Business Communication Today, 14e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 8 Social Media
1) Why does writing for social media need a different approach to writing than for traditional
media?
A) The relationship between the sender and the receiver is different
B) Companies are integrating social media to external communication practices
C) Companies use social media internally, not just externally
D) There is an increase in word-of-mouth communication
E) The communication is less like a conversation than in the past
2) In the social media landscape, companies that ________ are likely to be ignored.
A) talk with customers, not at them
B) use a conversational approach
C) take a “we talk, you listen” approach
D) help customers gain a voice in the marketplace
3) Which of the following is one of the greatest appeals of social media?
A) Improved sales pitches
B) The feeling of conversation
C) Fewer rumors in the marketplace
D) Less interaction between users
E) The ability to eliminate concise, specific headings
4) When you’re writing content for social media,
A) write in a corporate voice.
B) write informally, but not carelessly.
C) write from an objective third-person point of view.
D) don’t worry about revising or proofreading what you’ve written.
5) What is a primary reason people join a social network?
A) News
B) Sales pitches
C) Interaction
D) Lectures
E) Blogging
6) Best practices for communicating via social media include all of the following EXCEPT
A) thinking before you post.
B) getting involved and staying involved.
C) writing informally, but not carelessly.
D) using a “hard sell” to promote goods and services.
7) Which of the following writing styles is most appropriate when creating content for social
media?
A) Witty, with lots of wordplay
B) Texting
C) Formal
D) Informal
E) Nonconformist
8) If a customer uses the comment feature to criticize your business blog, you should
A) respond promptly, honestly, and professionally.
B) ignore the criticism unless the critic is incorrect.
C) take verbal potshots at the critic’s integrity.
D) let blog readers know that you won’t tolerate criticism.
9) How should headlines be developed for social media?
A) They should be mysterious and leave the reader wanting more
B) They should use clever wordplay that challenges the reader
C) They should be engaging and detailed
D) They should be casual and incomplete
E) They should be concise, specific, and informative
10) Effective headlines for social media messages are
A) clever and witty.
B) pithy and enigmatic.
C) brainteasers with a twist of irony.
D) concise, specific, and informative.
11) Why is it important to have specific and informative headings for social media?
A) It will be easier to find your content using search engines
B) They cut down on time-consuming interaction with readers
C) They allow you to use a formal and impersonal writing style
D) They prevent unwanted transparency
E) Users will see the relationship to a corporate sponsor
12) Which of the following is one of the drawbacks of social media for businesspeople?
A) The inability to respond to comments
B) Limited control over messages
C) The amount of time it takes to maintain a site
D) Having to be transparent and honest
E) Creating specific and meaningful headlines
13) Which of these is a wise way to respond to criticism posted on social media?
A) Have others post more positive feedback
B) Ignore it
C) Use it as valuable feedback
D) Assume the person posting will retract the message after the issue has been solved
E) Respectfully explain why you can’t offer an immediate solution to the issue
14) How should an organization respond to misinformation posted on social media?
A) Block these senders from your social media accounts
B) Use a fictitious online persona to dispute the information
C) Ignore it; rumors die out quickly on social media
D) Without engaging in “flame wars,” take the opportunity to correct the misinformation
E) Delete offending posts
15) Which of the following should be one of the key parts of developing a social media strategy?
A) Remember it is a lecture or sales pitch
B) Write in the same formal style used for other business communications
C) Get involved and stay involved in the conversation
D) Products and services should be promoted directly and often
E) Posts should only be made on a specialized network
16) How should companies promote products and services on social media?
A) Through well-developed sales pitches
B) As summary lectures on product usage
C) Vaguely and passively
D) Indirectly, via conversational exchanges
E) Directly, via unidirectional messaging
17) Which of these would be a violation of transparency in a company’s use of social media?
A) A social media user name that is the company name, rather than the name of an individual
B) Tweets from a company that don’t disclose who owns the company
C) Tweets and Facebook posts on non-business matters
D) Using Tweets and Facebook posts to sell a product
E) A social media account that appears to be a real person but is in fact a fictitious persona, with
the writing done by the company’s marketing staff
18) What is the safest assumption to make about the potential reach of your social media
messages?
A) The message could be seen by people outside your target audience
B) At least 25 percent of your target readers will see it
C) Only current or past customers are likely to see it
D) The real audience is at least 10 times bigger than your target audience
E) The real audience is only a fraction of the size of your target audience
19) Companies that are succeeding in social media use a “we talk, you listen” approach to
communication.
20) When you’re preparing an online message, you can assume that no one but your intended
audience will see it.
21) Writing for social media requires a different approach than writing for traditional media.
22) Social media has created a fundamental shift in the way companies handle communications.
23) Writing for social media should be approached in the same manner as writing for traditional
media.
24) What are seven guidelines to keep in mind when creating content for business-related social
media?
25) Why do social media require a different approach than other forms of communication?
26) Describe the guidelines for creating effective social media content.
27) ________ focus on a particular function or a particular audience.
A) Private networks
B) Public, specialized networks
C) Public, general-purpose networks
D) Personalized synchronous networks
28) Large and geographically dispersed companies can benefit greatly from ________ that
connect experts who may work in different divisions or different countries.
A) global peer groups
B) colonies of practitioners
C) communities of interest
D) dispersed social networks
29) A company can use ________ as a measure of how effectively it is engaging online
stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information.
A) brand socialization
B) brand standardization
C) brand management
D) brand equilibrium
30) Which of the following acts as an online service that helps people and organizations share
information and form connections?
A) Social media consultants
B) Social networks
C) Google
D) External communications
E) Communities of practice
31) By forming a virtual organization, a company can
A) monitor public opinion and target opinion leaders.
B) measure how effectively it connects with its stakeholders.
C) identify potential buyers and ask for introductions from shared connections.
D) supplement its internal talent pool with services from external partners.
32) Which of these best characterizes social networks in contemporary business?
A) They are widely used inside companies but rarely for external communication
B) They are widely used outside companies but rarely for internal communication
C) They are now a major force in both internal and external business communication
D) Only consumer-goods companies bother with social networks
E) As a business communication medium, social networking is well past its prime
33) The practice of content marketing involves ________, in order to build closer ties with
current and potential customers.
A) pitching your products and services at every opportunity
B) building up your company by tearing down your competitors
C) offering free information that’s valuable to community members
D) monitoring the Twittersphere for discussions about your brand
34) What is the best-known social network for career networking?
A) Facebook
B) LinkedIn
C) Craigslist
D) Linkage
E) Career World
35) A colleague of yours has just published an e-book titled, Ten Tips for Success. She plans to
promote the book via social networking. What advice can you offer to her about promotional
efforts via social media?
A) She should use brand acceleration to engage with opinion leaders.
B) She should use a low-key, indirect approach when promoting her book.
C) She should promote her book aggressively on each social media platform.
D) She should alter her social media presence, according to the network she’s using at the time.
36) Cemex’s Shift and Red Robin’s Yammer are examples of which type of social network?
A) Private
B) Public, specialized
C) Public, general-purpose
D) Integrated
E) Brand communities
37) Each social network is a unique environment with its own communication norms. As you’re
adapting to the expectations of each network, be sure to
A) adopt a different persona for each network that you join.
B) let your feelings and moods determine how you present yourself.
C) maintain a consistent personality across all networks in which you’re active.
D) pay attention to what other community members are doing, and then go with the flow.
38) Which of the following can an organization do to promote the use of its internal social
network?
A) Use a private social network
B) Make the system a standalone system
C) Separate the system from any broader collaboration and communication system
D) Have top executives be active on the network
E) Discourage meetings on the network
39) Which of the following is one way social networks help to integrate a company workforce?
A) By encouraging unique expertise within the workforce
B) By becoming the prime communication channel
C) By establishing structural methods
D) By making all information available to all employees
E) By helping employees find experts and mentors in the organization
40) Social networks are a natural tool for bringing together ________, people who engage in
similar work, and ________, people who share enthusiasm for a particular product or activity.
A) private networks; public networks
B) virtual networks; brand societies
C) communities of practice; communities of interest
D) special interest groups; word-of-mouth conclaves
41) Which of the following is one outcome of using social networks to find pockets of
knowledge and expertise within the workplace?
A) Fostering collaboration
B) Integrating the entire company workforce
C) Avoiding communities of interest
D) Understanding target markets
E) Brand socialization
42) Social networks used by the business community consist of
A) private networks.
B) public, specialized networks.
C) public, general-purpose networks.
D) all of the above.
43) What is created when people engage in similar work and share enthusiasm for their field of
expertise over a social network?
A) On-site collaboration
B) A community of practice
C) A brand community
D) Integration of company workforces
E) Reputation analysis
44) ________ is a measure of how effectively a company engages with its various online
stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information.
A) Impression management
B) Marketplace share
C) Product potentiality
D) Brand socialization
45) Which of the following is a key advantage of building a community of practice or a
community of interest within the organization?
A) The workforce is less integrated
B) Employees can “jell” after a merger or reorganization
C) Employees can connect with experts from other areas of the organization
D) Information is delivered in a timely manner
E) The formal communication channel can be bypassed
46) Online communities of interest that form around a specific product are known as
A) brand communities.
B) tangential markets.
C) product co-ops.
D) interest enclaves.
47) What are communities of interest that form around a specific product referred to as?
A) Brand socialization
B) Target marketing
C) Reputation analysis
D) Brand communities
E) Hot spots
48) In the marketplace of today, ________ are the primary means of socializing companies and
brands.
A) sports arenas
B) primetime commercials
C) social networks
D) magazine advertisements
49) Which of the following accounts for more than half of a brand’s global reputation?
A) Target marketing
B) Sentiment analysis
C) Reputation analysis
D) Cold calling
E) Brand socialization
50) Which of the following is a measure of how effectively a company is engaged with online
stakeholders?
A) Target marketing
B) Sentiment analysis
C) Reputation analysis
D) Brand socialization
E) Cold calling
51) A business can use ________ to engage members of an online community by providing free
information that’s valuable to current and potential customers.
A) content aggregation
B) content marketing
C) guerilla marketing
D) media blitzing
52) Which of the following can be used to assess the reputation of an organization and the
emotional quality of the online conversations about it?
A) Target marketing
B) Outrage “hot spots”
C) Brand communities
D) Communities of practice
E) Sentiment analysis
53) How can a social network help an organization with its staffing needs?
A) By using the network to recruit candidates and subject-matter experts
B) By connecting with sales prospects
C) By building communities of practice
D) By monitoring communities of interest
E) By redeveloping a brand community