Dear ladies and gentlemen, nowadays our social activities rely more and more on internet. As we all agree that a new space of human interactions also means new etiquette rules. So, let’s review together the new rules for online social networking.
Email etiquette
In most cases, we live and work with people through emails. But do you know the rules and the faux-pas we should avoid?
1 Check your mail subjects before sending or responding to a message. It will help the receiver to know what it is about from the first sight, and thus increases the opening rate.
2 Watch the primary recipients and cc recipients when sending emails. Some email addresses may go to a group but the address looks like it is just one person. And don’t continue to include people if the messages have become a 2-way conversation.
3 Be especially careful with sarcasm and humour. Remember that the recipient is a human being whose culture, language, and humor may have different points of reference from your own. Remember that date formats, measurements, and idioms may not travel well. Be conservative in what you send and liberal in what you receive.
4 Respond in a timely fashion. Depending on the nature of the e-mail and the sender, responding within 24 to 48 hours is acceptable. And also keep in mind that your recipients also have other emergencies and may not give you an immediate reply.
5 Your signature in email takes the place of your name card. But you don’t have to list all your contact info, otherwise the recipients may be confused. Keep the rule that your signature need to be short and precise.
Online chatting
Almost all of you will use wechat or QQ or other online chatting apps in your daily communication. Have you ever thought about the etiquette rules we need to follow when we use these apps?
1 If you are in a chatting group for working, please use your real name in the group. This is the basis of credibility.
2 Explain the reason in the invitation message when add new friends. Once you have been accepted, greet him/her and explain more in detail.
3 Ask the other’s permission before sending voice messages, especially when you are dealing with clients. Avoid sending several messages all at once, and avoid sending voice messages in group chats.
4 Use emoji and stickers smartly and be careful with internet chatting languages.
1. Don’t flood the screen with vulgar stickers
2. Follow the new rules of emoji, the real meaning of the emoji is usually different with its official meaning
3. Try to understand how to use the internet language and the meaning behind it.
4. Be careful with punctuation marks. People may interpret them into different meanings if you only send punctuation marks as your response
5. Respond other’s message in 24 hours, and also give others up to one day to respond your message. In professional occasions, it is not polite to write to professional relations before 9 am or after 9 pm unless they asked for it!
Ladies and gentlemen, it is important for everyone to keep a healthy and harmonious environment online. Is there any other etiquette rule that you want to share with us? Please leave us a comment!
