The following article is reprinted from the May 2009 Plugged In column of Society of American Florists' (SAF) Floral Management Magazine. SAF's Floral Management is distributed to more than 11,000 SAF members and is the floral industry's premier floral business practices publication.
YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT TYPING E-MAILS IN ALL CAPS IS BAD FORM, RIGHT? And you're aware that, just like that "caps lock" key, your cell phone should be turned off during meetings.
But, as we wise up to the basics of electronic etiquette, phones get smarter and texts come from more directions. An instant refresher course - by the way - seems in order.
Dialed Out
The genius of smartphones is they allow you to do things that once required a computer. They also allow you to do things that once might have gotten you fired or slapped. Would you be talking to your best friend about a hockey score in the middle of a meeting or romantic din- ner? No. So don't send an e-mail, text or photo during those, either.
If you absolutely must stay con- nected, inform others in the meeting that you expect an "urgent" message. Disable the ringer if the phone has a visual cue and put it in view of everyone. If it lights up, wait until you're out of the room to answer. That way, your interruption will be expected. (And the gesture will be appreciated.) If your phone can't light up, set it to vibrate.
The Cons of Text
Texting while talking sends this message to the person unlucky enough to be in your company: You are not important. Unless you want to be without friends, coworkers or customers, disengage those thumbs.
A few other tasks that don't mix with texts: driving, designing, walking, biking, drinking or elliptical-machine riding. Doing so is annoying and danger- ous. If you had so many pressing calls to make or e-mails to send, why come to the meeting/convention/recital in the first place?
Keep texts tight. Any message more than 160 characters should be sent in an e-mail. Texts are for quick responses and FYI-type missives, not thoughtful responses about business issues that employees and customers need to easily organize and save.
And, we're not j/k - just kidding - when we say that abbreviations are often misinterpreted, misunderstood, disregarded or perceived as unprofessional. Best to spell them out - or leave them out. Most abbreviations are nonessen- tial phrases, cute cliches or salutations that could be left untyped. (IMHO: If it really is your humble opinion, keep it to yourself.)
I'm IM-ing: It's OK
For some, instant messaging is a mission-critical tool to communicate in "real-time." IMs are meant to be short, to the point and fewer than 250 characters (about 40 words). A good rule is no more than two thoughts per IM.
Opening an IM window is basically telling fellow chatters you're available. That's the default status. If you're not accessible in an instant, make that abundantly clear so you don't appear unresponsive. Religiously update your status indicator and be specific. "In a meeting" is better than "away from desk" or "unavailable."
Always ask your online buddy (the term used by AIM, iChat and most IM providers), if he or she has time to chat. If the response is "busy," respect it.
Though IM may be the birthplace of LOL, you should still use real words, proper capitalization and punctuation for business IMs. Emoticons, also born from IM, can be effective timesavers, but they do a terrible job of conveying intention, such as humor or sarcasm. And really, do you want a smiley face with a tongue sticking out to be the image you project?
Instant does not mean ephemeral. Anything written in an IM, e-mail or text can be saved and re-sent. Mind your language and seriously consider sending content of a sensitive nature.
Good Ol' Fashioned E-mail
Do not use your work account as your personal one. Some friends and family might not think twice before sending huge attachments, questionable links or racy photos, along with hidden viruses and malware. Use the myriad free e-mail ser- vices to set up a personal account, instead.
E-mails should have proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Keep them concise and on topic. Avoid ambiguous subject lines. If you send to more than 10 people, put their addresses in the bcc: field and your address in the to: field. Avoid replying to all unless necessary. Try not to delete any of the mes- sage thread. If you can, reply within a day's time. Re-read your message before hitting "send."
Don't forward chain letters or ask to recall a message. (It's out there, deal with it.) Avoid requesting deliver and read receipts. Don't abuse the "high priority" option or send attachments larger than five megabytes.
Have any texting or BlackBerry pet peeves? Send them to along@safnow. org. She's in a meeting now, but prom- ises to get right back to you.
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