Online manners are important for many reasons. In business, good online manners help you to build rapport and make it easier to get your message across clearly.
Acknowledge people
In online meetings, emails and via SMS start by saying acknowledging others. Addressing people by their name helps to build rapport. It also demonstrates that you’re aware you’re in communication with actual people, rather than just sending your orders / wishes out into the universe. Often, because you don’t see the people you deal with online, it’s easy to forget that you’re dealing with a real person who might be having their own difficult day.
Sign off your emails and texts
One of my pet peeves when done via SMS. Assuming that a recipient of your missive will know that it’s from you is quite arrogant. If you aren’t certain that the recipient has your number stored in their phone, or knows exactly who you are from your email address – then you should take that extra 5 seconds and type your name at the end of your message. You can even set it up as part of your email signature.
No visual clues
Remember that the reader can’t read your body language and facial expressions, so your funny, funny joke may appear rude to a reader. Be very cautious about the language you use in written communication
Watch the emoji
Emoji are a fun way to express yourself, but you need to be a little careful of their use in a business setting. An occasional smiley / sad face / frowny face to clarify the meaning of a sentence in a casual conversation isn’t a terrible thing. To have a professional conversation sprinkled with emoji makes you look unprofessional – unless your brand and ideal customer are in the younger demographic.
Basic Manners
Use please and thank you liberally. They cost nothing but help make you memorable. They also let the people you deal with know that you appreciate their time and assistance.
Also, if you have a problem or need to have an uncomfortable conversation with someone, it’s better to raise it personally if possible, or if not via a phone call.
Don’t use all caps
All caps are considered to be shouting. So, while you may just want to draw attention to something, be aware that you may just be the online one of those people standing outside a dodgy shop yelling at people to come on in.
Private? Not quite
Online isn’t private. Sure, you might have tight security settings and share something with a group of close friends. But it’s still easy for one person to take a screenshot of something and share it publicly and your security settings mean nothing. You also need to bear in mind that everything you post online may well be around forever. I for one, am very glad that the bad decisions of my teens and early twenties were made in a pre-internet era!
Sending emails
Don’t send an email with many email addresses in the To field. If the people don’t all need to know everybody else’s email address, send them in BCC (blind carbon copy).
It’s also a clever idea to not send an email when you’re angry. If someone has upset you, by all means type up a response, but delete their email address from the To: box first so there’s no chance of the email sending accidentally. Then wait until you’ve cooled down and check the email for a more rational tone and for any spelling and grammar errors before you send it. You may even want to sleep on it overnight to give yourself a chance to choose the right phrasing for what you want to say.
So there you are, 10 things that will show that have a good grasp of online manners and that will help you develop good and productive relationships.
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