Basic Email and Forum Netiquette
Lifehacker posted this list of basic online etiquette with users' personal lives in mind, but the list is equally important, or more so for use in your online marketing campaigns. Their etiquette rules include:
- Learn the rules and read the archives.
- Don't rehash old issues.
- Avoid "me-too" posts.
- Quote relevant text only in replies.
- Take care with "out-of-office" replies.
- Not everybody will agree on everything.
Read the full article to get more detail on each of those points.
Excellent advice, all of it. Many companies looking to enter or expand their online profile will turn to forums and email lists, and the increasingly net-savvy users are even less tolerant of "improper" behavior from companies than from other users.
What other netiquette rules have you discovered that should be on this list?
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1 comments:
For your online marketing campaign, it's especially important to notice whether a forum has a "no product promotion" rule. Most of the forums on 4specs.com have that rule, explicitly. Even if there's no stated rule, be sure to read the threads carefully to see whether others promote products there, and how the other forum members respond if they do.
That being said, there are appropriate ways to make contact with forum users who need your product. "Does anyone know a product that can do such-and-such?" someone asks. You can respond, "Our AcmePro line does that. Email me at AcmePro@acme.com so that I can help you pick the right product." Don't extol the product's virtues, just make contact. If your response is low-key and specific to the topic, you'll be adding to your reputation and your visibility, without risking being considered a pest.
Other basics: Use your real name, and remember that everything you say is added to your online presence. Make sure it reflects well on you and your company.
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