Email Etiquette

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Email Etiquette and Change:
Technology Demands You be Open to Change or Stay on the Dark Side

Are you a survivor? I've had the above quote on my consulting site for some time. And I've included it in my various writings because I think it brings home a point that a good portion of those who are currently online have failed to realize. When it comes to online and change many prefer to seek out the information that caters to their weaknesses or what they are willing to deal with rather than embrace the reality of participation. These weaknesses more times than not are simply additional knowledge and skill acquisition. Both of which have to be consistently worked at.

Basically, change is defined as becoming different or undergoing an alteration. Change in the past decade has been a large part of how we live, how we do business and now how we communicate and use the tools that technology has made available to us. Unfortunately, in my experience, what I all to often see is strong and intelligent individuals who put great effort into not embracing change. Actually, the amount of effort they put into resisting change could have been very well used to implement the necessary changes that could make them more enjoyable to communicate with and more successful in both their personal and professional online activities.

Neglecting to embrace the necessary changes that technology requires for anyone to succeed online and communicate properly will have a negative effect on an individual's overall experience. It is those very same individuals who then expect those who have embraced technology and have made the appropriate effort in developing new habits and skills to then cater to their lack of desire to do the same. That attitude is simply not considerate nor is it one that is conducive to thriving online. If you want to use technology for its benefits, you need to change. And change requires effort; ongoing consistent effort. This includes not falling for misconceptions from unreliable sources such as spam, "my friend says" or unsubstantiated Web sites just because they cater to what is easiest for you to deal with. You need to become a common sense independent thinker willing to learn new things or you can very easily fall prey to those who want you to stay on the "dark side".

What exactly is the dark side? The side where one decides that they are not willing to learn or gain new skills - it is their way or no way and deal with it. And gosh forbid if you are one of those who actually mention these issues or expected them to want to grow and learn to use technology properly - you then become labeled the bad guy! The side where one refuses to improve their skills to use technology properly and communicate with clarity. The side where, because you don't care to make the effort to acquire the proper knowledge, you end up appearing to be uneducated and uncourteous.

If you are online for business, you will not succeed without the proper knowledge and skills to use technology for your business' health. Sure you can find a Web site or "Web Designer" who will cater to whatever level of effort you prefer to make. That certainly does not mean that you will succeed. With all the scams online, it is critical and imperative that you provide the perception of professionalism and technology knowledge that ensures those you communicate with know that you do in fact know what you are doing and are credible and reliable.

If you are online simply to communicate with friends or family, not opening your mind to learning a few things in regard to email etiquette and proper technology use could very well cause those who love you most to cringe when they see your name in their inbox. Forwarding of endless emails that really are not at all specific to a friend or family member other than the email says to do so is the one issue that causes the most distress amongst those that care about each other. Another is changing your font size and/or color based on your personal preferences reflecting no consideration to the fact you are making your emails more difficult to read is another gripe I commonly hear through my site.

Technology and change will move on without you. This is a fact and no way around it. You can be strong, you can be intelligent - but if you are not willing to go through the required change, albeit sometimes frustrating as all get out - you will not enjoy or have a pleasant online experience. If you don't change, it will become clear to those who you do come in contact with that you've made the decision to not embrace the skills and knowledge participation requires of each of us. This isn't rocket science! It is only a matter of making the appropriate effort. Words like lazy, inconsiderate, uneducated and rude are just a few of the terms that could end up being how you are perceived.

Most are intelligent; many are strong. But only those that make an effort to go through the process of accepting and implementing change are those who are truly smart.

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