A Guide To Online Etiquette
Feb 17, 2017
In modern times when over two billion of us have access to the internet, and 70% of those use it every single day, it’s important to have manners when online. We are polite when we meet someone face to face so why is it that when we are facing a computer screen, we turn into someone else entirely – a keyboard warrior.
Emailing and communicating over the internet in general can become frustrating when someone doesn’t understand you, but it’s important to stay professional and not to let it bring out the worst in you. Did you know that we consecutively send over 144 billion emails a day? That’s a lot of information being passed around and a lot of people connecting online! So we have decided to put together some top tips for communicating online in a way so that nobody is upset or hurt in the process!
1) Understand when to use capital letters
A lot of people take capital letters as a sign of shouting or being agitated online. Of course this could be accidental but when it’s not it can come across as aggressive, make sure that whenever you use capital letters, you’re not doing it in a way that will upset someone.
If you just want to emphasise your point, capitals are acceptable but otherwise can come across as patronising or hostile. It might be a better idea to put what you are trying to stress in bold as this is a bit more friendly!
2) Social Media
The social media craze is buzzing right now, with people spending on average 3.2 hours online each day checking their accounts. Although social media for business is a great tool, you may find that trolling becomes an issue.
If you find that you are becoming a target for trolls, make sure to report it straight away. Facebook will remove any content that they deem to be inappropriate immediately, don’t put up with anything that will affect your business or yourself personally.
3) Double check before you press send
If you are frustrated it’s easy to tap out a quick email and send it over to someone without thinking about it too much, but if you are prone to sending blunt and somewhat unfriendly emails because of this, you may need to double check before hitting the send button!
It’s easy to forget when you’re sitting at your desk that there is someone else at the end of the email, and frustration can take over. By double checking and proof reading your emails you can get an impression of what you will come across like at the other end, and know whether to hit that send button or not. This way no one’s feelings will be hurt and you can create a much better relationship with your colleagues and staff.
4) Tea
Finally, if you’ve just had quite enough of the internet for one day, take a break, make a cup of tea and relax. There’s no need to be ranting about how annoyed you are with certain people online… It’s just not helpful.
We have made a small infographic all about how to have manners online, feel free to print it out and place it around your desk to remind you that when you’ve had a bad day - relax and take a break before replying or taking to ranting on social media.
Or if you would simply prefer to have someone else deal with your businesses social media accounts, look no further! We are happy to oblige, get in touch by clicking here or take a look at some of our past projects here.
Add Pingback