You have reached to last chapter of this book, and the focus continues to be on harnessing the benefits of communication sites. This chapter discusses the new horizon of digital communications, explores digital communication using Power Automate and communicate sites, explores user collaboration using Teams and communication sites, and looks at the new webparts you can use to design communication sites.

In 1969, the LO message was sent between two computers at UCLA and Stanford. The event marked the beginning of a new era in computer-mediated communication. Although the message was supposed to be sent with the word LOGIN, the connection between the two computers was established even though it crashed.

ARPANET was not intended for communication. By the time people started using it for electronic messaging and instant messaging, it had become a standard part of their lives.

The early users of the Internet saw its potential as a communication tool. Due to the advancements in technology, sharing information between people who were geographically apart has become a common practice. Mobile communication and networked computers are prevalent in modern organizations.

The rules and norms of digital interactions are different than those of traditional forms of communication. Despite the technological advancements that have occurred in digital business communication over the years, this concept is still evolving.

According to Holmes, a scholar who studies workplace interactions, communication in professional settings is a complex business. People have multiple goals when it comes to their interactions with coworkers. They need to maintain their social and professional relationships while also accomplishing their daily tasks.

The complexity of professional interactions is even more apparent in the virtual workplace, where people don’t share the same physical environment. In order to maintain their professional relationships, all employees need to understand each other through their written messages.

Although it is not surprising that people have different strategies when it comes to communicating their goals and intentions, it is also important that their messages are understood and interpreted correctly. In the digital world, people can’t use cues such as the tone of their voice or facial expressions to help them understand messages. Instead, they rely on written techniques and words to communicate their goals.

External communication has become more complex and interactive. The rise of social media, blogs, and collaborative sites has dramatically changed how organizations communicate with their external stakeholders. Before, messages from the top were typically delivered in a centralized manner. Now they are delivered through an interactive platform. According to corporate communication scholar Michael Cornelissen, the rapid emergence and evolution of new media has changed how organizations communicate. It is now more important than ever that they engage with their stakeholders in a way that is both informative and effective.

This is a concern for many organizations, as they now have to respond to their customers in an instant. They don't always have the time to thoroughly analyze and verify messages, yet these are the very messages that influence their reputation and business success.

Due to the rise of social media and the increasing scrutiny that businesses face, it is no surprise that they need to spend a lot of time and resources managing their communications. This can be done through the development of effective strategies and methods to collect and analyze data.

The rise of digital communication channels has created a need for businesses to have a clear understanding of their various communication channels and develop their employees' digital skills. According to Hulme, these individuals are now regarded as an asset to their organizations.

Due to the importance of corporate communication and the interactions that it creates, it is no surprise that communication skills have become a requirement in white-collar workplaces. In addition to being able to communicate effectively, good soft skills are also often regarded as an asset.

In addition, studies have shown that the lack of effective communication skills can lead to various issues such as failure in implementing projects. According to a survey, over 50 percent of strategic projects fail due to the lack of effective communication.

The survey also revealed that poor language use is one of the main factors that can prevent projects from achieving their goals. Despite the increasing importance of communication skills, traditional training programs are not always effective at developing these skills. Instead, they often focus on the development of a prescriptive approach. This approach doesn't provide the necessary help in developing a deeper understanding of language.

This is especially true in the case of digital media, as training materials that are geared toward keeping up with the rapid technological changes are often not acknowledged by academic research.

In today's professional environment, people have a wide variety of media to choose from, including video streaming and voice. Despite the availability of these channels, the number of people using text-based instant messaging (IM) is on the rise. According to a survey conducted by the Radicati group, the number of people using this type of messaging is expected to grow by over three billion by 2019.

According to a survey, over 80 percent of businesses have mandated the use of corporate-sanctioned instant messaging. This shows that the technology has become widely used in the workplace. It also allows employees to communicate with each other and with external clients.

Despite the increasing number of people using instant messaging, the negative effects of this technology are still widely debated. According to some studies, instant messaging can help reduce productivity and digital addiction. In fact, research has shown that it can also help improve interaction between two people.

Instant messaging allows employees to quickly communicate with each other and clarify their questions without disrupting the workflow. In virtual work environments, this type of technology can help create a shared space. The "line" is left open so that participants can communicate with each other on an as-needed basis.

For businesses, live chats are an appealing option due to their low cost and the ability to provide both synchronized and anonymous communication. This type of communication also allows customers to feel secure.

Due to the increasing popularity of instant messaging, there has been a lot of pressure placed on users to effectively use it. While it is a relatively complex communication channel, it is not as similar to other traditional forms of media. For instance, while email is commonly used to send and receive messages, IM is a hybrid between writing and speech.

What's the strategy to use if your IM conversations are disrupted?

The previous script requires some skill to read, as the lines seem to be muddled up. In one-way IM systems, the partners construct their messages without knowing if the other person is still writing. As a result, the responses are often separated from the original message.

The messages that were delivered in the wrong order were caused by a lack of coordination. For instance, while Danny is talking about the weekend, Chris is already talking about a task-specific topic.

After sending the message, Chris may have noticed Danny's question in Line 5, and he may have provided an answer in Line 7. This is because, after talking about Danny's weekend, he asked more questions.

Although the team members of the virtual team have adopted the same practices as those in the real world, they are not able to translate these into instant messaging. For instance, how long should people talk to each other before the main topic is introduced? Also, what are the rules when it comes to disrupting a conversation?

The concept of instant communication has been questioned due to the various features that make it possible for people to communicate in real time. For instance, the persistent nature of the conversations and the ability to scroll have led to the emergence of new ways to communicate. In addition, the effects of a synchronicity and synchronization on how people use language have also been discussed.

For some time, IM was regarded as a type of synchronous communication tool because it required both participants to be logged on at the same time. However, people have recently started using it for other types of communication. For instance, some people use it for asynchronous or quasi-synchronous interactions.

One of the most common asynchronous techniques that people use IM for is the sticky note technique, which is mainly used in internal interactions. This type of communication allows the sender to type a message without expecting an immediate response.

Contextualizing Emotions and Intent

One of the most important factors that users need to consider when it comes to having a successful conversation is avoiding overlaps and gaps. In addition to being able to avoid these, users also need to include emotional and relational information in their conversations. This can be achieved through visual and auditory signals. A wide range of emotions and expressions can be easily detected in conversations, such as surprise, friendliness, sarcasm, and anger.

In order to convey the desired intent, users have to use the keyboard. They have done so in various creative ways throughout the evolution of computer-mediated communication.

The first study on the topic of "paralanguage" was published in 1980. It was conducted by John Carey. It covered various techniques that can help users communicate their feelings and modify the meanings of words. Since then, the field of communication has been continuously studied to learn how to use language to convey non-verbal meaning.

In Figure 8-1, you can see various forms of communication, such as acronyms and letter or number homophones. These are commonly used in a way that is not accurate or appropriate for the context. They are often referred to as "over-the-top" or "unconventional." They are also frequently misunderstood and are a source of interest among the media and researchers.

Two illustrations of human heads. One has puffy hair. The other has a hat. What is he trying to say and C U 2 nite at M C D B 4 N are written on them.

Digital Communication Using SharePoint Communication Sites and Power Automate

The goal of this section is to show you how to create a page approval process in Microsoft 365 that will automate the approval process for all of your company's communications. This flow will allow you to create a list of news items that will be posted on your intranet and then extend them to other communication channels, such as email, Teams, and Yammer.

First, create a new item in the list part of your SharePoint communication sites and then follow this process to automate the communication between SharePoint communication sites and other M365 services of the company. This will allow you to create a list of items that can be extended to other communication channels, such as email, Teams, and Yammer. Currently, page approval flows can be accessed through the various communication sites in the system.

Here are the steps to create to a flow:

Step 1: Access flows from Powerautomate.microsoft.com and click New Flow from My flow section, as shown in Figure 8-2.

A screenshot of power automate presents various options in the menu. My flows option is highlighted.

Step 2: Choose an existing template of flow by selecting Automated Cloud Flow, as shown in Figure 8-3.

A screenshot of power automate presents menu options on the left. My flows option is selected. Automated cloud flow option is highlighted at the center.

Step 3: After choosing Automated Cloud Flow, you’ll see the screen in Figure 8-4. Add a flow name and a corresponding trigger. In this case, we are using When An Item Is Created or Modified. After this, click the Create button.

A screenshot for building an automated cloud flow has a textbox for the flow name at the top. The search box for flow triggers is below it.

Step 4: After you create the flow, the screen in Figure 8-5 will appear. This will force you to add the SharePoint communicate sites link and its corresponding list. The flow will be triggered based on the addition of the item in the list and will push an email notification.

A screenshot for when a new item is created. It has a textbox for the site address and a dropdown menu for the list name. Advanced options are not shown.

Step 5: In order to retrieve the flow owner’s profile, add a new step called Get My Profile, as shown in Figure 8-6.

A screenshot of Get my profile open parenthesis V 2 close parenthesis depicts the given name, and mail in the select fields textbox. Advanced options are not shown.

Step 6: Add a Condition step, which indicates who you want to send this automated communication to, based on the new item in the SharePoint list. See Figure 8-7.

A screenshot for the condition depicts And in the drop-down menu with four conditions below it. The option to add conditions is given at the bottom.

Step 7: Configure a custom email communication by adding the email step shown in Figure 8-8.

A screenshot to send a custom email for SharePoint item addition. It has To, subject, and body text boxes filled with corresponding request details.

Using these steps, you can create a flow to publish emails to specific users when a new item is created in the SharePoint communication sites list. Further, instead of using email in Step 7, you can chose Yammer or MS Teams as well, in order to publish digital communication. This way, Power Automate with flow and SharePoint communication sites can be used to create digital, automated communications.

Using Teams and SharePoint Communications for User Collaboration

There are many ways to combine the power of Microsoft Teams and the magic of the web content management system, and it’s hard to choose just one. But let’s say that you have a team in Microsoft Teams. What can you do to make it even better?

A standard list in SharePoint displays a list of vendors and the individuals who are responsible for them (see Figure 8-9). Can you add a tab in Microsoft Teams as well? Before you can add a new tab, you need to make sure that the list in SharePoint communication sites has been created correctly.

A screenshot of SharePoint depicts Amanda corp as a vendor. It also presents vendor contact and responsible details of Amanda corp.

To create a SharePoint tab in Teams, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the + button in Teams and choose SharePoint, as shown in Figures 8-10 and 8-11.

A screenshot depicts general, posts, files, a wiki, and a plus icon arranged in series. Plus icon is highlighted.

A screenshot to add a tab depicts the search box in the top right corner. Excel, forms, OneNote, word, and other tabs for the team are depicted at the center.

Step 2: Choose the specific SharePoint list of vendors you want, as shown in Figure 8-12.

A screenshot of SharePoint to add a page or list. The vendors file under the Lists tab is selected. Post to the channel about this tab option is checked.

Step 3: Once you save the list, it will appear in Teams, as shown in Figure 8-13.

A screenshot in teams depicts Amanda corp as a vendor. It also presents vendor contact and responsible details of Amanda corp.

This way, users can collaborate on the same list of vendors in SharePoint and Teams and experience digital collaboration. Any update to the list is made in SharePoint and Teams.

Effectively Using SharePoint Communication Sites Webparts

This section explores some newly launched webparts that can add functionality to your communication sites.

The Text Webpart

The Text webpart allows you to add various types of text and images to your site, such as pull quotes and bullets, as shown in Figure 8-14. It has a variety of customization options:

• Alignment

• Bullets

• Idents

• Color, highlight, and text styles

• Table styles, alignment, and manipulation

A screenshot depicts a 3 by 14 blank table on the left with Text and table formatting options on the right. The font size is set as 16.

This component is ideal for adding text-based content to a page without using various other webparts.

The Yammer Conversations Webpart

In addition to the usual webparts, there are now two new webparts for Yammer—the Highlights (newer) and the Conversations webparts—as shown in Figure 8-15. The former is the best choice if you want to have conversation right inside the page, while the latter is the ideal choice if you want users to participate in these conversations.

A screenshot depicts start a discussion on the left and the menu to select the source on the right. Home feed and feed are selected as conversation source and layout.

The Conversations webpart allows to choose from various categories of conversations, such as Community, Home Feed, and User. It also allows you to display the publish and highlight features, as well as adjust the number of conversations that appear.

The Spacer Webpart

Adding whitespace to your page is very easy to do, and it makes it easier to read text and prevents your eyes from getting too tired. See Figure 8-16. You can also use the Spacer webpart to add empty space between various webparts.

A screenshot depicts an empty box on the left and a spacer menu on the right. The hide in mobile view is turned on.

The Saved for Later Webpart

Using this webpart, you can easily save documents, news articles, and pages on your mobile app. With the Saved for Later webpart, you can show users the documents and pages that have been saved for later, as shown in Figure 8-17.

A screenshot depicts save for later items and menu on the left and right panes. All saved items, 8, and the grid are chosen as the source, type, number of items, and layout is selected.

You can also customize the webpart by adding the following information: the source of the saved files, the type of files saved, and the number of items that can be shown at once.

Unfortunately, this feature is not available to guest users of your website. They can use the items from the Saved for Later feature, but the item will not be shown here.

The Recent Documents Webpart

The Recent Documents webpart can be shown on the website’s home page. It displays the most recent documents that users have accessed, as shown in Figure 8-18. This feature can also update as the user navigates through the various documents that are stored on the site.

A screenshot depicts a list of documents and a menu about recent documents on the left and right panes. The maximum number of documents to show is 6.

The Quick Chart Webpart

If you need to show a simple pie or column chart on a page, the Quick Chart webpart is a good option, as shown in Figure 8-19. It can be used instead of creating a new chart in Excel or Power BI. You can also enter your own data or get it from an existing library or list.

A screenshot depicts a bar chart and quick chart menu on the left and right panes. Column charts and get data from lists are chosen as type and data source.

The chart can also contain various elements that will be used to display the data in a column. These include the type of label used to indicate the data points in the column. The other elements can be used to sort the data and create labels.

The Microsoft PowerApps Webpart

Using Microsoft PowerApps, you can create web apps that are designed to work seamlessly with a browser, as shown in Figure 8-20. You can add an app to a page by using its web address or ID.

A screenshot depicts sample data and the Microsoft power apps menu on the left and right panes. The menu has a App web link text box. The Show border is switched off.

Before you start creating a web app, make sure that the site visitors have access to the app before they can see it. Also, you might need to manually test the sizes of the app to make sure that it works properly.

The Page Properties Webpart

The Page Properties webpart is the part of your app that lets you display information about your page, as shown in Figure 8-21 It can also include various other details, such as the title and publisher.

A screenshot depicts details and a menu of page properties on the left and right panes. Title, product, and publisher are chosen as properties in the menu,

The properties shown in the webpart will vary. However, the only ones that it supports are the following: single line of text, date and time, and group managed metadata.

The Markdown Webpart

The Markdown webpart lets you add a type of text known as a markdown to your page. It looks similar to the Code webpart. The right panel shows the most commonly used syntax for this type of text, as shown in Figure 8-22. You can also choose a dark or light theme for this webpart.

A screenshot depicts sample text and a menu about markdown on the left and right panes. The menu consists of headers, emphasis, paragraphs, links, and tables.

The Countdown Timer Webpart

This webpart allows you to add a “call to action” button to your page so that it can be displayed with a good-looking countdown timer, as shown in Figure 8-23. You just need to set the date and time that you want to display the button. You can also link the text and the background image to the button. The webpart of the countdown timer is included in the target release program.

A screenshot depicts a countdown timer and its menu on the left and right panes. The call to action is switched on. Overlay opacity is set as 60.