Online Etiquette: Be the Same Person Online as You are Face to Face

Free speech is a right, but we forget about online etiquette. There is a lack of self-editing and self-policing when people post online, especially now on social networking sites. There has been a plethora of great social media websites and other ventures created to produce organic growth online and connecting people together. But some people ruin it for others when they do not watch what they are posting.

Instead of people simply being civilized and sharing their thoughts, they are screaming their message at you with CAPITAL LETTERS and useless information that is rarely based on fact. They are using the Internet as a mask so they can do what they please without consequence.

Craigslist was originally intended for people to post stuff they wanted to sell or give away, so people from all regions could engage. Recently, the site has been a source of spam; when people post their listings online, their inbox instantly becomes filled with people spamming them, sending rude messages that have nothing to do with the listing they are “responding” to. It would be a completely different story if people were acting the same way they do when in a group setting, without a computer in front of them.

For example, the message “Get paid $1000 a day working from home” used to be in pop ups and banner ads; now it occasionally makes its way on to Facebook and Craigslist. If you went to a business or social event and while you were chatting with people about work, you slip into the conversation “Hey, did you know you can make $1000 a day when you work at home? I do it and it’s great!” You’d be outside the gathering before you could give your fake testimonial.

When people are talking face to face they think about what they say, but for some strange reason they lose that common sense when they get behind a computer.

The next time you engage with people via your computer don’t forget about online etiquette. Be the same person when you are typing that email, social post, or advertisement, as you would face to face.