Other Popular Posts: PR as Sales Collateral Branding Monks/Message Scribes Email The Scoopdog Team
If you like the read, 
please subscribe to my RSS feed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(Read time = 3-4 minutes) Please, someone tell me (send me the link, even better) to the Emily who’s Post(ing) about 2.0 etiquette for the majority of us 1.0’ers! Over Starbucks and a midday break, I was struck by the number of Bluetooths and iPhones juxtaposed with patrons holding the “old-media” WSJ two-sheets wide while sipping their cup ‘o Joe. For those of us outside the boundaries of Silicon Valley (or Silicon Mountain or Silicon Triangles), the intrusion of social media is poised to add one more confusing layer to an already crowded business day of meetings, emails, conference calls, and power point presentations.
Striking a workable balance while (first) learning (then) gleaning value from Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Digg and Del.ic.ious, et. Al. looms large (and heck, since I’m mostly living/working outside all those “silicon somethings”, I don’t even know what I don’t know…). Some are just discovering Blackberries and IM; now there’s bosses who want to “friend” us on Facebook…
Nine Steps to Transition to Digital Etiquette
1. Whatever the forum (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), don’t add comments unless you are advancing the conversation. The old adage applies: if you can’t say something meaningful, listen and stay quiet.
2. Do I have to Respond? Of course not, no. Many times, the ping is just a “virtual smile” passing in the hallway. You have to learn to recognize the difference and respond when it’s obvious that you’re being asked a question. Become a frequent user of the “ignore button”.
3. It’s ok to follow your boss, and follow your boss’s boss. “Following” (another way of saying link to, friend…) is a way to stay informed and suck up at the same time. Just keep in mind if they follow you back, your comments will be seen/read.
4. Loose the earpiece. Bluetooth headsets are so conspicuously self-indulgent, at least when you’re not really talking/on a conversation. It’s so “look at me”, and so yesterday.
5. You can never have too many friends (Facebook) or too many followers (Twitter). Louis Gray, a silicon valley bleeding edge blogger says it best (paraphrasing): “…never know who you’ll meet, who has value…” why risk limiting your opportunity for a relationship…”
6. It’s ok to email during meetings and/or text during conversations – but only if you’re being inclusive and adding content and/or someone to the session that otherwise couldn’t attend. Hitting Fandango or StubHub for weekend tickets is not acceptable.
7. Run a Twitter client in your desktop background. Occasionally, you’ll discover a real gem and it’s always more fun than looking at any of Microsoft’s wallpaper choices.
8. Once you’re wired, pay attention to your personal space (and that of others). The combination of ringtones, call alerts, blinking Bluetooth connections and too public cell phone conversations make you a walking annoyance. Strive to manage your profile small.
9. Finally, once you ARE wired and feeling like you’ve adapted to/joined 2.0 in all its glory – step back and evaluate yourself for an Xtreme Digital Makeover. Seriously, do you really want prospective employers the photos that your kid tagged to you w/out thinking or asking. Nothing wrong with a little “brand tuning” at the personal level.
The workplace is always evolving, 2.0 is just the latest intrusion. What will be most interesting to observe in the next few years will be Gen Y’ers coming of business-hire age. They’ve known nothing but 24/7 connectivity, and as social scientists know – habits learned are habits difficult to break. Should be an interesting clash as today’s mid-managers begin assimilation to the always-on workplace as the norm, not the exception.
The Borg had it right… resistance will be futile.
*****************************************************************************
Welcome! If you like/are interested in B2B Marketing, the Agency-Client Relationship discussion and/or other Marcom mysteries, please subscribe to my RSS feed.
B2B Marketing Savvy: ScoopDog's Blog 
08/17/2009 at 9:23 am
This is great stuff. I’m in Silicon Valley and no one has published a list of common sense behaviors. I hope that as people add to the list you’ll update the rest of us hopeless boobs.
I’m going to share this with my PR students. As soon as they get done writing their mid-term.
Chuck
08/17/2009 at 9:39 am
Great article! This topic is very near and dear to my heart. Digital etiquette is a very small piece of the much larger topic coined as; “Digital Citizenship.” I’ve been teaching Digital Citizenship for many years at the university level both to university faculty and college students. The reason we have to teach this topic at the university level is because we have to catch adults up to the level that most current 8th graders are at themselves. =)
Pieces of Digital Citizenship were part of the International Society for Technology in Education’s National Educational Technology Standards for Students (ISTE NET*S) written in 1998. The No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) that was passed into law in 2001 has a requirement for ALL students to be technologically literate by 8th grade. (NCLB, Title II, D Goal 2-A http://bit.ly/cR1yT) The actual term “Digital Citizenship” was written explicitly into ISTE NET*S in 2007. http://bit.ly/YsfpQ . K-12 schools around the world have adopted these standards for digital literacy and digital citizenship and have incorporated them into their required curriculum. All public school in the US receiving federal dollars MUST report 8th grade technology proficiency scores as part of the NCLB law.
Mike Ribble, a good friend and colleague of mine, owns the term “Digital Citizenship” on Google and has done a lot of research, publishing, and teaching on this topic. He is also from Kansas – just like me =). For more information on Digital Citizenship go to Mike Ribble’s website: http://www.digitalcitizenship.net
I’m not really sure if the workplace can prepare for these digital citizens or just move over and become obsolete while digital citizens create their own workspaces because you are right; resistance is futile.
08/17/2009 at 12:10 pm
Last month, Beth Harte started a discussion on LinkedIn called “Drive-by blog pimping and other shameless self-promotion”. I have been thinking about this topic quite a bit since this discussion started. It really has me stopping and questioning any post or comment I make before I click the submit button, and for that I thank you Beth.
What I find interesting is the comparison that is often made between in-person social/networking events and online social networking. Eric said “Blog pimping is no different than walking in to your neighbor’s party and telling everyone to come over to your place because the drinks are better”. And I have heard people say, “You wouldn’t just walk up to a group of people at a netwroking event and just start handing out your business cards and pushing your products, would you”?
Well, I wouldn’t do either of those things, but I have been to enough social events to know that there are plenty of people out there that do. So, I don’t imagine that people who behave that way in person would behave any differently online.
It would be an interesting socio/psychological study to analyze the way people express themselves online both personally and professionally and how that relates to their “true personality”.
08/17/2009 at 12:53 pm
Morgan brings up an interesting comparison of “meat world” behaviours vs digital ones. Those of us of a certain age had mentors (sometimes our BFFs) who helped us learn the social graces, but most learned through painful and embarrassing trial and error. The good news was that the group you were embarrassed in front of was often small and local and you could move out into the great wide world with no lasting damage done. Not so in the digital world! Faux pas online may follow you for life….
It pays to keep your initial network to those who will gently correct you and not point and laugh.
08/17/2009 at 2:23 pm
Kerri – You make a very good point about learning social graces from your mentors. One of the hardest things about teaching/learning digital etiquette is that the people that are most savvy with digital tools are usually the least experienced with social etiquette or business savvy. It is really important that the technically experienced people work with the social skilled/business savvy people and provide two-way mentoring when developing digital etiquette.
I also agree with you on how big your digital footprint is online. It is very easy to put your digital foot in your mouth but when you do you can seldom swallow because of how big it really is.
08/18/2009 at 4:25 pm
A couple of years ago, my jaw dropped when I saw a guy having dinner with his wife/girlfriend with his Bluetooth device stuck in his ear. I couldn’t believe his female companion would put up with such rudeness. To me, it’s like wearing a hat at the table: wrong! But you see them everywhere. I’m sorry, nobody gets that many calls that they can’t take the thing out once in awhile.
The other thing that ticks me off is The Loud Lady on Cell Phone in the Lingerie Aisle. Is the sound reproduction so bad on her phone that she has to talk at full busy-urban-street level? I’ve been tempted to chime in on her conversation but never had the nerve. But what a nerve to impose her conversation on everybody in the store!
08/18/2009 at 11:57 pm
Couldn’t disagree more with #6 above.
E-mailing and texting while in a F2F meeting is not only rude, but stupid–you’re showing your peers and, perhaps, your bosses, that what they’re saying is of no interest to you. If I were a manager at a large company and saw someone so obviously not paying attention to me, I’d take note and that person’s future corporate success would be affected.
If they’re not in the meeting to begin with, then odds are someone felt they weren’t important enough to include. Or, perhaps it’s just their own loss for missing the meeting. Either way, fill them in afterwards–not during.
As for doing it in the middle of a private conversation? If you were talking F2F with someone and–without a word said to you–they suddenly leave you to go talk to someone else (without even having the grace to say something like, “Excuse me, I see someone I must talk to before they leave”) wouldn’t you feel insulted? People who treat others this way–IOW, with so little respect–are revealing a serious character flaw and demonstrating how little personal honor they possess.
I can’t see how texting and/or e-mailing in a F2F conversation could be considered anything different. You’re sending the message that you don’t care about what the other person is saying. That’s not just rude–it’s insulting.
Very few things in life are so urgent that they need to be communicated immediately.
Steven Spenser
Principal, Praxis Communication/Seattle
08/19/2009 at 7:14 am
The point being made is to use available technology to be inclusive/additive as provides value to the conversation. Your world is very different than I observe if every meeting is attended by all invitees and valued contributors. Just too many overlaps.. If there’s no value add, I (and the post) agree that action should be out-of-bound. As to personal/F2F discussion, again – if there’s additive value I’m all for inclusion and believe the business community will be transformed by this “new normal” behavior as teens/20-somethings move to the workforce and bring with them their full embrace of tool to extend conversation, virtually.
08/20/2009 at 6:41 am
[…] Other Popular Posts: Article Digest #1 Branding & Soccer Moms Digital Etiquette Email The Scoopdog […]
08/24/2009 at 6:22 am
[…] media | Leave a Comment Other Popular Posts: Article Digest #1 Branding & Soccer Moms Digital Etiquette Email The Scoopdog […]