Technology has become an inextricable part of life. It is more powerful than ever and it takes just a click of the finger to share, comment, like, and follow postings. However, we would like to make our postings as real and authentic as possible.
The thing is that communication platforms have gone through a drastic change in the last several decades. We need to remember that we can’t leave communication ethics out of the equation. Check out a few things to consider about your different avenues of communication.
Accuracy and Credibility is The Name of the Game
While we are hooked to all the online stuff we read about, not all of it is true. However, thanks to its affordability and availability, technology is accessible for everyone. It is always important to provide credible and important information to your audience.
If you know exactly what to write about, you don’t have to dig deep to find out more information, as in this case, the experience you have will come in handy. If you have to provide in-depth information, and back it up with reliable information, then you have to find out a source that is reliable.
Credit Sources of Information
Providing a reliable source of your information is very important. The widely available resource does not mean you will randomly select information from anywhere and forget to credit the same. Yes, it has become increasingly easy to get information from Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, but it has also equally simple to forget to share the source. Whether you want to go with Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines or Associated Press (AP), ensure you get a reliable source of information.
Clear Standard for Communication
When you display ethics in your communication, it can evolve and spread into many other aspects of your business. As per the Public Relations Society of America, here is how you can establish your own ethics platform. Protect and enable the free flow of accurate and truthful information. Pass on the informed decision-making via the channel of open communication.
Ensure the protection of confidential and private information. Make sure you also avoid conflict of interest and work on the public’s trust in the profession. Work towards your client’s best interest and more. Very often we ignore these areas when we are trying to speed up the pace of communication in today’s world. Hence, it is necessary to gain the client’s trust as you provide an ethics platform for the purpose of communication.
Transparency is the Best Policy
It is always important to make clear which team you are playing for. If you have sponsors or partners on board for conducting your kinds of business, make sure you reveal it right at the beginning. So, even if the public starts judging, you’ll be in the clear, and the opposite of it is also true. If you are not forthcoming enough, you will only be impacting your credibility as a dependable and transparent source of information.
It holds even when it comes to your promotions; if your raving reviews are all contorted and come from your marketing department, the public will realize it and stop believing in you. So, the key is to get genuine feedback.
Put Forth the Best Example
It is best to put forward the best example. While it is easy to make a quote from someone. When you are doing so, you need to understand the online boundaries within your organization and ask for your clientele.
Seek their permission for quotes and as you add photos online, in some cases you may need to ask them for a photo release form. While it takes a whole lot of time, it is always better to play safe as it is easy to publish an article, photo, or quote with the click of a button, but you always need to be respectful.
The communication sector is changing. We share information on varied platforms with different types of writers on board, such as bloggers, tweeters, journalists, and other social media users. Each individual must uphold these communication standards. Putting forth the best example of the ethical standard will mean that the others joining the bandwagon will follow suit.