Note from Matt: As MattFlies.com has taken off in terms of readership and overall internet domination, I decided to be proactive and add some authors. Brittany and Michelle will work together to add to what this site offers. I hope you’ll accept them like you have me! Drop them a line in the comments.
It’s easy to forget that online relationships are much like the relationships you have with friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Even though you’re not face-to-face with one another online, the same in-person social rules do apply.
Here are 3 situations you (hopefully) would never do in person but could, unknowingly, be doing online . . .
The Close Talker
Real-life situation: You’re at a networking event, and you’re enjoying yourself until Bob walks over and starts talking your ear off—literally two inches from your ear. You know those people who get within two inches of your face during a conversation, forcing you to slowly inch back—all the while praying they don’t notice your need for space? Awkward.
Online situation: Even though you can’t physically get in a person’s face online, you can invade their personal space. Everything from posting on an individual’s Facebook wall too often to constantly posting silly games on personal Facebook pages is an invasion of space. So are emailing prospects something about your product every day and uncontrollably direct messaging your twitter followers with your product information. Doing any of the above is a sure way to become the awkward follower.
The Obvious Thief
Real-life situation: You’re sitting at a restaurant, and you have a delicious plate of bruschetta you cannot wait to eat. It just so happens that bruschetta is the waiter’s absolute favorite and he’s starving. He approaches the table and says, “My, that looks delicious,” as he snags one right before you can smack his hand away in horror. Awkward.
Online situation: Don’t take what isn’t yours online and pass it off for one of your brilliant ideas. Give credit where it is due. Instead of taking content from others online without asking permission, react to their content. What is your opinion about the blog post or article you’ve just read? Share it with your Twitter or Facebook network, and offer your thoughts on the topic. Or write a reaction piece to someone else’s blog post or article.
The Uninvited Partygoer
Real-life situation: You’re in the middle of a conversation with an individual at a cocktail party, and someone magically appears to your right. A little awkward, but nothing that deters you from your conversation. Then, this uninvited partygoer emits a chuckle—despite the fact that no one said anything funny. Awkward.
Online situation: Listen before you interact. You’d be surprised how often people can get annoyed with you if you start acting buddy-buddy with them right off the bat. No matter the social media platform, ease yourself into the conversation. Get a feel for what is being discussed, the opinions of others, and what impact your comments may have on the conversation. If you post comments left and right without taking the time to listen to the conversation, you may be taking the discussion topic out of context and have a reaction to an idea that doesn’t exist in the current conversation.
Once you are familiar and comfortable with the conversation and its participants, you can slowly begin adding your two cents to the conversation. Once you get more and more involved in the conversation, relationships will form naturally.
Brittany Urbach is the Project Manager of Sūmèr, LLC, a company which specializes in web copy writing, SEO copywriting, and the promotion and marketing of websites after they launch. With grace and style, Brittany keeps projects flowing, manages client accounts, and is a social media fanatic.
Michelle Salater is an award-winning writer and president of Sūmèr, LLC, a company which specializes in web copy writing, SEO copywriting, and the promotion and marketing of websites after they launch. In 2009, she won the Charleston Business Journal’s Forty under 40 award for her business and community leadership.
