Upon completing this chapter, you will understand the process for writing business messages and the purpose and forms of the main types of business messages. To reach this goal, you should be able to:

1. Describe the writing process and effective writing strategies.
2. Explain the importance of readable formatting.
3. Describe the development and current usage of the business letter.
4. Describe the purpose and form of memorandums (memos).
5. Describe the purpose and form of email.
6. Understand the nature and business uses of text messaging and instant messaging.
7. Understand the nature and business uses of social media.
8. Understand the inverted pyramid structure for organizing and writing Web documents.