June 29th, 2010 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders | No Comments
Tags: business, etiquette, facebook, photos
The subject line in your e-mail account says a friend commented on a
photo of you on Facebook. You click to open it and the message is brief:
“Wow. That’s all I can say.” You don’t remember taking a
“wow” photo. So before you bother to open the list of similar
e-mail subject lines of comments on a photo, you feel compelled to stop
what you’re doing to log in to Facebook.
I don’t know about you, but every time I get an e-mail notifying me that someone has viewed a photo
of me on Facebook, I get an unsettling feeling. It doesn’t subside,
until I log onto the site and view what is usually a group photo at an
event.
With more than 400 million users, Facebook is among the most
trafficked websites in the world. According to the site’s stats, the
average user has 130 friends and creates more than 70 pages of content
each month, including updating posts and adding photos. Social
networking continues to grow fast, but too often common courtesy isn’t
on the radar.
Whether you adopt a real-world friends and former acquaintances only
policy, or an everyone welcome social networking policy, remember
what’s available online stays available.
Consider these gentle reminders and tips:
First and foremost, remember that the Internet is public space. Adjust
privacy settings, so that tagged photos are available to that person
only and not all of their friends. Even then, remember that photos are
often passed around by others.
Don’t tag photos of your friends that could get them in trouble.
Think about threatening someone’s job before adding drunken party
photos.
Ask permission before posting photos of your friends. Just because your
friend saw you snapping pictures in the comfort of a home or social
gathering, doesn’t mean they know an inappropriate or unflattering
photo might be linked to their name online. It could be embarrassing,
both personally and professionally.
Remember, what you consider an innocent photo with good intentions, could be highly upsetting to another party. What if you posted a photo of a co-workers child during a “take your child to work” day. Without seeking permission, you’d have no way of knowing that your colleague fervently opposes having their child’s photo posted online.
Pictures can only be manually removed by the person who posted it. But
they can be available to employers and peers for quite some time. If you
have any doubts about posting a photo, there’s always a quick remedy.
Ask first, then abide by their wishes.
April 30th, 2010 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders, uncategorized | No Comments
Tags: conventions, cruise ship, etiquette, networking, tradeshows
If you’ve ever been a cruise, you know that it’s like living in a big fantasy land vessel – at least for several days. Sunshine, tranquil views and crashing waves, make it easy for people to step out of their comfort zones and walk up to people to start conversations. Not only is it expected, it happens naturally. Suddenly everyday citizens could teach networking at it’s finest. They’ve got it down with smiles, good eye contact, firm (but not crushing) handshakes, short introductions and good listening skills.
If only it were this easy networking for business, especially at tradeshows and conventions. It really can be. Here’s the deal. No matter what field of business you’re in, the way you speak and communicate is fundamental to how you’re perceived. People who use incorrect grammar, or talk mostly about themselves are seen in less than positive light.
Being a good conversationalist though isn’t really about eloquence. It’s about adaquately hearing others and getting your message across. It sounds simple. But it’s vital to conducting business.
When you’re an indifferent listener, how can you possibly even remember someone’s name?
Think about it. People on cruise ships make an effort to remember names or at least identifying factors. It doesn’t matter if you say “Hey KC. Or, “How are you doing today New Zealand?,” people understand the impact of making connections. They get the importance of 15 second introductions. They are on vacation, so they embrace peace and don’t talk just to fill up dead air. But they seem to always have a few conversation topics, so they’re never caught short without something to talk about. And they know that the best way to reduce social anxiety is to focus on the other person.
It took a cruise vacation to remind me that when you encourage someone to talk – by listenng and asking thoughtful questions – you almost always find out things that you wouldn’t learn if you dominated a conversation. More importantly, you leave a much more favorable impression.
January 5th, 2010 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders | No Comments
Tags: corporate, etiquette, gift, holiday, thank you
It’s that time of the year again. People are busy cleaning off desks and writing out goals and New year’s resolutions. But not so fast. Don’t forget about acknowledging corporate holiday gifts.
I’m not talking about small gifts that you gave to a host or hostess at a holiday party. In that case, your gift of chocolates, a holiday CD or even a personal note is an appropriate thank you for the invitation.
I’m referring to gifts from clients – like wine or gift baskets – sent as a token of appreciation for doing business with you. People are busy during the holidays and immediately afterwards. That said, it doesn’t matter if it’s two weeks later or more, find a way to mention that you received the gift. In this case, a quick e-mail works just as well as a casual mention the next time you have a face-to-face meeting with the client.
A friend recently told me that one client has never once acknowledged expensive bottles of wine she sends every year during the holiday. And I’ve never gotten over tales from a retail wine and gift basket business owner. At least once a week he gets a call from customers who wonder whether their gift was received. During the holidays, those calls increase to three to five times a week.
Unfortunately, in 20 years of business, there were only a couple of times when the gift was not delivered. That means the store owner has had to hear three words countless times:”Are you sure?” No one wants to believe that people can be so ungrateful.
Gift giving in work environments is already tricky. People often wonder if they should send gifts to bosses or colleagues. No one wants to appear like they’re brown-nosing – or worse – make the recipient uncomfortable. And of course it’s inappropriate to give a gift to a prospect. But when a gift is appropriate, whether it’s a holiday, your company’s anniversary, or the anniversary of when you started doing business with the client, is it really too much to ask to acknowledge you received it?
October 31st, 2009 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders | No Comments
Tags: etiquette, halloween, thank you
Halloween is a time when witches, divas and superheros venture out for trick-or-treating. It’s also a time when you meet a lot of ungrateful munchkins. You know the ones. They come to your house in search of goodies, and before you know it, they’re off to the next house — without saying thank you.
It’s just wrong. But it especially stings when people go out of their way with elaborate halloween decorations. Those are the ones who give the best candy. Instead of getting a quick “thank-you” they hear things like: “Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, what you got for me to eat?”
Is a simple, heartfelt, “thank-you” really too much to ask? The same goes for business.
Some people are so busy that they forget how much it means to show appreciation for kind deeds, whether it’s a secretary or a vendor who produced on your behalf. Personally, I’ll take a thank-you any way I can get it — e-mail or a phone call. But there’s nothing like a short handwritten note. Not only does it impress people – because most people won’t do it – it makes people want to do things for you in the future. It might just mean they’ll take your call the next time you reach out to them. Or it might mean they’ll go out of their way to help you in the future.
No matter how busy you are, take a moment and say thank-you. But if you really want to leave an impression, or possible get a future referal, send a thank you note. Keep a box of thank you cards and stamps in your desk drawer to make follow-up easy.
September 3rd, 2009 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders | No Comments
Tags: acronyms, e-mail, etiquette
No. That’s my immediate response, seeing that a colleague recently complained that she read several in an e-mail and didn’t know what most of them meant.
An e-mail is a business communication tool that should be treated with the same respect as any other business document you
write. It’s inconsiderate to run the risk of confusing and frustrating an e-mail recipient just to save a few keystrokes.
Subject lines are the only place you should put abbreviations, because it might help tell your story and entice people to read your e- mail among all the clutter. Even then make sure it’s something you know the reader will recognize, like “FYI.”
With that said, business etiquette is not about a set of iron-clad rules. It’s about being considerate. So if you know the recipient well, and you’re sure they know that “FWIW” means: For what it’’s worth; or “TTYL” means: Talk to you later – go for it.
Younger generations have grown up with instant messaging and texting on phones. It’s common in texting to use abbreviations like, “BRB” for “Be Right Back” or “ROTFL” for “Rolling on the Floor Laughing.” But business communication should be totally different.
In personal e-mails to friends, write how you want. But in business, I high recommend not using abbreviations.
FWIW – For what it’s worth -Why risk annoying the reader, by forcing them to take time to look up an abbreviation or ask someone. If you insist, make sure it’s common, like RE: short for “concerning.”
August 15th, 2009 | Posted in Kudos & Blunders | No Comments
Tags: etiquette, events, invitations, social networking
Yes. Spamming people is a big no-no. There’s no shortage of ways to annoy so-called “friends” on Facebook. Some people tend to overshare, reporting every meal they’ve eaten or weather condition they’ve experienced. It’s easy for business owners to fall into the same category when they send out tons of notices about events or invitations related to their business.
Determining what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable is not always easy with social networking, primarily because the rules are still being written and people use the sites for different reasons. Lines blur. You should be passionate about your business and personal life. Offering a glimpse of what makes you you, can have business benefits – like strengthening relationships. People like to do business with people they like.
It’s cool to offer an interesting link from a trade publication that moved you. But even then, the key is sending it out only to people who would most likely care. It’s OK to send out a quick note or business related question to your entire network if it’s relevant to a lot of people – or at least won’t be considered a nuisance.
Facebook offers a feature that allows you to create a group for a business concern. But it defeats the purpose when you invite everyone in your network to join. They’re designed as a gathering place to discuss common interests. People can only take so much time from their day. So before you start typing away, ask yourself whether anyone is likely to care about your comment – especially if it involves religion or politics.
Cindy Earl, a business marketing and publicity expert, said what she considers spam -or a nuisance- is when small business owners create events like tele-seminars or workshops specifically to promote their business, and then proceed to invite every single one of their Facebook friends. “It’s a problem because it can be perceived as spam by some of your “friends’ who may have no interest in your topic or event. I see itevery day and it can get quite annoying if you get a lot of these invitations every day. In fact, you risk being “de-friended” and losing the relationships you’ve been trying so hard to build with people online,” she said.
The president of Corner Your Market Cleveland, is a firm believer in getting people’s permission before you market to them. She equates it to adding someone to your e-mail list without their permission. “It’s completely unacceptable… Hitting people over the head with your message is the old way of marketing,” she said.
