A site visitor was curious and pondered:
Any etiquette tips about declining invitations to “chat” or “connect” with someone?
Tailor your response based on if you know the person or not. If you know them, you can simply let them know you are busy and let them know when a good time to chat would be.
When it comes to declining invitations from those you don’t know (I don’t get that anyway but it does happen…) a simple but courteous reply such as “I’m sorry, I am not interested at this time — but thank you for contacting me.” will do just fine.
I do have an entire “courtesy” on IM (Instant Messaging) considerations on my site @:
How do you handle chat requests?
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Thank you, Judith, for that tip. I often wondered why people you don’t know, contact you without leaving a small message indicating their interest in making contact or who your mutual friend is – very simple.
Kind Regards,
Niamh O’Leary
Corporate Etiquette & International Protocol Adviser
Hey, Niamh:
Thanks for stopping by! I think part of the problem can also be attributed to, now more than ever, folks contacting those they don’t know for commercial gain. Those who do so as you describe miss the whole point that business is about relationships and *knowing* who you will be doing business with, right?
Thank you, Judith, for all the information and tips. They are very helpfull to my
home work. I would like to add a tip of my own if you don’t mind. When accepting instant messages from an unknown person be aware that instant messaging can be used to send viruses and spam. A friend of mine had this happen. The result was his computer became infected and he got kicked of of aol. The problem was fixed but not before tons of spam were sent out through his email that became infected.
Best Regards, Terrie Drayton
Hey, Terrie:
Thanks for your kind words and for the cautionary tale! If you don’t know the person — decline/delete!