Kelly Noble Mirabella
Digital marketer and co-author of Digital Etiquette For Dummies Kelly Noble Mirabella explains how digital etiquette can be applied for any platform.
Check out the other two pieces in this series: What Is Digital Etiquette and Digital Etiquette by Platform
The way we engage in email is going to be quite different from the way we engage in a group messaging app, or even text messaging in a group chat vs. a private message.
Overall, the guiding message should just be:
Don’t be mean. Think before you speak.
And remember that the internet is permanent, so anything you put on the internet—whether you’re in a private setting or not—can be screen shot or shared, and once it’s out there, it’s out there for good.
Before you post, take a breath and think to yourself: do I want to say this?
Especially if you’re in a heated moment—maybe you’re having an argument with someone over text or group messaging, maybe you saw something polarizing in a mom group—think, is it appropriate to engage? What will that do for you, and what will that do for the other person?
Nobody has ever had their mind changed from a Facebook argument. So just remember: your energy should be spent in better places than getting into arguments or posting things that aren’t for the world to see.
While anonymity is very much a part of the online world, there is a real person on the other end. Think about how you would act if that person were sitting across the table from you, and behave accordingly.
Kelly Noble Mirabella @Stellar247
Award-winning international speaker, content marketing expert, and co-author of Digital Etiquette for Dummies .