LEWISTON — Facebook and Twitter are changing it all.

Given the ever-morphing face of how people communicate in written form and electronically, it has become increasingly important to understand and value what consumers put into cyberspace.

That was the message Tuesday at a lunchtime seminar by the Young Professionals of the Lewiston-Auburn Area, or YPLAA, titled “You and Your Electronic Self.”

Three presenters spoke to a score of 30- to 50-somethings in the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s Community Conference room.

Dave Griffiths of Dave Griffiths Communications spoke of the importance of carefully crafting written correspondence in both the personal and professional realms.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” said Griffiths, a writing and media relations coach. “(Email) can be kept, it can be forwarded and it is your name at the bottom of the communique.”

Griffiths also spoke of the importance of being concise and reading all emails at least a few times before hitting the send button.

He said to follow the acronym B.L.U.F., or bottom line upfront. Get to the point in all written correspondence, and then back it up with facts. Prove to the readers upfront why they need to use their valuable time reading the message, and then back up the message with facts, Griffiths said.

And above all, he pointed out, respect your audience.

“I’m not impressed if you think you’re too busy to capitalize your email,” said Griffiths, who was later joined by the other presenters in emphasizing the importance of good grammar and punctuation as evidence of education and professionalism.

Danielle Sicotte of Encompass Marketing spoke more about social media, pointing out that Facebook and Twitter updates are permanent, like emails.

“If you are talking to cyberspace, you are not talking to thin air,” she said. “You cannot hit ‘delete’ and expect it to be gone. If you’re the least bit tech-savvy, it can be found.”

Sicotte warned of the types of messages people could be sending into the world without meaning to.

“Be careful with games online,” she said. “Planting carrots or milking your cow every 10 minutes on Farmville could say to a potential employer that you are sitting home all day long burning up your computer. Also, posting every five minutes or putting up a photo of yourself every hour says you’re not working.”

Sicotte pointed out that Facebook and Twitter are not private pages, but lifestyles, and people can be themselves, “but a censored version of yourself.”

The final presenter Tuesday, Bates College human resources specialist Amie Parker, looked at social media and emails from the potential employer point of view.

Parker made it clear that potential employers are looking for a potential employee’s electronic profile online before they ever step into an office for a job interview.

“Google yourself,” she said. “There could be people out there with your same name and you need to be able to discuss that. Also, what organizations are you involved with and how did you let your image be used? Potential employers are finding out this all from online.”

She also pointed to the lasting impressions lingering in cyberspace from posts made as far back as high school.

“You really cannot separate yourself anymore, and you have to be really careful with what you put out there,” she said. “I don’t assume that there is a separation of private life versus public life.”

Something as simple as a person’s email address says a lot about them, Parker said. A lot of people are communicating via email alone these days, and what their address is can make people question their assumptions about them and question their interpretation of the address.

Also, people need to be careful about what their friends are posting. She suggested letting friends and family know your expectations for social media, and to use filters and privacy settings when available.

“It can be as easy as a simple conversation with your friends about what they can post about you,” Parker said.

Despite all of their warnings, all three presenters pointed out the career benefits of Facebook, Twitter and social media.

“If you know about opportunities, share them,” Parker said. “Use your connections to help others. If you can harness the power of this tool, it will be amazing. There is incredible power, you just have to know how to use it.”

A final bit of advice from Griffiths: Never send an email in an emotional response. If a person cannot see your face or hear your voice while you are venting or responding to an emotionally charged situation, the opportunity for misinterpretation is great.

“Pick up the phone or do this face to face,” Griffiths said.