UNIT

2
Online communication
Getting started
1 Read the following questions and note down your
answers. Weekly use of computer
1 How much time do you spend on the computer for 5%
work or study? Is this amount of time increasing? 15%
Why/Why not?
2 Do you think you spend less or more time on the 20%
computer than your colleagues or friends?
3 Think what you have done on the computer over
the past seven days. Draw a pie chart to show 5%
approximately what percentage of time you spent
on the following activities: 5% 40%
10%
• creating documents
• reading and answering emails
• inding information on the Internet
• visiting social networking sites like Facebook creating documents playing games
• playing games reading and answering emails watching films/TV
finding information on the Internet programmes
• watching ilms or TV programmes other
visiting social networking sites
• other
Compare your answers with a partner. How similar is your use of time on the computer?

2 Match the computer icons (1–7) with the correct verb from the box.

attach copy cut highlight paste print save

1 2 3 4

paste

5 6 7

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3 Complete the deinitions with the correct verb. Digital media
2

UNIT
browse crash download drag log on post
Reading
restart upload
1 With a partner, discuss what you think word of
1 If you browse the Internet, you look around for mouth means in advertising.
information online.
2 The title of the article below changes the phrase
2 If you something, you move it from the
to word of mouse. What do you think this means?
Internet to your computer.
Discuss with a partner, then skim the article quickly
3 If you , you start using a computer
to see if you are right.
system, perhaps by typing in a password.
4 If you the computer, you switch 3 Scan the article for each of the names in the box.
everything off and start it again. Then match each name with the correct sentence
5 If computer systems , they suddenly stop (1–5) below. There is one name you do not need.
working.
Adam Brimo Dave Carroll Hugh Bainbridge
6 If you click and a document, you move
the Nielsen Company Paul Patterson United Airlines
it to somewhere else on the system with the
mouse.
1 The Nielsen Company did research into different
7 If you a message online, you put it on
forms of marketing.
the Internet so other people can see it.
2 possibly caused a company’s share price
8 If you something, you move it from
to fall.
your computer to the Internet or a network.
3 believes that the rules for dealing with
4 Choose three things you did on the computer unhappy customers have not changed.
recently and tell a partner about them using three 4 made a chief executive aware of his
of the verbs in Exercise 3. grievances by writing about them on a website.
5 suffered an unexpected crisis because
of an online video.

THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUSE

P eople often say that the best form of promotion is by ‘word Paul Patterson, a professor of marketing, agrees that
of mouth’. After all, people normally trust a recommendation companies now have less control over how the public view
from someone they know. But in today’s digital world, them but points out that the way to deal with dissatisied
consumers don’t just talk to friends and family members. customers is the same as always. Companies just need to react
By posting their opinions online, they can reach thousands faster in case a customer decides to contact other customers
of other consumers. What’s more, this is a very good way online. Some analysts worry that a company’s image could
of persuading people to buy things. A recent survey by the be damaged by a small number of dissatisied customers.
Nielsen Company revealed that 70 per cent of consumers trust But Hugh Bainbridge from the Australian School of Business
opinions they ind online, which is much higher than the igures says consumers do not believe everything they see online,
for other advertising media, like TV and only slightly lower and that brands are only damaged when a large number of
than opinions of friends. customers are clearly unhappy. Instead of seeing it as a threat,
The bad news for companies is that negative opinions can go companies should treat this new medium as a useful source of
online as well as good ones. When Adam Brimo, an Australian customers’ opinions.
engineering graduate, was dissatisied with his mobile phone Perhaps the biggest success story comes from Coca-Cola.
provider, he decided to set up a website to talk about his In 2008, Dusty Sorg couldn’t ind a Coke fan page he could
experiences. It quickly illed up with posts from other dissatisied join on Facebook, so he downloaded a picture of a Coke
customers. In the end, the company invited him to meet their can and created his own. Unexpectedly, it was a big hit with
chief executive, who then gave a public apology. When Dave other fans. When Coca-Cola found out about it, they didn’t
Carroll, a US musician, took a light with United Airlines, his try to get control over the page. Instead, they lew Dusty to
guitar was broken during the trip. The airline company refused Atlanta to meet their management team and told him to carry
to pay for the damage, so he wrote three songs about it and on the good work, with help from a few senior executives
uploaded them on YouTube. This was a public relations disaster from the company. The result was a Facebook page run by a
for the airline, and possibly the reason why their share price passionate fan and a good PR story for Coca-Cola. That really
dropped by 10 per cent that week. is a smart use of ‘word of mouse’.

Online communication 15

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 4 Choose the correct answer, A, B or C. Before you Emails
2 answer each question, use the underlined name to
UNIT

decide where to look in the text. Vocabulary

1 According to the Nielsen Company’s research, 1 Match each symbol from a website address (1–6)
which is most likely to make someone buy a with its name (a–f)
product? 1 @ a underscore
A a recommendation from a friend 2 . b hyphen
B a recommendation posted online 3 _ c forward slash
C a TV advertisement 4 - d dot
2 According to Paul Patterson, in the digital age, 5 / e at
companies need to 6 \ f backslash
A use different media to advertise products
1 03
B respond more quickly to customer complaints 2 Listen to the following parts of some common
C put satisied customers in contact with each email addresses. Which are said as words and
other which as separate letters?
3 What does Hugh Bainbridge feel about the effect com uk org biz us ac co net
of online opinions?
A They give too much importance to a small 3 1 04
Listen to these email addresses. Circle S if
number of complaints. the spoken and written addresses are the same
B They allow customers to spread wrong and D if they are different.
information about brands.
C They do not harm brands if there is no good 1 gbrent_39@gmail.com S/D
cause for complaint. 2 sales@taylormills.co.es S/D
4 What point does the story about Coca-Cola 3 bendmurphy@hotmail.com S/D
illustrate? 4 natalieomar@blogspot.com S/D
A Companies have lost most of their control over 5 www.glf.com\products S/D
their brands. 6 Mary-Ann.Perkins@copeland.org.uk S/D
B Companies can use consumers to create online 7 www.gaskelltraining.biz S/D
content for them. 8 s.denham@dur.ac.uk S/D
C Companies need to monitor online content very 4 Computer technology means there are some
carefully. differences between the language used in emails
5 Discuss with a partner. and letters. Read the following sentences. Put E if
the sentence could only be in an email, L if it could
1 Do you know any websites where people post only be in a letter and B if it could be in both.
opinions online? Have you ever posted an opinion
online? 1 Nice to hear from you. B
2 Do you look at online opinions before making a 2 I attach a copy of the relevant form.
purchase (for example, before booking a hotel)? 3 I enclose a copy of the relevant form.
How much do they inluence you? 4 Your request was forwarded to me.
3 Do you visit any product or service fan pages 5 I’m afraid I couldn’t open the document.
(for example on Facebook)? 6 I am sorry for the delay in replying.
7 I am copying James in on this message.
8 Thank you for your message. I will be out of the
ofice from 26 to 28 May inclusive.
9 I am also sending a hard copy.
10 I look forward to your reply.

16 Online communication

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Writing 4 Below are a list of phrases from two emails about
the same meeting. Write the formal and informal
2

UNIT
Emails can be written in a formal or an informal style. phrases with the same meaning in the table in the
Usually they are shorter and more like spoken English order they appear in the email.
than letters.
to discuss the schedule for training day
1 Match the verbs (1–10) with the more formal verb Looking forward to your reply
(a–j) with the same meaning. Hi Andy
1 talk about a assist but I could manage the week after
2 ask b contact someone Can we get together sometime
3 ask for c enquire Susan Jackson
4 help d meet to talk about the schedule for training day
5 think about e purchase but perhaps you could suggest a suitable time for the
6 get f request week after
7 buy g inform someone let me know
8 get together h receive Dear Mr Morris,
9 let someone know i discuss I’m pretty booked up next week
10 get in touch with someone j consider Sue
I would like to arrange a meeting
2 Look at the following ways to begin and end emails.
My diary is very full for next week
Number each list in order of how formal you think
the beginnings and endings are. (1 = most formal;
5 = least formal). Formal Informal

Beginnings Dear Mr Morris, Hi Andy

Dear John
Dear Mr Green 1
Hi John
John
Hello John
Endings
Yours sincerely 1
Best wishes
All the best
Bye for now
Kind regards
3 Number these two lists from 1–4, depending
on how formal you think the expressions are.
(1 = most formal; 4 = least formal).
Requests
Could you … 5 You have arranged a meeting with a member of
Can you … staff from another department. Unfortunately
I would be grateful if you could … you cannot now attend. Write an email to your
Please could you … colleague.
Apologies • explaining why you cannot meet
We are sorry about … • apologising for the change of plan
Sorry about … • suggesting an alternative day and time
We would like to offer our sincere apologies for …
You have not worked with this person before so
Please accept our apologies for …
keep the tone friendly but formal. Write 30–40
words.

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