The Smart-Savvy Entrepreneur's Download - an issue you don't want to miss!

February 24, 2009

VOL 1. Issue No. 6

"Email Etiquette in a 140 Character World"

Greetings!

In an age of user generated communities such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and the like, as well as SMS, (i.e. text messaging) new neuropath ways are being forged and our minds are quickly adapting to need for speed. Quick, short-and-sweet, and simple messages are the requirement of Web 2.0 technology. Why say in 500 words what you can say in a 10-word tweet?

If you are new to the social media scene, or experienced, you know what I mean when you really want to say it right but are limited to 140 characters. If you don't want half of your message truncated, you'd better cut some vowels, intros, and the typical socially acceptable pleasantries. It is within this context that we now have to shift our behavior from the social media world, to the office, or written letter where more substance is required.

If you have your "feeds" on your desktop, then sporadically during the day you are tweeting, friending and updating your status. Then the office email comes through, and the need for netiquette becomes the only acceptable way to communicate. So, I thought I'd share a few reminders about netiquette so that the old synapses aren't affected by permafrost!

Email Etiquette (Netiquette)

Remember your tone when sending an email. If you're at work, your boss is still your boss, and your team is still looking for a leader.
Avoid the use of ALL CAPS because it looks like you're yelling.
When you open an obnoxious message, it's likely a joke gone bad, so hold back on the replies, and avoid sarcasm in your message, as these may be misinterpreted.
Sometimes a smile can temper a tough message, so include emoticons when appropriate (smilies, etc.) - for a list visit http://net.gurus.com/netiquette webpage.
If you must forward a message, be sure to include only the "mission critical" portion and truncate other email addresses from the previous message.

Social Media Etiquette - My take on Facebook:

It's a two-way medium, meaning you were given access to "friends" because they acknowledged you as a "friend", so be kind, responsive and considerate
Show your face and save logos and business post for your business page, remember, it's a "social" network and some take offense to business promotions
The community is enriched by the users within them, so share what you've learned, know, or are doing that could benefit others, but be cautious that it's not always about you
I love to know what folks are up to, so share your status and keep it real!

Instead of going on and on and repeating what has already been said, take a look at this post: Etiquette in the Age of Social Media (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/etiquette-in-the-age-of-social-media/)

If you have something to add to this article, please go to The Virtual Wire (http://thevirtualwire.com) and add your comments live to today's post!

Now that you have learned some great tips for making your emails a little more polished, it's time to sign up for Lisa Almeida's exciting call: "Email Marketing Made Simple: The Most Effective and Least Expensive Way to Build Loyal Relationships." You will learn how you turn this simple tool into a great business building asset!