored or has free time.

Instagram is a picture and video sharing app designed by Kevin Systrom and ~1ichel
Krieger. The name "Instagram" is formed by combining the words "instant camera" and
"telegram': ~either Systrom nor Krieger had any formal training in computer science,
but Systrom learned to code while working at Nextstop. He eventually created an app
called Burbn, inspired by his love for fine whiskies and bourbons. Users of the Burbn
app could check in, post their plans and share photos. Although location-based check-in
apps were popular at the time, Burbn's photo-sharing feature was quite unique. Systrom
then worked together with Krieger to create an app that focused on photographs taken
on mobile devices and named it lnstagram. It took them only eight weeks to develop
Instagram. It was released on 6th October 2010 and the app gained about 25,000 users
in one day. The app's primary aim from the beginning was to display images, chiefly
taken on mobile devices.
lnstagram is an app that people use to connect with friends, share what they're up to
or to see what's new from all over the world. It gives people space to express themselves
openly and to share moments from their daily life. Anyone who is 13 years or older can
 86 11 INTERCONNECT

open an account by choosing a username and enrolling an email address. It is cu~

owned by Meta Inc. 'ntlJ
Despi te a few photo-sharing applications avaiJ_able online, Instagram has ~
as the mo!>t popul ar one. A few merits and clements of lnstagram are diSCUSsed belo..

MERITS

• It is free to use and download.

• Sharing and collecting photos, short videos and information has become easier.

• It offers opportunities for people to grow their businesses.

• It offers a platform for content creators.

DE.MERITS

• \Vhen used unjudiciously, it can become addictive.

• False information may be disseminated.

• Its overuse may cause anxiety.

TYPES OF ACCOUNTS

There are three types of accounts on Instagram:

• Personal account

• Business account

• Creator account

Choosing the right account is crucial to ensure that the online activities align
purpose of the account. Let us discuss the three types of accounts in detail.
 INSTAGDA ..
'V'\N\ ll !7

pERsoNAL ACCOUNT
. This typ of account is th
... , a regular account for personal use e
e most preferred
1111:- lli
d to co nn ect an d share po sts with f. d fami1y.
. ·e an1.l is use nen s and
,ho11.
AJrantages
It Gtn be set to private or public at
any time , unlike a creator or a b ·
• usmess account.
This ensures that the account holders decide who t the·
ge s access to Ir content, thus
a,·oiJing chances of harassment.
to creator or business account
, The user has an option to switch
bio.
, The users can add a link to their
trict acc ess to som e of the ir con tent by creating a Close Friends
, The users can res
t sha red wi th this gro up is no t acc essible by people who are not
group. The conten
included in the list.
al accou nt can be lin ked to the use r's Facebook account as well.
• A person

The users can reques t for the ir acc ount to be verified if it is set to public.
•
Disadvantages
The users do no t get any ins igh t or analytics related to their account.
•
t details.
• The users cannot share their contac
nt is sui table for tho se wh o do not want to grow their account as
Thus, a personal accou for users who juSt want
the ir con ten t. It is ideal
a business and do not want to monetize
frie nds by sharin g and int era cting with posts and messages.
to stay connected with their
88 11 INTERCONNECT

THINGS TO NOTE WITH A PERSONAL ACCOUNT

• Keep your account private to avoid any unwanted attention from unknown users.

• If your aim is not to grow your follower count, do not accept 'follow' requests
from people you do not know.

• Do not share any sensitive information in your posts or stories that can be
used against you.

• Remember, anything that is posted online can never be retrieved from the
internet. Share your pictures wisely and use hashtags judiciously.

BUSINESS ACCOUNT

An official business account is important in order to create a professional presence

Instagram. It allows businesses to access a range of advanced tools and analyties
help them manage their accounts effectively. Business accounts also enable
to run promotions and ads through the platform as well as add extra infoirmatill•
as contact details, links or addresses.
Additionally, having a dedicated business accouat gives customers tn111,
brand. It shows them that you are invested enough in your products or cual''Vlll
enables them to get all relevant information they might be looking for when
associating with you.

Advantages

• With a business account, you can access Creator Studio whidl allows
advanced analytics and insights into the performance of your c:oatem
reach, impressions, engagements and more.

• You have access to targeted ads where you can select precisely ~
or advertisements according to interests, location or demogr pill■

• These accounts also allow for customer support via direct messaging
accounts so that queries can be addressed quickly and efficiently with
 INSTAGRAM 11 89

ct messages (DM) is also an add ed

switch between platforms. Video chat within dire
feature.
With easy scheduled pos ting capabilities, it is possible for you to streamline processes
•
agram.
associated with creating engaging content on Inst
of your business.
• This account allows you to choose the category
• You can display business and contact details.
agram Shopping, which lets you tag
• Business accounts allow its users to access Inst
products in your posts.
entic and have a notable presence on
• These accounts can be verified if they are auth
Instagram.
bling you to display paid partnerships
• You get access to branded content tools, ena
properly.
Disadvantages
ing or engaging in other promotional
• You may encounter restrictions when advertis
elines than regular accounts.
activities as this account is subject to stricter guid
tent from users has less visibility. As
• As an algorithm-based platform, organic con
ed to focus heavily on creating
a result, users/businesses on Instagram are forc
marketing strategies and tactics in
compelling visuals, engaging captions, influencer
order to maximise success.
The con tent mus t be carefully tailored to maintain an attractive pro.tile for prospective
•
clients. This is time-consuming.
form for businesses to engage with
Instagram has become an increasingly popular plat
. It is a great way to stay connected
c~st0mers and promote their products or services
With customers in this digital age by utili
sing the power of visual storytelling while also
nesses make informed decisions.
gathering important customer data that helps busi
 90 II INTE RCONNECT

H A BU SI NE SS AC CO UN
T
-
TH I:S GS TO SO TE W IT
ting
nt sh ou ld use for ma l an d polite language for communica
• A business accou
with its intended audjence.
ou ld foc us on the pr od uc t or activity they deal with.
• A business account sh lower count
n fro m its go al mi gh t ad versely impact it in terms of fol
De viatio
and engagement.
lite.
laints should be swift an d po
• Responses to queri es or comp
ou ld be mi nd ful of en ga gin g in only authentic activities
• Business accounts sh
in tai n cu sto me rs' tru st in their sen'ices or products.
to ma
tions.
m cu sto me r's fee ds or me ssages in the na me of promo
• Do no t spa

CREATOR AC CO UN T

un t, an d is be st suited for content creators, influencers

acco
This is a professionaJ Instagram ere be tween the penonaJ and businm
This ac co un t is so me wh
or notabJe public figures. ess ac co un t an d enables users to hide
flexib le tha n a bu sin
account. This account is mo re
their contact information. se
un t als o pro vid es ad dit ion al tools to help usen analy
A creator acco of po AL
ir follow ers an d en ga ge me nt levels with diff'amt types
data about the er how they appear in searda
es us ers mo re co ntr ol ov
a creator account also giv
an audience.
which may help them build th a .. .
s mo st of the fea tur es of a pe rso na l ac co un t along wi
This account ha :
s which are discussed below
advantages an d disadvantage
Advantages
like a pe rso na l profile:. or
JUii . .
ma ke yo ur ac co un t se em
• You can or contact
fes sio na l by ch oo sin g to display a category tit le an d/
pro
oti on s.
allow s yo u to co nn ec t wi th a Facebook pa ge fo r pr om
• It
 INSTAGRAM 11 91

• It allows you to select the type of creator you are.

• You can manage and generate promotions with this profile. One can also schedule
ads with this type of account.
• Users can request account verification. Verification lends authenticity to accounts and
helps users to find real accounts of people, brands or businesses and distinguishes
them from fake accounts.
• To better manage your direct messages and engagement with your followers, you
may set up quick replies and direct message filters.
• This account also gives you access to Creator Studio. Creator Studio enables users to
manage their Instagram account on desktop website. It alJows you to manage your
posts, schedule content, monetize your content or to gain insights into the analytics
of your account.
• It also provides access to branded content tools and partnership ads, enabling the
user to display paid partnerships properly.
Disadvantages

• Auto Post feature is not available for a create account.

THINGS TO NOTE WITH A CREATOR ACCOUNT

• This account is more suited to the needs of an influencer who may want to
monetize her content.
• Once you opt for a creator account, you cannot go back to a personal account.
• Creator accounts may invite unwanted attention in the form of trolling. As
a content creator, one should understand the difference between trolling and
constructive criticism.
• Cyber bullying through comments or DM's may also need to be dealt with.
92 11 INTERCONNECT

PERSONAL CREATOR BUSINESS

PRIVACY
Private
Public Public
or Public
lncreaaed
ACCOUNT LABELS
X label
options

CONTACT OPTIONS X
FILTER MESSAGES
-- -
X
- ----- -- - -- - - - - - - - - -
SHOPPABLE POSTS
x Creators can
tag brands diNctly
from their posts

INSIGHTS &
ANALYTICS X lncNOMd Insights on
follc>-rs and posts

SWIPE UP &
STORY LINKS X
MUSIC STICKERS Limited
opdol'9

Fig. 1. A quick recap of three types of Instag ram accounts.

TROLLING ON INSTAGRAM

Trolling refers to provocative remarks made by someone onlin

e to defame a person
create controversies. It includes insults, personal remarks and
offensive language.
usually function by assuming a fake identity while targeting a
person.
How to Deal with Trolls
Individuals can choose different ways of dealing with trolls. They
can ignore them.
them or block them. They can also choose to respond but shoul
d avoid using
or inflammatory language.
 INSTAGRAM 11 93

O THINK AND DISCUSS

Read the two excerpts below and discuss the questions that follow:

SAMANTH A SLAYS TROLL ON INSTAGRA M WHO SAID,

"I WANNA REPRODU CE YOU"

Samantha recently engaged in a chat session with her fans on Instagram

during which the actress fielded an indecent question from a troll, who
said that he wants to 'reproduce her: Samantha decided to school the
troll with a savage response. When a user asked her, "Have you reproduced
Racltbefull cuz I wanna reproduce u;' Samantha replied, "How to use 'reproduce' in
article here.
a sentence. Should have googled that first ?" 1
Discussion Questions

I. What type of language do people use while trolling?

2. What are the effects of tro11ing on its victims?

3. Although anyone can be trolled, how are certain genders targeted specifically through
troJling? Can trolling also be gender-specific?
4
· In the above instance, what kind of response do you think was given to the troll?
5
· What are the different ways of dealing with trolls?
 94 11 INTERCONNECT

II

DEALING WITH TROLLS: CREATO RS DEPEND

ON INSTAGR AM'S MODERA TOR TOOL

Instagram recently announce d that creators can enable the addition of a moderator
during live streaming sessions who can report and turn off comments and remove
viewers.... "Leaving negative comments or trolling a creator on a livestream is like
putting them on the spot and expecting them to react. Enabling a moderator will help
in making your live (streaming) a safe space;' said Dhruv Bisht and Shubham Singh,
creators of Instagram channel Funyaasi, which has 102,000 followers and does live
streaming sessions twice a month.
Pranav Panpalia, founder of OpraahFx, an influencer marketin g platform, added that
receiving awkward direct messages and comments on posts is still controllable. "One can
delete them. But it used to get extremely awkward when a troll army used to attack a
creator on live streams-t here's nothing they could do;• he said.
Anand Nair, cofounder at 4am Worldwide, said trolls have always been

.- .· , .. a bane of creators on Instagrarn and other social media channels. •A poll

recently reported as many as 75 percent of the people experienced trolling
~c
I • • on their posts. It gets worse when you are live streaming and
Read the full attention keeps getting distracted because of a troll determin ed to
article here.
fun at your expense:• said Nair. 2
Discussio n Questions

1. What is Instagram's latest move to control trolling on live streams?

2. How is the news being received by influencers?

3. How do trolls/troll army affect creators during a live stream?

4. How does trolling on comment s differ from that during a live stream?

5. How common ly do influencers experience trolling?

 INSTAGRAM 11 95

INST AGR AM LITE

Instagram Lite is a fast and smal ler version of Instagram .

It has been built to
perform well on slower n~twork~. It uses less mobile data and
takes up less storage
space on your phone. This version of Instagram makes it easie
r to bring people
closer to things and people they love by connecting with them
even over slower
networks, thus maxi misi ng its reach. A few impo rtant featu
res of Instagram lite
are as follows:
• It takes up little space on phon e as it is only 2MB in size.

• It is available in nine India n languages as opposed to Insta

gram which is
available in Hind i and English only (as of May 2023).
• It is used on slower networks, so the live feature is not prov
ided with this
version.

I
i
D ACT IVIT Y
;

Ii Create an acco unt on Insta gram . Follow your friends and explo
re the application.
!
!
Share your experience with the class.
L - - - - -- ·-................................................................................................................................-······--···········--·-··--· -···- ------ -
USES OF INSTAGRAM

• It allows sharing stories and infor mati on in a visually appe

aling man ner, whilst
allowing you to create relationships using private messaging
systems or hashtags.
• Instagram has beco me an incredibly impo rtant part of
digital marketing, enabling
businesses to quickly and easily showcase their products or
services.
• It_ enables bran ds to direc tly inter act with potential customers
through comm~nts 3nd
direct messages, help ing them build relationships beyond just
a simple advertisement.
96 11 INTERCONNECT

• With a large number of active users that engage in product or service-related

conversations everyday, businesses can use the platform to promote themselves in
creative and innovative ways. Furthermore, many companies rely heavily on influencers
for promoting their brand as well-and Instagram is arguably one of the best places
to find 'micro-influencers' who have fewer followers but greater engagement frorn
their audience.

• A notable feature of Instagram is that you can create multiple accounts without
logging out. This enables you to run separate accounts for personal and professional
use from the sam e device.

• Instagram also offers features such as Stories which allow users to post temporary
photos or videos which last up to 24 hours before disappearing. This feature fosters
engagement because of its unique nature compared to regular posts which remain
on your page until removed manually by you.

FEATURES OF INSTAGRAM

• Following: Users are able to follow other profiles and keep up with their posts or
updates.

• Explore: Discover content from accounts you don't follow by searching topics
hashtags. Relevant keywords can lead you to topics, content and creators
your interests.

• Liking and Commenting: These are the two ways of engaging with an
post. One can Like a post by pressing the heart icon below the pictute or'
may also comment by tapping on i\dd Comment

• Save Posts: Instagram allows you to save someone's posts while vie ·
your feed. Saving a post ensures you won,t lose it among all the other , -
feed. It also helps you categorise and create collecttons.

• Sharing: This feature on Instagram makes it easier for

other accounts with their own followers. People can cMlllllf
private story featuring someone else's content and even a
or polls as additional context.
 INSTAGRAM 11 97
·tes·
favour• · This feature allow
.
s users to access the latest posts fr
.
• been selected as their favourites. om accounts that
have
• Tagging: It is a great way to help your posts gain more reach and
visibility.
• Direct .Messaging (OM): It allows users to have private conversati
ons with other users.
You can share and connect over what you see on your feed and
stories. Messenger
allows you to share your posts privately and includes video and
audio calls.
• Feed: It contains posts from accounts you follow, suggested posts
and advertisem ents
from businesses that you may find interesting and relevant.

THINGS TO NOT E WHI LE USIN G VARIOUS FEA

TURES OF INSTAGRAM

• Tagging people can be a good way to draw people's attention

towards your
posts but unnecessarily doing so may work against you. Use this
feature only
when it is required.
• A user has the freedom to like or not like a particular post
on Instagram.
However, if a post is not to your liking, leaving negative comments
or trolling
the content creator should be avoided.
• Sharing others' posts is a way of engaging with their content.
However, ensure
that you give them due credit while doing so. Do not pass off
others' content
as yours.

VARIOUS TYPES OF INSTAGRAM POSTS

Using Instagram is quite easy and this is one of the primary

reasons for its rising
popularity. Here are a few popular ways of posting on Instagram
.
Photographs

Select a photo/s. Type the caption. Use Hashtags and tag your friend
s. Add your location.
Experiment with emojis. Spread the word about the post on other
social media platforms.
 98 11 INTERCONNECT

Reels
ds where the
Instagram Reels are short, entertaining videos of up to 90 secon creato
. Reels can use photo s and videos along \Vi rs
or businesses engage with their audie nce.
th
e conte nt. Reels are very popu lar on lnsta gram .
music to creat
Story
s which appear at the t
Story is a feature that allows users to post photos and video
of their followers' feeds for up to 24 hours. These Stories can
include everything fro:
more.
text, images, GIFs, polls, music fragments, audio labels and

Hash tags
by the # sign. It becomes
A hashtag is a string of letters, numbers and/o r emoji preceded
such as Instagram, Twitter
a link when used in hashtag-friendly places aroun d the web,
it more discoverable.
and Facebook. They are used to categorise content and make
d with the same hashtag.
Hashtags are clickable and the link includes all content tagge
s you to follow
In addition to adding hashtags to your posts, Instagram also allow
great tools for discovering
hashtags to find content related to your interests. They serve as
can also use hashtags to
new content you love and sharing it with people you like. You
or project, you can use
group your own content. If you're starting a specific campaign
ags should be included
your own hashtag to tie all related posts together. Relevant hasht
in your caption, they may
in your caption. If someone searches for a hashtag you used
hashtag.
come across your post as well as the others that used the same
__ ............................·-·························..········............................................__
f
I □ ACTIVITY

appropriate hasbtags,
Create a post about your day on Instagram. Use filters and

-- -- --............-......................................___....................-.........- ..... ____________

1111

INSTAGPAI~ 11 9?

•- - - -• UXEH<:ISE •- - - - •

I,
you I'""·tc·J .,the following pkturcH on your Jn-.tagram
•
,ropriatc huPthtag~ for each picture.
account. Write a Caption
811 J t11rcc 01 1

................................................
....................... ... ....... . ..... . .. . .. ...
......... ............... .... ........ ... ..... .. . .

. . - -·
-
.........................................................................................................
............................... ......... ................ ..... ... . ....... ........ ........................ .
.............................................. .... .. . . ..... . . . .. ... . . . . . . . . .... . . . ...... ... ............. .
............................................................. .. .... .. ................................... .
---......______
100 \ I INTERCONNECT

O THINK AND DISCUSS

Read the excerpt below and discuss the questions

that follow.

INSTAG RAM HA S A MA SSI VE

HA RAS SM ENT PRO BLE M

Several things make Instagram a uniquely fertile

breeding ground for
harassment. First of all, it's huge: More than 1 billi
on people use the
platform every month. That's much larger than the
other default-public
social network, Twitter, which has 335 million mon
thly active users, and
Read the full which has unrolled sophisticated anti-harassment
measures amid 1
article here. sustained wave of bad press. But Instagram's priv
acy settings are lea
comprehensive and less granular than Facebook's,
the other social networks with ma
than a billion users. On Instagram, your profile and
all its content are either public It
the world or limited to your approved followers; man
y people, especially those IOODII
to grow their personal brand or small business, say
they feel compelled to remain ~
because there's no middle ground. In other words,
lnstagram is large and public enoup
to invite harassment, and unregulated enough to let
it fester. 3
Dis cus sion Questions

1. List five hashtags you can use for this pass

age.
2. What qualifies a post or comment to be conside
red harassment?
3. What are the limitations of a public and private
Instagram account?

INSTAGRAM ETIQUETTE

Whether you use lnstagram for advertising, brand buil

ding, or just to increase enga~
.
your potential reach 1s . .
huge 1f the app 1s used correctly. The downsi·de to this
 INSTAGRAM 11 1o1

, . ·c how(.·vt:r, is that you have to compl'lc with othtr cr(.·ators or husim.•s~l's

1\11 amhc m ' , ' . , .
r1ltrnt u tic:n,c t.·ng,,gl'll. ,ou don t JUst want onl' time Vll'Ws. lnskad, the go,il is
c:t•r your B l
alllt k
'
·un followl·rs who engage nnd share conknt on n rl'g11lar basis. '!he kl'y I!!
,t 1nst;1gr,
to h" . , (and aJ)J'l)iing) lnstagram l'lil)lll'llc. A fl'W important OIH.'S arc lisll·J hl'low:
,,.,:t'\lll1Ill~ '
UlllIt , .. '

oive crc:Jit to the original OWlll'f of the post even if you have Ol'l'll given
Always r
' . ·s,·'ln to re-use it. Sharing othl'rs' work ns your own is mornily lncorrel'. t an<l
pcrn11~. ' .
• punishJble otk1Kl'.
, If you are rc:posting someone's photo, do not edit it without thdr permission.
, Always be polite anJ kinJ while commenting on someone's post or responding to
comments on your post.
, Try to limit the number of posts you share in a day and do not spam others' feeds.
, When using hashtags, try to limit their number in a post. Less is more.
, While using a business or creator account, it is considered rude to ignore messages
and comments. Do engage with your followers regularly.
, Ignoring your bio is not a good practice. A well written and structured bio may
work in your favour.

, Make your posts accessible and appropriate for all age groups for maximising your
reach.

• Do not be ignorant and lazy. Typing errors and other mistakes in your content should
be avoided. Always proofread before posting anything.
• Avoid misuse of hashtags. Not using hashtags might aftcct businc:ss and creator
accounts adversely but using too many hashtags might be an impediment in gaining
followers.
 102 11 INTERCONNECT

PO~ 11'.\<,

DO DON'T DO DON'T

Don't disregard posting • Do use consistent themes • Don't use

• Do post consistently, daily, . low-qui1i
times. Experiment and trends in your images. images in you ty
or at least 3x to Sx a week. . r !>Osts,
with different options Do create visually an either resol .
UhOQ
• Do use lnstagram Stories compelling images. Use Sue
and use analytics to or subject. cess OQ
with quick annow1eemcn ts. lnstagrarn's editing tools lnstagram thr·ives OQ
decide the best times .
Show a different side of like Boomerang and
for engagement. high quality visuals_
your brand including your Hyperlapse to make your
lighter side. images more interesting.

B \C h:<,ROl '.\()
\'l· RBf..\C,I

DO DON'T DO DON'T

• Don't go hashtag-heavy • Do measure your success • Don't get discoungrd

Do basic research to
in your captions. We by creating monthly, if your account tun
determine which hashtags
recommend about 10 quarterly and yearly goals. time to grow. Keq, 11
have a lot of engagement
hashtags. If you must Do research your target it. Remember, a small,
or popularity. •
include more, type the audience's habits and dedicated lnstagram
• Do ask questions and
additional hashtags in presence is better IND
engage your social media preferences.
the comment section an empty account
community. • Do use a tool like Hootsuite
of your post.
• Do comment and like other's or SproutSocial to schedule
posts. posts to save time.

Fig. 2-5. Pictorial represent ation of the Do's and Don'ts to follow on Instagram.

• - - - • EXERCISE • - - - •

1. Write True or False against each statement.

i. Instagram is a photo sharing app.

ii. A Business account lets you switch to private any time you want.
iii. A user with a creator account can request account verification.
iv. You cannot link your Facebook account to your Instagram account.
 INSTAGRAM 11 103

onal and creator accounts can access insights and account analytics.
only pers
v. rn Feed contains posts from accounts you follow sug t d
. Jnstagra fi d . . ' ges e posts and ads
vt• from businesses that you may n mterestmg and relevant.

pick the correct answer from the box:

z.
-- 24 hours Personal Faster and smaller than Instagram

Thirty Reels Hashtags

-
. Jnstagram Lite is ............ ........... .
I.

ii. The maximum number of hashtags you can use in one post is .. .. .......... .... ..... .

iii. Stories disappear after ............... ....... ..

iv. . .. . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . are used to categorise content and make it more discoverable.

v. .. .... .. .......... ..... . are short, entertaining videos on Instagram.
- - - - - · · · ·-········..················•·••·······..······-···············-·······---·-·--- - - - - - - ---··-·-·--·- -
!
i □ ACTIVITY
Il
I You saw someone taking a picture in a crowded metro compartment. The person
! clicking the picture did not take anyone's permission and posted it on his/her
! Instagram account. Do you think this is an invasion of privacy? Should we engage
I in such activities? Discuss the ethical implications of this in the class.
·------ ·------ - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
i

FUN FACTS

• The first photo ever posted on lnstagram was by the co-founder, @kevin, on
July 16, 2010. The photo is a picture of a dog.
• You can include up to 30 hashtags in a single post.
• Selfies are one of the most uploaded photos on lnstagram. As of December
2016, there were over 282 million selfies on Instagram.
 CT
104 11 INTERCONNE

naldo is th e most foIIowed person

balle r Cr istia no Ro
• As of October 2022, foot
490 million followers.
on Instagram, with over
~-
ost used em oji on In sta gram is the heart emoji
• The m
no.
os t us ed fil ters are G in gham, Clarendon and Ju
• The top three m s
th e vide o fu nc tion in 2013, about five million video
d
• When Instagram launche
st 24 hours.
were uploaded in the fir
17.
e m ost us ed ne tw or k for cyber-buIIying in 20
• Instagram was th

D QUESTIONS

I. v\That is Instagram
?

2. v\That are Reels?

3. Discuss the impo

rtance of hashtags.
ee n Pe rso nal, Cr ea to r and Business accounts?
4. v\That is the diffe
rence betw
gram?
m in d wh i!e sh ar ing an other user's post on Insta
5. v\That should be ke
pt in
nc e betw ee n a pr ivate and public account?
6. v\That is the differe
quettes.
7. List five Instagram eti

NOTES
n, 22 Febnwy
gr am wh o said, "I wa nn a reproduce you." £times.i
J. "Samantha slays troJJ
on Insta
.
2022, https://bit.Jy/3VtFsRG experts
les: Cr ea tors co unt on Instagram's moderator tool,
l troub
2. Farooqui, Maryam. "Trol 17 March 2022, https://bit.Jy/41
WL4Gx.
rease." M on ey Co ntrol,
Hvestreams may inc ent Problem." The Atlantic, 15
October 201
am Ha s a M assive Ha ras sm
3. Lorenz, Taylor. "Instagr
https://bit.ly/3 Vt7EEv.
 wHATSAPP MESSENGER

"Digital behaviour is just a replication of human behaviour."

- Paul Papadimitriou

Dee ti is a college student who excels in studies as well as in extracurricular activities.

Bei~ a member of various college societies, she joined the WhatsApp groups of
the societies to keep herself informed about the activities that are organised by
them. However, most mornings she opens the groups to find a deluge of 'Good
Morning' messages. At times, the groups are inundated with congratulatory messages
or memes. Once she missed a message containing information regarding an activity
that she was very keen to participate in due to the group being flooded by Kew
Year greetings. This frustrated her and almost made her exit the group. Have you
nrer experienced something similar and how did you deal with it?

WhatsApp Messenger is a mobile messaging app that allows users to communicate

with each other instantly across the world. It was developed in 2009 by former Yahoo!
employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum. Originally, \\'hatsApp was designed as an
alternative to traditional text messaging services. It uses the internet to send messages
and multimedia files, like photos and videos, in a cost-effective way. Its service was
opened to the public in 2010, and by February of 2016, \\:'hatsApp had more than one
billion ~rs. It is currently owned by Facebook now renamed Meta Inc.
WhatsApp offers a range of features that make communication easy and convenient
for its users. Messages sent through WhatsApp are instantly delivered and read, so
USera know their messages have been received. By using unique IDs or phone numbers,
l1lers can add their contacts to WhatsApp and stay updated about the activities of their
~tacts. Since its inception in 2009, WhatsApp's popularity has been on the rise. The
ned
growth in its user base is attributed mainly to its ease of use.
108 / I INTE RCO NN tCT

- _____ .. _- - -·- -
h a ts A p p P ro te c ts a n d S e c u re s
W
ges
Your P ri v a te M e s s a

n.
. yo ur p,fvat• meN88" or ,_ . your ca
WhataApp ca nn ot ..

rJ and neither can Face

book.

W ha ta Ap pc an no tlN
d
WhataApp do e• no t
ke ep your lhaNd looatlon an
.
log• of who everyone la ,.. ,., ,., . OM FaoebDok
g.
,.. ... .gln g or callln

t Wtw19Appgroupe
WhatsApp do es no
ur oontacta rwmafnprtvm.
,,, .,. yo
with Fa ce bo ok .

You can download

You ca n N t your your data.
m eu ag N to dlaappear.

pp are listed in the pict

ure.
features of WhatsA
Fig. l. A few

l
m ost prefer red m ea ns to connect with people al
WhatsApp has emerged
as the be
a few de merits of using the app which should
e
world. However, there ar
along with its merits.

MERITS

nnection.
• It facilitates global co
Th e app do es not feat ure any advertisements.
•
w nloa d and use, mak ing it accessible to all.
• It is free to do
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 1 09

ir. the possibility for doing online business or promoting an exciting business
It o11ers
• with a business account.

DEMERITS
. emination of false information is a major challenge.
• D ISS
• It has fostered more dependence on virtual connections rather than direct human
connection.
• Content shared on WhatsApp is not censored, thus making it unsafe particularly
when used with malicious intent.
• WhatsApp feature of sending money to contacts increases the possibility of financial
fraud.
• WhatsApp can become addictive. Its use should be supervised specially with younger users.

TYPES OF ACCOUNTS

In the past few years, WhatsApp has emerged as a popular app not only for personal use
but for business communicatio n as well. The accounts on WhatsApp are of two types:
• Personal Account: We as individual users typically use personal WhatsApp account,
intended for our personal communicatio n. The application is simple, reliable and
accessible across mobile and desktop, even on slow connections, with no subscription fees.
• Business Account: A business account is intended for businesses and organisations
wanting to communicate with customers. Business accounts have to be set up through
WhatsApp business app. Its features are designed to help businesses have a business
presence on WhatsApp, communicate more efficiently with customers and help grow
one's business.
Common Features
Some of the common ,eatures
r. .
of a personal and business account are as follows:
• Private mes.uoi · ·
--,,-ng: vAOur personal messages and calls to fnends and family are end-to-end
encrypted. No one outside of your chats, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen to them.
110 11 INTERCONNECT

• Sharing: A user can share information with others in the form of audi 0 note •
.
recordmg, documents, location and contact. ' Yide0

• Simple and secure connections: All you need is your phone number. Tuer .15
requirement of a uscrname or login ID. You can view in your contact list w~0 no
WhatsApp and connect with them. uses

• Two-step verification: WhatsApp provides two step verification to add an extra 1

of security to its user's account. This feature helps protect users from scams. ayer

• Voice and video calls: You can make secure video and voice calls with up to 8 p
for free. Your mobile phone's internet service can be used to make calls. eople

• Group chats: It is easier to stay in touch with all of your friends and family at the
same time by adding them to a group. This allows everyone to communicate With
each other at the same time with ease.

• Group voice call: WhatsApp allows its users to communicate with others in group
through voice call. This feature lets its users connect with up to 32 people in a sin~e
voice call.

• Group Video Call: Group video call is a feature offered by WhatsApp that allows its
users to communicate with up to 8 people in a single video call.

• WhatsApp Status: Status allows you to share text, photos, video and GIF updates
that disappear after 24 hours. You can choose to share status posts with all JOII
contacts or just selected ones.

In addition to the above features, WhatsApp Business includes the following

• Business profile: You can create a profile for your business to help your cust
valuable information about you, like your website, location, or contact infi

• Business messaging tools: Business accounts allow you to use Away

indicate that you're away. Thus, keeping the customers informed about your
to respond immediately.

• Run both whatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business: You can use both
Business and WhatsApp Messenger on the same phone, but each app
own unique phone number.
 1
WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 111

. t·on: Business accounts can also request verification a d

Vertfica I '
their contacts name which confirms 1t. 's authenticity na dget a bl
green badge
.
,
next to n nota e presence
on WhatsA PP·

___ ._
....
WHATSAPP PBRIONAL WHATSAPP BUSINESS. -,

Basic Information Detailed Information

profile (Name, photo and bio) (Name, photo, address, hours of
operation, website)
End-to-end Encryption With
Security End-to-end Encryption With
no collection of data
collection of customer data
Purpose Personal Communication
Business Communication
Labels No Yes
Aatom&ted Replies No Yes
Qaick Replies No Yes
,_ . . ·. -
Fig. 2. Differences between personal and business account.

When using WhatsApp Business, one should be mindful of the way one communicates
with the customers. The language used should be polite and welcoming. Use of inform
al
tone and subliminal messages should be avoided. If a query is received within the workin
g
hours specified by the account, a prompt response should be provided to generate positive
feedback from the customers.
With WhatsApp becoming the most popular messaging platform with approximately
2000 million active monthly users as on October 2021 according to Statista-even more
than its parent platform Facebook (now Meta) -it has led to a new way of using language.

REGISTER OF LANGUAGE

WhatsApp uses three very distinct registers of language-formal, informal ao<l intimate.
It is useful to understand the appropriate register to use. For this, we should be able to
112 11 INTERCONNECT

re.id tJ1e Cl..'nh.'Xt c.'f tht (om·~rs.ition-is it with our customers, our teachers. our frien
family mt?mbers, l'r with a(quaint.in(t?S? ds,
The l.1I1•,-u~1~,_e
~ ~
one u--es
,
while mes...-;a~in~
.. o
people on \\'hatsApp can tell a lot aL
UOUt
the familiJ..rity 1'~twc..~n r c.'. ('l'k having the (onv~rsation. Formal tone is used when )"Ou
inter.i(t "ith pn"'rle whl)tn you Jc.) not know very wdl. This tone is also used while
t..tlking tc..) dJers and seniors. Howen~r, wh~n one communicates \\ith friends and peers,
then the langu.1gt shifts h.,wards an informal tone and abbreviation, emojis and GIFs
can also be used. Follc.,. wing is a table differentiating the formal usage from the informal.

..
Formal langua~e~
Informal Language

I. \ re can s(hedule a meeting for tomorrow 1. Let's meet tomorrow.

if you're free. 2. I'm so happy you got it.
., \ re are pleased to inform you that your
3. We'll try to look into it.
request has been approved.
4. Have some patience.
3. \ \'e are trying to look into the matter.
5. We're sorry for the trouble.
4. Please be patient.
,-
6. tet•s finish the task today.
.:>. \ \'e apologise for the inconvenience caused.

6. \Ve should complete the task today.

\\'batsApp Lingo

·w batsApp is synonymous with instant messaging. Communication on

place on the move-the demands of which has led to a new way of using I
\\'hatsapp Lingo. A few characteristics of this lingo are listed below.

• Text messages on WhatsApp are typically sent amids& our daily

limits the size and complexity of the message. Even though there ia DO
number of characters, one can type in a message on Wht!!IAif(
appreciated by all. Long WhatsApp messages are not seen as
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 11 3

. . ns
bbrevtat10 are a com mon
.
part of Wha tsAp p lingo for the sake of b ·t Wh·
• A rev1 y. ile
few are quite com mon hke ASAP, LOL, WYD , there are man y abbrevi· t· Th
a . table lists some of them . a tons. e
following

Abbreviation Full Form Abbreviation Full Form

Asap As soon as poss ible 9. Irl
}. In real life
Laug hing out loud 10. Tbf
2. Lol To be fair
3. \\Tyd Wha t you doin g 11. Caj Casual
4. Toh To be hone st 12. Ikr I know, right?
5. Idk I don' t know 13. Obvs Obviously
6. Omw On my way 14. V Very
7. Ofc Of cour se 15. Atm At the mom ent
8. Ide I don' t care 16. Ttyl Talk to you later

• Grammar and stand ardis ed use of lang uage is usually

put aside in favour of slangs,
acronyms and misspelling. Exam ple: 2mo ro for tomo rrow , 4eve
r for forever.
• Verbs are overlooked and word s are miss pelt. Example, travelin,
enjoyin, workin.
• Abbreviated form s with non- stan dard punc tuati on and capit
alization are rampantly
USed to make typin g easier. Exam ple: brb for 'be right back', wyd
for 'wha t you doing'.
• Often there is an abse nce of form al open ing and closing rema
rks and salutation.
Example, Bye for now, See u 2mo ro in class.
• First and secon
d person pron ouns are frequ ently used . Examp1e, 'r u there' 'I will
•
get that 4 u at the store~
• WhatsAp L-• h
P uc1ng a personal means of comm umca . .
t1on as evolved strategies to express
emotions .A".11ect1v
•
. b I th ning words to express
1; ely. One of the ways of doing this
.
1s Y eng e
llr&ency and emphasis. Exam ple, 'than k u s000 000 much', 'brrrrrb'.

,
114 11 INTERCONNECT

• Emojis also add or explain the emotion behind the idea being stated. Foll .
a list of a fe w emojis used often on WhatsApp: 1
ng ~ °"'
A few popular emojis and their mean ings.

© Slightly happy

~ Smile
{'J) Thinking face

(0 Rage/Anger

~ Heart eyes
,~ ....
~ Star struck

• - - - • EXERCISE • - - - •

I. Following are a few formal and informal messages that are using an inaccurate
register of language. Rewrite the messages using the correct register. The first has
been done for you.

i. Business account to a customer

We do not know what happened to your product. Call the delivery man.

Correct response: The product has been dispatched from our warehOUlli
contact the delivery associate for further information.

ii. Student to teacher

Mam aap kaha pr ho???

Correct response: ..........................................................................• ,- ,...,;.Pllla

iii. A colleague to another

Main ghar par hu. I can't work on the project.

 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 11 5

correct response: .......................................... ...............................................................

their child in a hostel
. parents to
•"· ,)eased to inform you that we have approved your request to go to Kcrala
We are J · .
. your summer vacation.
during
Correct response: ............................................ .......... ...... ........................ ................ .

.2. Choose an emoji from the list that is appropriate to convey the messages below:

n
a.JI b.u ~
c. ._-, d. • e.~ f. @
i. It's really cold today.

u. I cleared the exam. Let's party!

iii. Why is the traffic not moving?

i\'. I'm really late for the exam. I hope I'm allowed to write the exam.

v. I fractured my arm today.

vi. You mean to say that I get to enjoy the summer break and she will work on the
project without any holiday?

3. Which emoji will you use to describe your mood today?

4. Arun, Associate Director at LifeSavers organisation, sent an email to Amit, a
Research Associate at the organisation. Rewrite the following email as a WhatsApp
message.
Dear Mr. Amit,
1Would like to formally recognize the hard work and dedication you've put into completing
~e project 'Save Water, Save Life~ Due to your consistent efforts, the project is what it
15
today and has led to the positive results we were hoping for.
rd
On beha1r of Lifesavers organisation, we would like to formally thank you for your ha
nd
,,_. tad we Would like to let you know that we highly value your contribution a
JQ1ar riontinued dedication to your job.
116 11 INTERCONNECT

We are very grateful to have you as a member of our team and we wish to contin
see you thrive within our organisation. ue to

Best regards,
Arun
........ .. ..... .. .. ......... ................. ........................................................... ·····
............................................. ............................................................ ....
... . .. . ..... ... . . . ............... ............. .. ...... .. .... .. . . ........... . . ........ ... .................······
o O O O O o O O O O O O O • 0 0 0 ♦ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o O • 0 0 o o I O o O I
o O O O O O o O O O I O o O o o o o o O O o ♦ 0 • ♦ • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o • 0 0 0 0 0
0 ♦ 0 0 ♦ o • 0 0 o o o o o O O o O O O O o O O O

... ........... ...... ... ... .................. .. .................................................................

. . .. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .... . . .. .. .... . . .. ... .... ......... .... . .. ... . .. .. . . . .. . . . .. . ...... . .. .... .. ... ............
... .... ... .. .... .... .... .... ... .. ... .. ...... .... .... ........ ... ...... ········································ ··
• •••••••••••••••••••••• t
• • • •• •• •• •• ••••••• •• •• • ••••• •• • • • • •••••••••••••• • •• • •••••••••••••••••••
• •••••• • •• • •• •• •

................ ... ..... .......................... .............................................................

. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . .. .. .. .. ... . .... . ... . . . . . .. . . . ..... . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . ... . ..............
.. . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . ... .. . ... .. . . . . . . . .. .. .. ........ . ...... . . ... . .... . . . . .... ... .... .. ................ .
. . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. .. ... .. .... .... . .... . ... ... ... . . ... . . . .. . . ... .. . .. ... .. . .. .... . . ... . . ... . ................ .
.. .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. .. ... . .. . . . .. . .. ......... ........ ... .. . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . .. .................... .
.. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . . .. .. ....... .. .. . ....... ..... .. . . . ... .. .... .... .. . . . . ..... .. .. . . ... .........................

. . .. ... .. .... ... . ... . . .... ... . ........ . . .... .. ............ . ... ............. .. .. .... ........... ......... ......... ..
· · - -- - -'"'1.II
- - - - - - - · - · · ····-···············..···············- ········································- ············'- -- - ·-··-··········--········

□ ACTIVITY

WhatsApp is a familiar messaging app for most of the students. Most of tlae
users have a personal account on the app. However, we all have been conta~
by business accounts on WhatsApp. Have you ever received a message from •
business account? If yes, how did you know it was a business account? o·
how a business account is different from a personal account.
·- ---- - ----- - ------ --····-·----·---·-·--'-- --.•
VOICE MESSAGING

Voice messaging on WhatsApp gives the app an edge over other messaging
feature is useful for people who find texting difficult.
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 117

sider when sending a voice note:

h'ngs to con
A few t •
message is not too long.
Ensure th e
• . noise in the background so that the message is clearly audible.
there is no
Ensure
• h uld also have clear pronunciation for easy and quick understanding
,0 ice notes o
• A' . , d A mumbled n1essage will not have the same effect as a clearly
at receivers en .
worded message.
. c al tone if it is sent to a professional contact or group, but if it has to
~eep a ,orm
• h d ·ith a personal contact or peer group then it can have an informal tone.
bes are "'
---- -···-··········---·-··-········- -·····---··-···-·--•·- ---------------,
□ ACTIVITY

Send a voice note to your classmate telling him/her about the upcoming examination
schedule posted on the college notice board.

SHARL~G DOCUMENTS

There are two ways to send or share documents on WhatsApp. It can be done either by
sharing it as an attachment or by sharing the document from the source, i.e. when the
document is open in word or pdf format.
Things to keep in mind when sending a document on WhatsApp:
• The document should be appropriately named.
• Do not send any sensitive information that could be misused.
• If sharing in an official group, check whether the document is relevant for the group.
If not, consider sharing it on a personal message.
• Wh .
Do en sharing an official document, ensure its authenticity before sending it across.
not share any document containing false, unverified or misleading information.
• Yau
can also password protect files that carry important or confidential information.
 118 11 INTERCONNECT

CREATING GROUPS

VlhatsApp allows you to contact multiple people

at ~ time usin~ its group chat feature.
However one should be careful to not use a pass
messages, to the group. Being a member of a grou
ive aggressive tone while -.di
p, one has to ensure that mcssa
are clearly \\Titten so that they are not misunderstoo
d by others.
-"• ges
The following things should be kept in mind whe
n communicating in a group:
• Be open to different opinions and points of view.

• AYoid sending good morning or congratulatory mes

sages. It can be done in private
chats.
• AYoid sending messages at odd hours so that no
one gets disturbed.
• Cse the tone and vocabulary appropriate for the grou
p. If it's a formal group, refrain
from using informal tone.

• AYoid sending unwanted messages and WhatsAp

p forwards. This disrupts the flow
of ongoing conversation and the relevant message
s get lost
Apart from the above listed features WhatsApp
offers other features to make the user
experience more positive. You can create a poll on
WhatsApp that allows you to
a sun'ey that other users are able to vote on.
Cse rs are also given the option of making payments
through WhatsApp. Yoa
add you r bank account details in order to send and
receive money through

HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHA TS SAF E

• Don't keep screenshots of crucial chats in your phon

e's gallery.
• Keep updating your apps. You can switch on auto
matic update$.
• Don't give all apps permission to access your data
. Use •
• Opt out of drive or cloud backups for your data
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 119

Never share your password when giving your phone for repairs .
•
Use WbatsApp Web only on personal computer.
•
• Keep your chats password protected.

• Be careful when it comes to intimate chats. Ensure the chats are secure at both ends.
• Group chats are most vulnerable, so be careful and treat them like a public platform.
• When selling/giving away your old device, encrypt files and then do a factory reset.

........... . . ....................·••···············-··················--··········-····--··---

□ ACTIVITY

Create a group. Add a few people from your contact list to the group. Start a
group video call.

WHATSAPP ETIQUETTE

Do's

WhatsApp has emerged as a popular and easy to use means of connecting with people.
It gives its users great ease while performing various activities through the features it
provides. While using WhatsApp, a user needs to keep in mind a few rules so as not
to offend or displease the people they are communicatin g with. Here's a list of a few
points to follow while using the app:
• Respect privacy: Don't forward a message or photo without the sender's permission.
• ~se respectful language: Refrain from using profanity, sarcasm, or aggressive language
in your messages.
• Be mindful of cultural sensitivities: Be aware that there are cultural differences in
how people communicate in different countries and regions. Respond appropriately.
• keep it brief: Don't send long messages unless absolutely necessary.
12 0 11 INTERCONNECT

• Respond promptly : It's importan t to keep conversations going by respondin .

timely manner. g •n a
• Avoid span1 messages: Don't send messages that are unsolicited or irrelevant t
. o th•
conversation. "
• Group Etiquette : Don't add people to groups without their consent and don't
. . . post
mapprop nate content 111 group chats.
• Commun icate with known contacts: Only send messages to those who have contacted
you first or have asked you to contact them on WhatsApp. Do not send messages
to unknown people or strangers .

• Respect boundari es: If you are communi cating with someone at a formal level, respect
their privacy and refrain from messaging them after their work hours.

• Avoid using full stops: Using full stops is considere d rude and aggressive in the
world of ,vhatsAp p. Also use emojis and abbreviations carefully.

READ RECEIPT S (TIMING OF MESSAG ING)

Read receipts refer to the two blue tick marks next to a sent message indicating to
the sender that the message has been read by the receiver. This feature was launchecl
in 2014. Prior to this, one tick mark would indicate the message has been
while two grey ticks would indicate the successful delivery of the message. H
\\'hatsApp also gives its users the option to turn the read receipts off, as this
can create a menace if the sender is impatien t to receive a reply to their
In our daily lives, the read receipts can be stressful in many situations. SOlmt■
students send messages to teachers at odd hours, late at night or too early
day, enquirin g about the lecture timings. At times, the teachers read the
but are unable to reply because they're engaged with some work or ......_..
the time is not appropria te to send messages to students. However, when
see the blue ticks they start pestering the teacher without realising ~
expect a reply from their friends at 10 or 11 pm but the same is not
commun icating with teachers. Such incidents have become quite c
post-pand emic world
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 121

. the pandemic, the line between work and leisure was bl urrcd as ever on
ounng
,
·ng frotn home. Teachers may have responded to mess.1ges f Y e
•JS work' . rom students
" . dd hours. However, m the post-pandemic world , messaging .
Juring o someone
·d f their work hours should not be made a general t·
outs• e o prac ice.
even if you see the blue ticks next to the message you sent to someone
So,
. th 'nl time to respond. Do not pester them to respond 1·mm cd'1ate1y. '
S'"e t:

\ I I

:t----
:J THINK AND DISCUSS

Read the excerpt below and discuss the questions that follow.

INFORM ATION SHARED ON WHATSA PP LIABLE

TO BE ACCESSE D BY THIRD PARTY USER

\\'hatsApp found itself in a massive controversy over the past few weeks as certain
media outlets began to feature "leaked" chats in their reports about an alleged drugs
scandal involving top Bollywood celebrities. While the media outlets' access to the chats
provided much fodder for social media humour, there were concerns about the security
of conversations conducted on WhatsApp.
gaining traction online, WhatsApp issued a
Ii] As the concerns started
--~'Iii • statement saying the platform is secure and encouraged users to practise
habits that would prevent third parties from potentially accessing their
• messages. 1
•
a-11ae,un 1. How can you ensure protection of your messages on WhatsApp?
lltidcherc,
2. Do such incidents work as a cautionary tale hinting at the possible
leakage and misuse of our private data?
t ted on social media?
3. Are you and your information ever full Y pro ec
 17 2 11 '', " l'c.o , ,, " Gr

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gc,, au
hu lk mc 1
. 1
t. t,1g c.«.: I Jon 't ui,c What1tApp to tend bulk mc~,a
• Aulomatc d ,,r lea rni ng technique• and u~ r fccdb
ma ch ine
mtc .i.;1 gt1 i, ,,r auto dicJ l,1;, W ha t~A pp u. c, cft
,.o lid tcd automated meuage,.
acc ou nt. it tha t 1tc nd un
t" dcttLt ,rnd 1,1<,,k
mben without permi
nta<..t ing un kn ow n pe op le: Avoid giving out phone nu
• C'1
on W ha tsApp utting information collected (rom du
,,r ad di ng pc,,pfe to group tt
.1tt,urcc,.,
a,t maq rs
Over•u~ing broadcast Ji,t,: Sending frequent broedc
•
ort your me 11 age,. If thJ, happen, repeatedJy, ,- r
rcu:ivcrs to rep
banned or JW,pendcd,
ta: Avold automated data
• Mi,u-.e of peopJe', persona) da
an y un autho ri\cd use. It is ag afn,t the T.. .,. . of Se nl cl ol
for ,w
U'K :r data in thi-. ma
nner, Including phone nmld,en
updatc1 from the app.
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 123

THINK AND DISCUSS

(J
excerpts below and discuss the questions that follow:
Read the
I

DID YOU AGAIN WAKE UP TO 'GOOD MORNING' MESSAGES?

According to a report by the Wall Str~et Journal, one in three smartphones in India
run out of space because of an outpounng of greetings-ran ging from "Good morning,
have I nice day, god bless you, to happy Weekends." The report added that "many like
nothing better than to begin the day by sending greetings from their phones. Starting
before sunrise and reaching a crescendo before 8 am, internet newbies post millions of
good-morning images to friends, family and strangers':
The most accessible of all social networking apps, and the most popular, WhatsApp
boasts of an incredibly loyal Indian audience ·with over 200 million monthly active users.
But as more and more Indians are getting hold of smartphones and joining the internet,
the demand (and the supply) of pictures and posts with flowers, or a laughing toddler,
or the rising sun in the background with a glittering text that precedes some unknown
motivational quote is spreading like a plague, and until December last year, there was
only so much we could do about it.
Many are of the opinion that consistent good morning messages force them to mute
tbe chat and sometimes important messages get drowned among the unimportant ones.
But an unassuming good morning text often brings with it a very pertinent responsibility
at the receiver's end- to reply.

ho What do you mean "why do you send good morning messages?" a 58-year-old
so:ernaker retorts with visible frustration. "To stay in touch': she adds. "When I wis~
th
eone I good morning I assume it brings a smile to his or her face. At leaSt ats
thc case With ' f h d ,,
me. I feel happy when someone cares to greet me at the start O t e ay.

lllll;;,.,
 124 11 INTERCONNECT

"I think it's a daily ritual. My mother sends me a picture of Lord Krishna everyda w·
1th
a message '.Aaj ka din achha jaaye'. (Hope your day goes well), Good morning," sa:S a
year oJd Assistant Manager who Jives in a different state than his mother. "I understand t~S
sentiment, but Jet's face it, it's annoying. I neither have the time, nor the wi1lingness to rep;
or even download the image everyday. She thinks it makes relations better. I disagree," he says.
But a retired govt. servant Jiving away from his six brothers seems to have a different
opinion. "Thanks to WhatsApp, I am able to connect with my family. We didn't have this
opportunity five years ago. A good morning message tells them that I am here. It improves
relations and brings us closer. Seems like the only way now that we are so physicaUy apart"
[!l'-~r-:,•[!] But the menace, if it can so be called, is not limited to family greeting
- . . . . . . famiJy. "Random broadcast messages with unsightly flowers and ug]y fonts
:t'-..~
~?:..•_;.°' ·
greeting me in t h e mornmg · extremely bh
1s ·
ot ersome. Sometlmes, these
[!] . · are from people I never interacted with even once. People I have worked
Read the full with but never known personally;' a 30-year-old businesswoman told
article here. Outlook. "But I do wonder if it's something only Indians do': she quips.2

Discussion Question
I. What are the reasons behind sending a good morning message? Why does it sometimes
become 'bothersome'?
2. What can be done to bridge the gap between the varying opinions people hflle f/1/1
'good morning' messages?

3. What is the best way to deal with this issue of good morning messages?

II

WHATSAPP LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN

TO TACKLE FAKE NEWS

WhatsApp, the world's largest messaging platform, with 200 million users in
rolled out the 'Share Joy, Not Rumours' campaign as part of a eo1rnprdld-,
to educate Indians about the dangers of fake news and spurious forwanled
WhatsApp's three 60-second video ads focused on ordinary people teack-,
close to them how they can avoid becoming propagators of fake news.
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 12
5
rt1 new ad campaign comes in the wa
111e ke of demands from th
to regulate the spre~d of poten e government
tially violence-inducing messa ging. The
Indian government issued the
platform two notices over its
.. curb the spread of fake news in failure to
2018 after roughly 20 people we
--- in mob attacks incited by false re killed
1tead thefull
information distributed on the
platform.3 messaging
artidt here.

Oiscuss100
. Questions

.
~~~ the need for WhatsApp to launc
1. h 'Share Joy, Not Rumours' ad
campaign ?
u ever experienc
.
2. Have yo ed the problem of fake news?
Suggest
3. ..,.., ways of tackling the menace of fake news.

• - - - • EXERCISE • - - -
•

1. The following messages ha

ve been sent by students. Re
appropriate language reg write the messages in
ister.

Informal WhatsApp message

Fo rm al WhatsApp message

l. mam kya kal class

hai?? ······························........................................ ...
2. Mam, help pls
. I cannot give class test
on 21 kyo ki mujhe shaadi mein jaa
na ························································
hai. Aap baad mein le lena. ....
3.
Sir you did not send the name of bo
ok.
'- Kah bhejoge??? .···················.........············································
l I

t w·nte True
or False against each statemen
t.
l WhatsApp is primarily a messa
ging app.
ii. Melllbersh·1 ~ .
P ,ee 1s required to create an acc t
oun on WhatsApp.
126 11 INTERCONNECT

iii. Chats on \\'hatsApp are not end to end

encrypted.
iv. Voice messages on \\na tsA pp are sent as
audio files.
v. Pa)ments cannot be don e using \\'hatsA
pp.

3. Pick the cor rect answer from the box

Eight Desktop Personal communication

Business communication Phone num ber 24 hou rs

1. A personal account is use d for ..... ..... .... .

11. A group video call can have a maximum of .....

..... .... participants for a free account
iii A status update is for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hou
rs.
iv. \\natsApp \4leb is used on ..... ..... ..... .

v. A business account is used for ..... ..... ....

.
vi. A..... ..... ..... ... is required to create
an account on \\'hatsApp.
i
I
\ D ACTIVITY
i
I
I

! 1. WhatsApp has become synonymous with messaging. List a few things to keep
i in min d while communicating with your frie
!:
:
nds, teachers and strangers. \ \nat
l is the difference in the ways you communicat
e with them?
l· 2 One tends to send messages to one's frien
ds and family members at any time
\ . of the day. However one should exercise
restraint while communicating in
\ formal situations. List a few practices to follo
w while communicating in a
· formaUprofessional situation on WhatsApp.
jL•- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- --
 WHATSAPP MESSENGER 11 127

flJNfACTS

• Koum chose the name WhatsApp because it sounded like "what's up~
• The average WhatsApp user on Android spends 38 minutes per day on the app.
1 Messages on WhatsApp can contain up to 4096 characters per message.

• You can post up to 30 photos and videos simultaneously using the WhatsApp
Status feature.

• Toe amount that was charged for WhatsApp acquisition in 2014 is higher than
some of the top global companies. For instance, NASA is worth 17 billion
dollars, while WhatsApp was sold for 19 billion US dollars.
• WhatsApp is valued more than the GDP of countries like Jamaica, Iceland
and North Korea.
• WhatsApp never sold advertisements. And till now zero ads have appeared on
the app. As it was built to provide pure messaging experience.

□ QUESTIONS

i. 'What is WhatsApp?

ii. What is the difference between a personal and a business account on WhatsApp?

iii. What is WhatsApp web?

iv. What is a status update?

v. List a few etiquettes to be followed when using WhatsApp.

Vi. o·iscuss the uses of a business account on WhatsApp.
128 11 INTERCONNECT

NOTES
ect ,,.. fs½•
"How di d lea ked Bollywood 'drug chats' aff ua
1. Mihindukulasuriya,
Regin a.
20, http s:/ /b itl y/ 41kr2rb . · r~ ~
1h e Pr int, 8 Oc to be r 20
y jump."
downloads saw 25,000/da ge s? Th ey Are Injurious To Your ~
M or ning ' M es sa
e Up To 'Good
2. "Did You Again Wak 20 18 , bt tp s:/ lb itl y/410TPOO.
::ti
ok , 23 Janu ary
Health, Here's Why." Outlo ac e, \VhatsApps new ad cam
pai
In dia's fak e ne ws m en
wake of
3. Upadhyay, Toyoja. "In quity , l O De cem ber 2018, https:/ /bitJy/Z~q :~
rumours~• ETBr an dE
users to 'share joy and not
 "Don't focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing
a blog that is great for your readers".
-Brian Clark

Raman has two passions in life-history and food. Recently, he discovered that his
Jove for food and his interest in history are brought together in his fascination for
how recipes have evolved over centuries to become the food that we eat daily. He
has started a food-history blog where he shares recipes of his favourite foods along
\\~th the history of their evolution. His blog also discusses various cusines and how
they reflect a community's culture. Through the blog, he has made connections
~th many foodies who share his interest. Many people also express gratitude to
him for introducing them to a fresh perspective on culinary culture. However, his
blog's popularity has dwindled and he has realised he needs to improve his style.
In this competitive environment, what can he do to engage and retain his readers?

A blog is a type of website or online platform where people can share their thoughts,
opinions, experiences and information on different topics. It's often an informal and
personal online journal or diary where the author or blogger (the person who writes the
content) can connect with her/his readers by sharing stories, ideas, photos and videos.
Biogs can cover various themes such as fashion, food, travel, technology, politics, sports,
entertainment and many more. Biogs usually allow others to comment on the posts and
create a dialogue around the topic being discussed.
Biogs have been around since the late 1990s but it wasn't until the early 2000s that they
::took off. Links.net by Justin Hall started in 1994 is usually considered the beginning of
New ;.n blog and Justin Hall is stated as "the founding Father of personal blogging" by The
1-, ;;:::- magazine (December 14, 2004). It was only after the creation of platforms
and Live]ourna/ that blogging became a social platform for common people.
132 11 INTERCONNECT

Initially, biogs were personal onlin~ journals sha~ed with a small communityoffri
However, as more people started creating blogs their focus began to shift tow d Ctlds.
. . . . . Th fi ar s shar'1ng
opmions on various topics and commenting on current events. e rst maJ·or
. . use of th·
platform in the field of politics was seen during the 2004 US presidential electio lS

soon became a popular way for people to share their thoughts and ideas Withn. Blogs
.h d Others
Businesses too started using biogs to connect wit customers an promote their bran ·
However, the popularity of blogs have declined with the rise of other social Ill ~-
platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Nonetheless, biogs still remain an important edia
of the online landscape. Today, biogs are used for ev~rything from personal expre::
to marketing and business promotion, and they continue to evolve.

:M ERITS

• Blogging can help to improve a website's search engine rankings. By creating valuable
content and using targeted keywords, bloggers can increase their visibility on search
engines like Google which can drive more traffic to their site.

• Blogging provides a platform for individuals and businesses to communicate with

their audience in a more personal and engaging way.

• Businesses have found biogs to be particularly helpful in easing internal communication

and resolving issues as well as for learning what consumers and employees are
thinking about them.

• By sharing their expertise and insights on a particular topic, bloggers can

themselves as authorities in their field. This can help them to build their
brand, attract new clients or customers and open up new opportuniti~

• Blogging is a great way to build an audience. By conaistently aeating vahr aWe

bloggers can attract and engage readers and build a loyal following MIHI

• We all have interests and talents that we need to share with the wod4.
are a skilled software engineer, musician, chef, or digital matkaiDa
may help you showcase your abilities.

• Blogging is an important tool for individuals and businesses

brand, establish authority and connect with their audiences in a
 BLOGS 11 133

p£MERJTS

Slogging is time consuming.

•
ggers have little control over how their aud·1ence engages . h
I
Bo . . .. wit their content.
• C mments and feedback can range from const ructive cntic1sm to t II.
o ro mg and
harassment.
..
cult, particularly for smaller bl ogs. Advertisi
'ionetizing a blog. can be diffi
k . ng s d
• i, 'fi
not generate sig cant revenue and findin' ponsore
ntent, and affiliate mar etmg may . . m
co . ing. g and
negotiating deals with spon sors 1s time -consum
k .
Biogs can be vulnerable to hacking and other cyber-attac s, particularly if they are
• fd
hosted on a shared platform or server. This can result in loss o ata or even complete
. f th bl
ddetion o e og.
selves enga ·
ge in bloggmg, .
h b offermg
Problems arise. whe n the employees. them . . t ere y
• . . . · too much and
an msid ers op1m on abou, t .the organization ' sometimes either revea1mg
damaging the company s image.

TYPES OF BLOGS

purpose. Some of the most

There are many types of biogs, each with its own focus and
common types of biogs include:

r's personal experiences,

• Personal biogs: These are biogs that focus on the write
topics such as travel, food,
thoughts and .opinions. They can cover a wide range of
health, lifestyle and more.
news stories. They are often
• News biogs: These biogs report on current events and
a particular topic or issue.
written by journalists and provide up-to-date information on
s: e biogs are created by companies or entrepren eurs to promote their
• Business biog Thes t
with potential cuS omers.
products or services, share industry insights and connect
such as fashion, beauty,
• Niche biogs: These biogs focus on a specific topic or interest,
technology, gaming, or sports.

A
 134 11 INTERCONNECT

• Educational biogs: These biogs are designed to educat~ readers on a specific sub·
or topi c. 11,ey can range from tutorials and how-to gmdes to academic research :
analysis.
• Entertain ment biogs: TI1ese biogs provide content related to movies, books T
· en tTh
. ey may me'I u ed · ·interview ,v
reviews,
shows and other forms of entertamm 5 and

behind-the -scenes stories.

• Travel blogs: These biogs focus on travel experiences, destinations and tips. They can
offer practical advice on planning trips, as well as personal stories and recommendations.

• Food biogs: These biogs focus on recipes, cooking techniques and food-related topics.
TI1ey may be written by professional chefs, food bloggers, or home cooks.

• Health and wellness biogs: These biogs cover topics related to fitness, nutrition,
mental health and self-care. They provide tips, advice and resources for maintaining
a healthy lifestyle.

• Photograp hy biogs: These biogs showcase high-quality photography and offer tips
and tutorials for aspiring photographers. They can cover a wide range of subjects,
including landscape, portrait and wildlife photography.

HOW TO WRITE A BLOG

Blog writing involves creating content on a specific topic and publishing it

website. It requires a combination of research, creativity and technical skills •
high-quality content that engages and informs readers. Hae are a fl.w
can help you create informative and engaging biogs.

• Choose your topic: Pick a subject you are passionate

be a personal experience, an industry trend. a bow-to,. ..
r,..,...,..
• Identify your target audience: Identify who JOttltafSel • • •,
want to know or learn from your blog. This will Ja
style of your writing.

• Research: Research your topic thoroughly to provide ace

to the readers. Use reputable sources such as academic journ
· ·
expert opm10ns. ·
Gat h er informati•on from credible sources to
Verify facts and statistics before using them in your blog post.
 SLOGS 11 135

e your thoughts into an outline that includes an introduct·10n,

tJ ine: Organis
te an ou k and ensure that you
ere• . t s and a conclusion. This will help you stay on trac r
, main poin . lly
nows Jog1ca . . .
..
post kee g m mind. your target audien ce
pin
. h content: Start wntmg your blog post J

write t e r blog usmg your outline and

, d purpose. Complete the first. draft" of you .
tone anh Don't worry about mak'mg 1t penect at this stage- just focus on getting
,esearc •
·deas down on paper.
,-our 1 ity,
I

. and proofread: Read through

and revise your draft to improve its clar
1 irrelevant information, restructure sentences
• ~ability and overall quality. Remove any
is error-free. Check for grammar errors,
; better flow and ensure that your writing
and formatting issues.
rrPoS
Add ima ges and mu ltimedi a: Enh anc e your post with relevant images, videos,
•
infographics, or other multimedia.
and share it on social media platforms to
• Publish and promote: Publish your blog
reach a wider audience.
lyse and opt imi se: An alyse your blog pos t's performance and optimise it based
, Ana
This will help you improve your future
on the readers' feedback and engagement.
blog posts and content strategy.
writing and experimenting with different
Remember, practice makes one perfect. Keep
styles until you find what works best for you.

KEY COMPONENTS OF A BLOG

Biogs are typicaJJy composed of several key

components that work together to create a
coheswe and engaging piece of content.
its content. It should be well-written,
• ~ The most important aspect of a blog
is
information should be accurate and
informative and engaging for the reader. The
rdevant to the topic being discussed.
blog should be user-friendly, easy to
• ~f O U t: The design and layout of the
111\ipte for the reader and visually appealing.
 136 11 INTERCONNECT

• Title: The headline or title should be attention-grabbing and accu rately r ft

e 'ct the
content of the post.

• Tone of Writing: The tone of writing should be consistent throughout the

~log. lJie
author's voice and personality should come across in the writing whil e rnaintai .
n1ng
a professional tone.

• Call-to-Action: A blog should have a clear call-to -action at the end of the post, aski
ng
readers to engage in some way. This could be subscribing to the blog' commenr
ing
on the post or sharing it on social media.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): A blog should be optimised for search

en .
•
v:~:
with appropriate keywords, meta tags and descriptions. This will help impro
blog's ,i sibility and increase its chances of being found by new readers.

BLOG ETIQUETTE

and style ri
Blogging can be a productive activity if attention is given to the process
writing. Every blogger has her own unique way of writing however certain
conuncm
points may be kept in mind while creating a blog:
Do's
• Write a catchy and interesting headline.
• Use simple, clear and concise language.

• Use sub-headings to break up the content and make it easier to read.

• Use bullet points and short paragraphs to highlight important info

• Use images, videos or infographics to illustrate your points.

• Proofread your post for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

• Share your blog on social media for greater visibility.

 8LOGS 11 137

po11'tf
n<,t understand .
von't use complicated jargon or technical terms that readc:n may
• er attribution.
pon't plagiari~ or copy content from other ~ources without prop
• way.
pon't create content that is offcn~ive or discriminatory in any
• rs from your content
• Don't use too man y pop- ups or ads as it may di!,tract reade
can harm your reputation
• [)on't ignore comments or feedback from readers; this
and credibility as a blogger.

:J THISK A.,'D DISCUSS

Let us analyse the biogs given below to unde rstan d the

components of a blog. Read the
rwo biogs below and answ er the questions that follow.

Dessert for Two: The Easi est From Trib al Lands: 2 Unique Art
ClJocolate 1fousse You'll Ever Mak e Form s Inve nted by Indi an Tribes

India has a rich histo ry

Trad ition al recip es for
of art and culture, and
choc olate mou sse are
its tribes have played a
muc h more com plica ted
sign ifica nt role in
than this recipe. That's
Read the full shaping and prese ning
lad dlC fall why it's called the "Easiest
ridellae. artid~ here. it. Many Indian tribes
Choc olate Mou sse You'll
have developed their unique art forms,
Ever Make.• Those tradi tiona l choc olate
whic h are adm ired and celebrated
mousse recipes contain eggs and involve
several stages of whipping, mixing, and across the world. Here are two tribal
rdi. . art forms that come from India:
llgtratmg before bein g read y to eat.
138 11 INTERCONN ECT
1 his one cut s the time down hy a lot
anJ is n.·ally nothing more than whipped
g,,nitehc. No rggs nc1.•1.IL•d. It even cut s
ou t the extra step of whipping the crea m
So, while it's not the most traditional
recipe out there, it still embodies the
same flavour anJ texture of a much
more complil.:atcJ mousse.
You'll love it. Guaranteed.
GONI> ART
(,ond art is a traditional for..,.
"' of
painting that originated in the G<>nct
tribe of Madhya Pradesh, India. 1he
Gonds are one of the largest indigtnOUs
communities in India, and their a" ia
characterized by intricate patterns and
designs based on nature and mythology.
The art form primarily uses natural
colors made from charcoal, leaves,
and flowers. The Gond paintings arc
often created on walls, floors, and other
surfaces as a form of decoration, and
are also done on paper and canvas for
commercial purposes. The paintings
often depict deities, birds, animals, and
trees in a stylized and intricate manner.
Gond art has gained recognitioG,,;
popularity in recent years, and
Gond artists have gained
international acclaim for
The art form has also
for modern products su
home decor, and fashion
 BLOGS 11 139

. h the chocolate. Try using

bars from Trader Joe,s.
t rts wit
It aU s a
I
und Pus
tht P0 l'ty smooth and creamy,
od qua 1 ,
Jt's go •ve than other similar
Jess expens1
and Chocolate chips can be
h0 colates. d
' but the mousse may en up
u '
std sure, . It won't be rume · d , JUS
· t
a little grainy.
not as smooth.
variety of chocolate works
Aso,an
I Y .
";th this recipe. So, if milk chocolate 1s
ur style use it! Are you a lover
more yo ' .
of ",fute chocolate? Go for it.1
All that's involved in this recipe
is beating up cream, pouring it over
BHILART
chopped chocolate, letting it melt,
chilling for a bit, then whisking. You
The Bhil tribe has a rich and unique
can speed the process up even more
culture. The Bhilala sub-divisio n is
by placing the ganache in the freezer
known for its Pithora painting, and
to quickly chill it.
Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance
If you add chilled, liquid cream and of the Bhil tribe. Bhil painting is
then whisk. you'll still end up with a characteris ed by the use of multi-
light, creamy mousse without dirtying coloured dots as infilling. Bhuri Bai
an extra bowl. was the first Bhil artist to paint using
Ho]y moly is this mousse good! And readymade colours and paper. Other
the fact that it's so easy is the reason known Bhil artists include Lado Bai,
you•n keep coming back to it. Sher Singh, Ram Singh and Dubu
. It is pretty rich, so if you•re so Bariya. Traditionally, the art of the
1nd Bhil folk would adorn the clay walls of
ined, you can definitely divide the
two servings into four smaller ones their village homes. Beautiful images
and
for then you'U have dessert for two, would be painted with neem st icks
two nights!
140 11 INTERCONNECT

Fed free to add berries if you choose
or omit them. \\'hatevcr you do, don't
be in a rush to eat this. S.wour each
bite. It's tot.lily worth it to slow down
and enjoy your dessert. You deserve it!
Credits: Photos and recipe by
LinJst')' Rose Johnson for Design Mom. 2
and other twigs, and natural dy
eswoutd
be used. Turmeric, flour, vegea t bles
leaves and oil were used to d . '
enve
.
brilliant colours to make fasci·n at1ng
frescoes on floors and walls, 1n · a
language created by the Bhils, to convey
their experiences.3

Discussion Questions

1. Identify the two types of biogs.

2. Look at the titles and comment on how apt and e,apgina they IN.
3. Analyse the tone of the biogs and discuss how it ~ f> the
each blog.

4. Do the pictures contribute to the appeal of the biogs? Dbcp-

5. Identify the target audience for each blog.

6. Create appropriate #hashtags for the two biogs.

 BLOGS 11 141

--~~~····-····•"'··············•·"'········· ...................................................................................1

r; ,4c11v1TY I
·,.l,l Do you have a fav~urite blog? Thin~ about ~hy it is your favourite. Is it the 1:.:

1. t or the writing style or the visuals? Discuss with the class.

,onten
i 2. Write a small blog on the last trip taken by you and post the it on a digital !
I platform. I
:, _ Can you think of a situation where you referred to blogs to help you with
3 !=.:.

: something in your life? It could be for cooking, dressing up or planning a

l road trip. Discuss this in class. l

I t =::~u;: :s:s:~:: rs and read about how they became successful. I

5. What is the difference between diary writing and blog writing?
L-_ _ _ _ _.._................................................................................................................................................................:

FL'NFACTS

• 770/o of internet users read blogs.

• Each month, approximately 409 million people view more than 20 billion pages.
• There are about 70 million posts being published each month by WordPress
users.

• The average blog post takes 3.5 hours to write.

• Businesses that blog, experience twice as much email traffic as businesses who
don't

O QUESTIONS

I. Wbat1s 1
2. blog? Name any five kinds of biogs.
What-~~.....--, components of a blog and why are they important.?
142 11 INTERCONNECT

\\'hat are the things one needs to keep in mind while writing a blog?
3.
h·e three ad,·antages and disadvantages of blogging.
4. G
5.
\\ nat is SEO and how does it help in the creation of a blog?

SOTES

l. Jingala, !\'eha, and Debasree Basu. "Evolution of News Writing:' Media and Communication
eds. Guntasha K. Tulsi and Nidhi Madan. Worldview Publications, 2022.
J. Blair, Gabrielle. "Dessert For Two: Fluffy Lemon Pudding:' DesignMom, 27 April 2023, httpsi
bitly/44ovTYr.
2 .Me.Meraki •From Tribal Lands: 5 Unique Art Forms Invented by Indian Tribes:' Linkedln, 1
April 2023, https://biLly/3VrhkPO.
 VLOG 5

"\ ·1(1~,"ing L,n't jllst a job. it's a lifestyle•

Shruti. an An:hitect, has always enjoyed travelling. She lo,·es to e:q,Iore c~-
anJ ()Wing to her fabulous skills \\;th the camera, she takes on the ro!e o:-
rlJ\.'t'S

family rhott,gr.ipher and ,;deogr apher on all family vacations.. One~ she "-au:hec
a tew tr.n-d vlogs while plannin g a vacation and loved how the ,·loggers Old~e
the destination seem more interest ing and colourful by narratin g their persoc. i
experien(es. \Vith her love for travel and photography, she realised that she too
coulJ become a tra,·el vlogger and share her e~-periences and insights "ith others.
The idea inspired her and she started research on how to become a ,-logger.

A \ 1og. short for •video blog': is a type of blog that uses ,;deo as the primary coment
medium. \ logs typically consist of a series of ,ideos, posted on a regular bas~ in wbdi
tht creator shares her/his thought s, experiences, or daily acti,itic!S ";th Llie au6en.:e.
\'logs can cover a "ide range of topics, such as travel, food, fashion. beauty. to:hn'-,!0-~·
and more.

\'logs can ~ created by individuals or groups and are often shareJ on ,iJn.l-~ .uir.g
i>litlonns like YouTube. Depend ing on the creator's goals and resour(es, lhey may ~
Pn>duced in a casual, informal or professional style. \ logs an! unome m~
h L -~ · ·re.is;.., ..,,.
~.
J-~· •

~
•n recent ,ears. Iead.1ng to man}' creators b u1·1J·mg Iarge 11'olI·,v".....;,.,~--s
"·~
anJ e.im~!!~
1 ~Ying Ci
rorn their conten t

J
 146 11 INTERCONNECT

~lERITS

l stories· Storytelling is innate to human civilization 'l' he

• Empowers to tel . . . . to able
iences in the form of a narrative both a compeUm · to
con\'ey our exper
· .
IS
. g need
a highly ya}ued skill. Vlogging IS the new language which empowers us to tell:
stories to the world.
• Enables to connect to a large au~ience: The medium enables a person to put a'¾
his or her message to a large audience spread across the globe. Companies too can
use \'logs to give information of a new product, how to use a product and share the
user eA-perience. Vlogging enables you to connect with your audience across borden
and countries in a personalised manner.

• \ logging can be revenue generating: A vlog that succeeds in getting a large number
of ,;ews and subscribers attracts advertisements and sponsored content, paving the
way for generating revenue for its content creators. Today, there are a number rl
¥loggers who have made vlogging their careers.

• Helps hone technical skills: Creating vlogs and uploading requires skills such •
video making and editing, an understanding of lighting, camera, comrnunicatim
and storytelling. Maintaining a vlog also demands discipline and consistency. It alto
entails team work.

• Improves confidence: Vlogs enable a vlogger to voice her thoughts, ideas and opioial
publicly. It entails public speaking as you try to reach out and explain your poilll •
view to your audience. This exercise not only helps boost your confidence W ..,
makes you learn about the subject/s on which you make your videos.
 VLOGS 11 147

VLO GGE RS FRO M IND IA

.· -e the launch of Youtube in 2005 , the platf orm has grow n to be the seco nd
. . .
Erer s!Ol largest YouTube
. •ted site in the worl d. Acco rding to Statlsta, India has the
m(1St \lSl
. ·e in the worl d with appr oxim ately 467 milli on activ
e users as of January
auJ,enl
~3. The United States follows, with arou nd 246 milli
on YouTube viewers and
10 on YouTube.
Brazil cames third with 142 milli on users watc hing cont ent
\fith India ha,·ing a large Youtube following, it is not surp
risin g that there are
some wry successful Youtube vlog gers in India who have
mad e Youtube conte nt
India is difficult, for
creation their careers. Com pilin g a list of top vloggers in
You tube popularity.
reasons oflack of a definitive list and the vary ing natu re of their
popu lar vloggers
~e\'ertheless, here is a smal l and a subje ctive comp ilatio n of some
in different fields of the coun try.
vatio nal spea ker who
• Sandeep Maheshwari (San deep Semi nars ): He is a moti
ube channel.
inspires people throu gh his moti vatio nal videos on his Yout
also runs a YouTube
• Sourav Joshi (Saurav Joshi Arts ): He is a sketc h artis t who
enjoy.
channel where he posts his artw ork for the worl d to see and

• Haris Ali Khan (Cod eWit hHar ry): An IITia n and a

software engineer, Haris
techniques.
runs an educational vlog, teach ing basic s of codi ng and its
uct reviews and
• Gaurav Chaudhary (Tec hnica lGur uji}: His vlog offers prod
tech-advice to its audie nce.
travel filmmaker,
• Tanya Khanijow (TanyaKhanijow): A solo travel enthu siast and
Tanya runs a travel vlog -title d after her own name .
• N;..L_ ultant, she
- .. Maclhulika (NishaMadhulika): A chef and resta uran t cons
posts food recipe videos.
 148 1 l INTlRCONN [CT

. (M tl y S·tnc): A JJayti111c bnmy /\w;1r<l winru:r f'r· ._._

p ·. kt a KoI1 • • " " ' "l"s:la kol;
• niJ•' 1111 , , ·r a, tor and tl,c '-rc,11,,r ,,fa fema le-run u ,rncJy t ie
1111 ; 11 (hu:11u.·r, ' J,J,< ' · • '-r1anne1
. , . ,l,c'i Jndi a 30 Under 30 alurnnu1t, 1tfic,. a d 1ampi,,n ,.1,__~
YotrhrIa!. 11 It 1" . . 11 ....,....
. . I l,·ili 1,"cn invii rd 1,y the <,ate, h,un<lctt ion for it, c;,••-...
'
....11,.__
r d11,alJC>ll , am
~ II Ill Ill j I.

. ,.on!!1-I111,c..., a minw,, ulc i,amplc of a large univcr.i.c ,,f the Indian~-

.I1ic 1,,t .•. ...,, .

.. i.ut:,c1ti. ha~ maJ c them not only earn from their chan-'
,0111111 u111-1y. 'l li•·ir
L.
•~a,.,.
ha, rai,'-·J tll(·m to the .. tatu,; of bei ng ffOdal influcnccn.

, .•.. .
l
I
!
D ACTIVITY

I!
I
Who i• your favourite vlogger? Why do you watch her/his vlog?
... ... ·-·" ............................................ .,,..................,.......,..................,,..,.................., ...........................................................,, .. .,................ -
_J
l>l~MERITS

• Uncertainty of viewership/earning: V1ogs are usually created to attract evet,a

in turn generate r«..~enuc, Despite best efforts and intention~, there ii no
of how many people will view your content or how they would like it ·
rarning., are directly linked to the indeterminate and unpredictable aspect cl
content con~umption, it is difficult to depend on vlogging as a career choice or
• Vlogging i• demanding: Hecoming a professional vloggcr entails physical and
dfort•. A vloggcr mw.t not only inve~t his time to keep hi~ channel up and
but al't<, money on various c<1uipmcnt ,uch as cameras, microphones, editing
etc. to en,ure quality content. Jn addition, he must also be consistently
upgrade hir. •kill• and knowledge to continue to provide quality conteOt
• Vloufn1can be p,y,hologkally harrowing: Uncertainty in viewenhip
in the income keep, the vloggen apprchen~ive and anxious. In .. IMOt---
add,....
tu continuou,Jy er t 1·
ea e qua 1ty content keeps them under strea.
 VLOGS 11 149

in1 1 ou t of ori ~h rnl i«.k as: Vlo gg ing is usually dl'pcnd c·nt on one or a
,nn " ~ re of er,ca t·mg content
1:,ur of r,
,, in «.li' vidl'O c..Tl'nt ors . Co nll 'nl• crc..·ators undc..·r the pressu
• ~ ,1 1 tt,1 • ,
ou t of i«.kas. lh cy live in n1or t a1 ,ear
sim ply run
1111
· u1 Iv 0111 hit
rt•~ .,r . u ,rl' at1. vl' .
blo rk or
digital worl<l.
.· ,\) su hs aih crs nn J \'ll' WS lll nn u1 Kc rta in
.~
tlf 1tll'ill c,
ltu res : Co nt inu o,u s h~m t for co nte nt can transform people
• ft~r of bt.,·oming contl'll~ vu and grief. Not only do people
on ot hl'I ' pco ~~lc s pn :ac y
t,, ""'nk'llt vulttll'l'S, pr~ ')'l ll~
also ns k their own life to get
video content.
Jisn•~,,rJ oth l'f pc..'(lp ks pn v,K y hu t

:J TH IS K AN D DISCUSS

qu est ion s tha t follow.

R~iJ the following an d an sw er the
I

ON E TO DE PR ES SIO N?
WH Y AR E YO UT UB ER S PR

logical, an on lin e psy cho log ica l portal, in the ir web article
Oakland Psycho s reasons which it
'\\' hy Youtubers are Pr on e to De pre ssi on ?' lists variou
ong
nd s as cau ses for ma kin g yo utu be rs pro ne to depression. Am
co nte ones are
s, so me of the most pro mi ne nt
the ma ny rea son s the art icl e list
listed below:
rso na : Pro jec tin g a lively an d an energetic self before the camera
• ProJecting a fake pe nds of
the au die nc e cre ate s a fal se pe rso na of themselves in the mi
to engage with
vin g liv ed in thi s im ag ine d au gm en ted reality of themselves,
the content creators. Ha
real of lite.
Ibey may be ill eq uip pe d to de al wi th
more you
s, mo re pre ssu re: Th e mo re you gain on Youtube, the
• Mare auc:-ce bri ng s
co me suc ces sfu l, ins tea d of enjoying th e
fear losing it all. A vlogger wh o has be
150 11 INTERCONNECT

. , . usu·,lly experiences pres sure as she has to create new

succe ss, . •
ssful as the one she has alrea dy created. As a resultconte
be as. •succe.. ·l
nt \\· .
. h1ch -..,.
for content that has a certa in shoc k value to get peop le to click , v ogge ·""'1111
vloggcrs go to the extent of post
to get views and earn mon ey.
.. ~ k
on th
mg 1a e news , even fake-death . e1r \id
.
'os.,
rs often 1.....

news of celet, ..
""Ul

"tties
Discussion Que stion
1 Wha t is the psychological cost of vlogging? Disc uss som e
. of the str t .
with the stress. a~~~~

2. Research about vloggers who were very successfu

l, but eventually lost their folio .
Explore the reasons for their downfall.
Wing.

II

RISH ABH PAN T, LAT A MAN GES HKA R AND

THE EYE BAL L-FE EDI NG FRE NZY

Two tragic events, one that happ ened at the beginning of 2022
and the
othe r at the end, high light the rise of a pryi ng and free-for-all
publidlJ
I
seek ing socie ty. On 30 Dece mbe r, Rishabh Pant, India's star wicketbrfC
[!]1iir.. . and batter, survived a car crash . Afte r the early morning acciclcal.
Read the full
article here.
of an injur ed Pant start ed bein g shar ed on social media. Even 1
of his X-ray went viral. Soon , the images were being broa
doll
channels as well. In anot her such incid ent, just befo re the dem
ise of India's ·
Lata Mangeshkar, pictures and vide os of her hosp ital stay went
viral.
The need to know abou t the priva te lives of celebrities has
now crosad-
Human curiosity is now turn ed into voye uris m-w here some
one's pain and
become cheap ente rtain men t for mass cons ump tion.
This trend of publishing vide os and clips of celebrities in di5
treSS •
br~ader phenomenon of a popu latio n wiel ding milli ons of
sm~
trying to document everything arou nd them . In addi tion
stretch the lim1•ts • the mallllllllll!
10 orde r to get eyeballs.
 VLOGS 11 151

Fig. I. Cha_r~ed remains of cricketer Rishabh Pant's car after it collided with a
road divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in Roorkee. Photo: PTI

III

USERS MAKE VIDEO OF

RASH DRIVING, CRASH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACT

A car blog posted an unfortunate incident of a driver who was killed by

a car crash as he was filming himself while driving. Reporting this
incident, the blog notes that many people have the habit of recording
themselves while driving rashly to post on social media.
...... The post has been shared by @swift_lover0037 on lnstagram. It shows
'!here persons creating a video while the vehicle is being driven quite recklessly.
th
lifali la huge traffic on the road. The driver manoeuvres past the cars on e road at
.. ~ - Toward the end of the video, the Swift crashes terribly. In the next visuals,
~-up d' • .. Th · b 0 dy of the car has been
~ con thon of the hatchback is v1s1ble. e entire3
due to the impact of the crash at such high speed.
 152 11 INTERCONNECT

· -
.-' '.
-
1/.
___ 4 -

. _?.
.~

.
....
- . --..;
. .- .

Fig. 2-3. Car crash due to rash driving.

. ..
.. __...•.,;.,. ..-:-. 1"--:........
~ :~
,:...:
~

Discussion Questions
I. Discuss people's obsession with video-making and its implications in cases of distress.

2. \\'hat is the right conduct during such situations?

3. Do you think vlogging can be addictive? Discuss.

ETHICS FOR INFLUENCERS

With great power comes great responsibility. Individuals who have a pla~~
audience have a responsibility to act ethically. Vloggers who gain a large
become influences must adhere to a set of moral principles and be mindful ol tlaf
f::::s
they have on their followers.
Influencers should be honest and transparent with their audienc;cf
affiliations, sponsorships and endorsements. They should disclose any
have with brands, products, or services they promote. and should - •
or misleading statements.

a 1I
 VLOGS 11 153

. al concern with influencers is their potential to <lcceive thei r follower~ 'lhi"

An ethtc . .
that they may be compensated for promoting products or services to their (ollowcri..
rneanths consideration is their potential to exploit their followers for financial "ain. 'lliii.
Ano er . . o
happen when influencers use their platforms to promote products or services that
: not in the best interest of their followers or when they charge exorbitant foe~ (or
their services. Influencers have a duty towards their followers to provide accurate and
tn1thful information.
Influencers should consider the broader impact of their actions on society and the
emironment. They should promote ethical and sustainable practices. Influencer~ who
prioritise honesty, transparency and authenticity are more likely to build trust with their
audiences and have a positive impact on the world. Conversely, those who prioritise
financial gain over the well-being of their followers are more likely to damage their
reputation and to cause harm.

TYPES OF VLOGS

There are many types of vlogs and creators may choose to focus on one or several topics
depending on their interests and expertise. Here are some examples of different types
of vlogs:

• Personal Vlogs: These are vlogs in which the creator shares their personal experiences,
thoughts and daily activities with their audience. Personal vlogs often have a casual and
informal style and can cover a wide range of topics. e.g. Prajakta Koli (MostlySane)
• Travel Vlogs: These are vlogs that document a creator's travels, often highlighting
different destinations, cultures and experiences. Travel vlogs may include tips and
recommendations for other travellers. e.g. Tanya Khanijow (Tanya Khanijow)
• ~ Vlogs: These are vlogs that focus on food, including cooking, baking and try~ng
dilerent types of cuisine. Food vlogs may also include restaurant reviews, recipe
lutoriais and food challenges. e.g Dassana Amit (vegrecipcsofin<lia)
154 f I INTERCONNECT

• Fashion a nd Beauty \'logs; These are vlogs that focus on fashion and beauty t .
. op,cs
suc!l a.s makeup tutorials., fashion hauls and product reviews. For e.g., Shreya J . '
a1n
(Shre·yaTain)

• Gaming \ l ogs: These are vlogs in which the creator plays and discusses video garn
es,
c ::en rro,iding commentary and reactions to gameplay. Gaming vlogs may also include
ga..-ne re,ie~-~ walkthroughs and tutorials. For e.g., Nischay Malhan (Live Insaan).

• Educational \ logs: These are vlogs that aim to educate viewers on a specific topic, such
as ~-:ence, history, or language learning. Educational vlogs may include animations,
C:.:s~r-ations and other visual aids to help explain complex concepts. For e.g., Periwinkle

• ColfaboratiYe \ logs: These are vlogs in which two or more creators work together
t0 create contenL Collaborative vlogs may include challenges, interviews, or other
ty;'o of shared contenL For e.g., Kenny Sebastian (Simple Ken)

Sl G~1FICA.•'iCE OF VIDEO SCRIPTING

If you are a ~-logger or, in other words, a video content creator, the first question that
,·ou would probably grapple with is-should there be a script for a vlog. The aJIS1la'
is a dear yes. Any kind of content. whether a movie, television serial, intervi~ ~
frr,grarnme, n·ent show or a successful vlog has a script behind it. If you intend to he
a ,,v~er, being able to create a video script would be a basic skill for you.
A "'--T.pt is a document that charts out what will happen in the vlog. It is a sheet . .
g .,;.i~ ~-c,u about how to begin the vlog, how to proceed with the main messap • -
d-..j,cf content, the turn of thought and the points which you would make. .._
and n:pfanations you would bring and finally how to conclude your vloS-
A Kript saves you from any unexpected turn of events. It gives you a
a.'1.d an aMuranu of the purpose of the message you wish to deli~
<Agan1.1oe the thoughb and structure them into a compelli111
.u,ry. It givn you a iC1lSC of preparednea and helps you aVGici
KCOnd in the video is significant. Unneceuary word 6Uen U. --•
can be avoided by having a good script to make every second of ...
 VLOGS 11 155

\VRITE A VIDEO SCRIP T

aowr0
be inning your video scriptin g, spend some momen ts charting out the three
. your message?
. your au d.1ence.? Wh at 1s
Before . g•ficant aspects o f your v1·d eo: Wh o 1s
most s1gm
t
voice would you want to convey your message? Once you have answers to the
h
In w a
you may proceed to do the following steps to create a video script.
abo,·e qUestions,

• Create a meanin gful eye-cat ching title for your video: Choosin g a title may seem
simple and a mundan e exercise for creating content . But it is best not to underva lue
its importance. Having a good title with a focus on having appropr iate keywords
is critical to having your videos identifie d by the search engines. Poor titles with
excellent content may go unnotic ed and turn out to be useless as search engines
may fail to fetch the video.
• Research and prepare the message keeping in view your target audiences: Start
drafting the content /messag e/story you want to convey in your vlog. Do the research,
gather ideas, organise them into a compel ling narrative structur e. While preparing
your video draft, pay special attentio n to whom the video intends to address. Are they
children or teenagers? Are they parents or academicians? What is their educational
backgroun~ preferred language of commu nication and their level of underst anding
of a topic? Make sure that the video you intend to create is going to add value to
your target audience.

• Develop your voice: Voice in a vlog does not refer to the physical voice. It means
the kind of persona you want to create for the viewers/ consum ers of your vlog. For
developing a voice, you must choose how you would want to commu nicate with
your audience. Do you wish to talk to them as a casual jester cracking jokes or do
you want to talk like an expert? Do you want to give your opinion as an optimis t or
11 critic? Do you intend people to rememb er you as a logical and a fact-ori ented
a
Pffson or as a passionate enthusiast? Every vlogger has to develop a voice of his
or her own through which he or she must commu nicate the message. People get
booked on to the vlogs as much for the voice of the vlogger as it is for the content.
 156 / I INTCR CONNECT

............... " ........................... ··•--.........·-·---•-......_... ____-------.,

iI
n ACT IVIT Y i
!
e which of j
I. lm.iginc you arc nwking a vlog on Bharatpur bird sanctuary. Decid
lht.· follnwing titles woulJ you choose for your vlog and
why.

a. ·1hl· Birda's Paradise

ise/An
b. Bhara tpur Bird Sanctuary/Keoladeo National Park/The Birder's Parad
Ea!,)' Getaway from Delhi/Rajasthan
different
2. Imag ine you are to create an educational vlog on pollution for two
tation
target audiences: School children of primary classes and as a class presen
for your college assignment.
a. Prepare a video script for each.
b. Docs the script vary when the video is created for different audiences?
Make
a vlog of 3-5 minutes and demonstrate how the voice differs in the two vlogs.
_
........................... ..
......---·- ·-·-- -·..................................................................................................................
_______ _,

VIDEO CREATION TO PUBLICATION: A VLOG'S JOURNEY

you will need •

Once your script is ready, gather your equipment. The equipment
a microphont •
a camera (a smartphone camera can work), a tripod or stabiliser,
re in
editing software. Thereafter begin recording your footage. Try to captu
stay on
and engaging shots that support your content. Keep to your script to
deliver your message effectively.
After you have recorded your footage, import it into your editing softwN
C.
any unnecessary footage and arrange your shots in a logical sequence.
Act.I
and transitions to make your video more engaging. Then export your
upload it to a video-sharing platform like YouTube or Vimeo.
Givecatchy title and description for your video (you would
I

• •dr •
~• ch, . . of scripting) and use relevant tags to help Dfllllf"JI
;!""'-
your vloa, Share it on soda) media to reach..4,.__.
1-- - . . that CNatt-..
ouC to

Nft•ma --- . a 111ccee1ful vlog tabs time andf(XJr

C'Jl'n •

,our tkilla 1114 .iw.,. be open to leeclback from

 VLOGS || 157
VLOGETIQUETTE

Do's
Be authentic and genuine: Your audience will connect with you more if you're honest
and true to yourself.
Engage with your audience: Encourage comments and feedback and respond to
them in a timely and respectful manner. However, during such engagement, you
may face trollers passing inappropriate comments. Tackling trollers involves learning
to be immune to such comments, flagging them as inappropriate and deleting the
unnecessary comments and even blocking such unsocial elements.
Use good lighting and audio: Make sure your viewers can see and hear you clearly.
Be creative: Experiment with different editing techniques, music and visual effects
to make your vlogs more engaging.
Don'ts

Don't use offensive or inappropriate language: Avoid controversial topics or offensive

language as it can offend your audience.
Don't ramble or go off-topic: Stay focused on your message and don't go off on
tangents.
Don't oversell or promote too much: While it's okay to promote your brand or
product, avoid being too pushy.
Dont neglect your audience: Don't ignore your viewers comments or feedback, as
this can harm your relationship with them.
DOnt violate copyright laws: Be aware of fair use guidelines and only use content
that you have the legal right to use.
By
followinwithg these
connect
dos and don'ts, you can create high-quality and engaging vlogs that
your audience and help you achieve your goals.
158 || NTERCONNECT

Vlogs are a powertul tool tor communication, They are considered authentic as the
creator connects directly witth the audience while sharing the content. The naturalness
Jes
and authenticity of vlogging inspires trust and contidence of the audience and
better communication,

ACTIVITY

1. Compare the following travel vlogs and identity how the two cater to different
kìnds of audiences.

a. TravelingMonday
b. visa2explore
2. Create a vlog of 3to 5 minutes along with the script. Post it on your Youtube
channel and share it with your friends.

FUNFACTS

The most subscribed vlogger on You'Tube is PewDiePie, with over 110 million
subscribers as of 2021.

Zoella, a British vlogger, has published several best-selling books based on

her vlogs.
" Vlogging has become so popular that many universities now offer courses ln
vlogging and digital media.
Some vloggers have become millionaires through sponsorships, advertisins
revenue and merchandise sales.
for his short
Casey Neistat, a popular vlogger, won aCannes Lion awardcampaign nim
for Nike.
"Make It Count which he created as part of a sponsored
 VLOGS | | 159

0 QUESTIONS

and vlog.
Differentiate between a blog
Enumerate the steps in the creation of
a vlog.
2
3. What are
the aspects to be kept in mind while vlogging in public places?
favourite and why?
What are the different kinds of vlogs? Which is your
5, What are the features of a good script for a vlog?

NOTES

1 "Why YouTubers Are Prone to Depression." Oakland Psychological, https://bit.ly/4213mBs.

2 Kaul, Vivek. "Rishabh Pant, Lata Mangeshkar and the Eyeball-Feeding Frenzy? LiveMint, 4
January 2023, https://bit.ly/3Hygn2r.
3. "Maruti Swift Users Make Video of Rash Driving, Crash in the Middle of the Act." CarBloglndia,
11 December 2022, https://bit.ly/3 NtYD)r.
APPENDIX

SoMEOTHER POPULAR SoCLAL MEDLA PLATEORVS

SLACK

Slack is a communication and colaboration platform that is designed to im

communication and streamline workfiows within tearms and organizations. h tns
teams, s we
users to create and join channels dedicated to speciñc topics, projects or
indudes a range of featrs
as direct message individuals or groups of people. Slack also
to facilitate collaboration, including ile sharing, integration with other tools and zs
With Slack, teams can commuricate
and the ability to set reminders and notifications.
has become a popular tod
more effectively, stav organized, and work more efficienty. It as it provides a centrazad
distributed teams,
for remote teams and organizations with
location.
platform for communication and collaboration regardless of
Featuresavailable on Slack

offers a variety of communiation options for teams andindividuals Sorme ot e

Slack
key features on Slack indude:
channels for specific opis
or
Channels: Slack allows users to create public private
categorize discussions.
or projects, making it easy to organize and for mrr
individuals or groups
Direct Messages: U'sers can send direct messages to
personal or private conversations.
in threads, which keeps
Threads: Slack allows users to repBy to messages
organized and easy to follow. mss
groupsin thea or
Mentions and Notifications Users can mention specific people or mentions
someone
to grab their attention and receive notifications When
responds to their messages.
 APPENDIX || 161
,FileSharing: Slack enables users to easily share files such as documents, images and
videos with others in
the channel or direct message.
Integrations: Slack offers a wide range of integrations with other tools and services,
such as Google Drive, Trello and Zoom, allowing users to seamlessly switch between
different apps without leaving the Slack platform.
Search: Slack's search functionality allows users to quickly find specific messages or
fles by keyword or date range, making it easy to refer back to important information.
Communication on Slack

When it comes to communication on Slack, there are certain points that need to be
kept in mind. Use clear and concise language in your messages to avoid confusion and
misunderstandings. Always communicate with respect and professionalism, even when
discussing sensitive or difficult topics. When replying to a message, use threads to keep
the conversation organized and easy tofollow. Use reactionssuch as thumbs up or heart
to acknowledge messages or show appreciation. Use emojis and GIFs to add personality
channel or
tO your messages and lighten the mood. Share information relevant to the
dIscussion to keep everyone informed and up to date. Follow any guidelines or rules set
Dy the channel owner to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Avoid sending multiple messages or repeating the same message unnecessarily. Don't
Onensive language or discriminatory words that can offend or alienate others. Avoid
channel. Don't
sharing personal information that is not relevant to the conversation or
it can
PS ashave come across as shouting or aggression. Never ignore messages, even
if you don't an immediate response. Acknowledge the message and let the person
know you will get back to them. Avoid using passive-aggressive language or making
snide understand something, don't be afraid to
ask forremarks in your messages. If you don't
clarification to avoid misunderstandings.

TELEGRAM media platform that was

TelCreated
egram
by Pavel
social
is a cloud-based instant messaging app and was launched in 2013 and is
app
and his brother Nikolai. TheTelegram send text
allows users toend-to-end
known for its Durov
security features, speed and simplicity.types of files. It also offersconversations
messages, voice photos, videos and other users to have private
encryption messages,
for its secret chat feature, which allows
 162 || NTERCONNECT

lelcgram has become increasin-a

that ar not stored on Telegrams servers.who
anmong those are concerned about
r N years particularly privacy
and security.
Etective communication on Telegram
that can enhance personal
Eetive communication is a vital skill point. and professional
relationships Telegram messages are typically short and to the point, so it's
to comnunicate your message clearly and succinctly. Use clear
and concise l t important
and avoid using overly complicated language or convoluted sentences. Further, use of
emis and stickers are part of non-verbal communication. Emojis and stickers can od
engaging and easier s
emotion and personality to your messages, making them more
understand. If youre communicating with a group of people on Telegram, it's important
to keep the conversation organized. You can use the "Reply" feature to respond directy
to a speciic message, or you can use the Pin" feature to highlight important messages.
Tlgram allows you to send voice messages, which can be a more personal and expressive
be
w2v to communicate. This can be particularly useful for longer messages that would
diñcult to type out. Make sure that you have notifications enabled for important chats
and groups. This will ensure that you don't miss any important messages or updates.
Further, if you're communicating with someone on Telegram, be respectful of others
with others without their
pivacy. Dont share their messages or personal information
cOnsent.

Misuse of Telegram platform harmful

for a variety of
Telegram has unfortunately been used by individuals and groups
Purposes. Here are some things that you should not do on Telegram:
users.
Spamming: Do not send unwanted or unsolicited messages to other banned.
blocked or
be annoying and may even result in your account being (cyberbulying).
other users
Harassment: Do not use Telegram to harass or bully
This includes sending threatening or abusive messages. suchas
information,hackers
Sharing sensitive information: Do not share sensitive personalintercepted by
your pasSword or fnancial details. This information could be
or other malicious actors. buying
suchas
illegal activities,
Breaking the law: Do not use Telegram engage
to in
or selling illegal drugs or engaging in online fraud.
 APPENDIX || 163
Creatingfake profiles: Do not create fake profiles or impersonate other users on
not only
only unethical but may also be illegal.
Telegram. This is not
NHalating copyright: Do not use Telegram to share copyrighted material without
permission. This includes sharing movies, music, or other copyrighted
content.
Using bots for malicious purposes: Bots are small applications that run entirely
within the Telegram app. Users interact with bots through flexible interfaces that
can support any kind of task or service. Do not create or use Telegram bots for
malicious purposes, such as spreading spam or malware.
Spreading misinformation: Telegram has been used to spread false or misleading
information, which can lead to confusion or harm. This includes spreading conspiracy
theories, fake news, or propaganda.
Phishing scams: Hackers have used Telegram to carry out phishing scams, which
can result in users personal and financial information being
compromised.
t's important to remember that these examples represent a small
minority of Telegram
users, and the vast majority of people use the platform responsibly and for
positive
purposes. Telegram takes these issues seriously and has implemented measures to prevent
abuse of its platform, such as automated spam detection and
reporting tools.
SIGNAL

Signal is a private messaging program that allows users to privately send text
VOIce calls, images and videos. The app employs end-to-end encryption to make
messages,
sure
hat only the sender and receiver have access to the messages'
content, making it an
attractive option among those worried about their privacy.
Signal is free to use and can be downloaded on both Android and iOS
smartphones.
In addition to encryption, the software includes several other handy features, such as
the option to set vanishing that delete themselves after a certain length of
ine and
messages
the ability to make encrypted audio and video conversations. Overall, Signal
regarded as a safe and dependable messaging tool for those who wish to keep their
discussions private and secure.
PREVIOUS YEAR'S QUESTION PAPER,DU

SECTION -A

Attempt ANY three from the section. Each question carries ten marks
Q1. What features would you keep in mind when yoou use the following media to
communicate? Write short notes on any two of the following:
a. Digital Communication-Meaning and Importance
b. Podcast as a digital platform
c. Intranet

Q2. You have been invited as a plenary speaker on the topic Environment
Consciousness in India' under the TEDx program of the University of Delbi.
Write an emaildeclining or accepting the invitation for the same.
Q3. Enumerate 5 social media etiquettes that you need to follow while posting/
communicating on social media.
Q4. Expand any five of the following abbreviations commonly used in text messages:
EOD, FAQ AKA, ASAP DIY, NP 000.
Q5. List three advantages of Instant Messaging, such as WhatsApp, over email.

SECTION -B

Attempt ANY three from the section. Each question carries twenty marks.
Q6. You are working for an NGO that works for treatment and rehabilitation of
large fund to
underprivileged people. This
reach out
year your NGO hopes to raise a You have
to the needy people in the interior parts of the country.
 PPEVIOUS YEAR'S QUESTION PAPER,DU | 165

responsibility of this year's fundraising, Write the following messages in

the
thisregard:(Use formal and informal language appropriately)
a. Write Email mesageto Codemagician, a software company located in
an
Dlhi. to collaborate with your organisation by contributing from their social
wwlfare fund towards this cause. Seck a contribution of at least three lakhs,
b Frame a message for WhatsApp to your friends and family, seeking their
contribution towards this cause. Inform them that thecontribution can begin
with an amount as small as thousand rupees.
07. You have apersonal blog where you write about topics that inspire readers. You
recently met someone who, despite hardships, has dedicated her life to helping
others. Write about her life and the impact she had on you.
08 You are Sahil/Suhani. Creating a LinkedIn Profile that will help you to connect
with people in your field. Create the following:
a. Linkedin Profile summary: Define yourself in your own words
by highlighting
some of your biggest achievements.
b. Your area of expertise and skills: Highlight the
skills you possess, making
your profile attractive.
C. Interests: Talk about your interests which add value
to your professional life
(for e.g. languages you know/learning).
Q9. You visited a newly opened restaurant in your
city. You have to create a vlog
of your visit there on your YouTube channel. Write
down the script/narrative
for the same including the details of the
and your overall experience there.
restaurant's ambience, food, service
V10. You are the college student union
president. You are organising a "Walk for
neaith campaign, on the college campus. Write a persuasive
Facebook post
encouraging students to register themselves for the event. Give a catchy headline
and enumerate the benefits of
walking in your post.