Tired of classmates from primary school requesting to be your friend on Facebook? Found yourself having a passive-aggressive argument via a comment thread on a blog or forum? Sick of seeing incessant drivel coming through on Twitter?
Well it’s time the social web grew up, went to finishing school, learnt some manners, and to paraphrase the famous Ron Burgundy, “stayed classy”.
Our presence on online social networks has intensified the impact of our interactions with family, friends and associates. We are now able to locate, connect, and contact people at a increased speed which has resulted in a new set of expectations for social encounters online.
The etiquette of ignoring, friending, unfriending (the Oxford Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year), tagging, poking and liking correctly while not accruing Championship Creepy points for your behaviour is still evolving.
I recently discussed some of the most common social-networking faux pas and how to avoid them during my fortnightly segment with Kelly-Higgins Devine on ABC 612 Brisbane.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Have a listen by clicking the play button above and tell me any stories you have experienced when you’ve been put into an awkward situation on a online social networking site.
Whether it was overaggressive friending by people you don’t really have a connection with or someone oversharing the information they have disclosed to their entire friend list then I’d love to hear about it.
Anthony Dever is BCM’s Interactive Strategist
