This not only affects private individuals in their own bubbles but also companies. On the one hand, everyone has to be online and available all the time, reacting immediately to requests and any contact. On the other, the relative anonymity offered by apps and social media encourages casual and even inappropriate behaviour. This is why cyberspace needs more “netiquette”.
Maintaining composure
The term netiquette is made up of the two terms “net” and “etiquette”. It is all about correct behaviour and appropriate communication on the internet and in comparable networks. People should be as friendly and respectful online as they would be in real life.
But netiquette covers so much more than that. It is about addressing the relevant target group in the right way, offering readable and comprehensible content and finding the right, clear phrasing. It is also about data security and respecting copyright. All of these are things that tend to get forgotten in the fast, virtual world.
Everything is possible but not always desirable
The internet and the countless possibilities of communicating have made everything more informal. It’s often the case that the tone used in private chat groups spills over into professional communication, and not just between team members but also into emails to customers and suppliers. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. To a certain extent, we are probably all more informal than we used to be – both in our professional and private lives.
It used to be that the same formal rules applied to everyone. But that’s not the case anymore. First names, last names, brief impersonal phrasing – anything goes these days. For companies, this presents two challenges. If everything is possible and is made possible, you quickly lose your profile and some people really dislike informal language. This is why every company should have a section on netiquette in their style guide.
Finding the right tone
As a minimum, netiquette guidelines should cover the following points:
- First names or last names: If you use first names, you’re closer to the customer and you meet on a level playing field. But older generations might not be happy with that. And in sectors where serious matters are discussed, an informal style of communication simply isn’t appropriate. It fits the image of a sports shop, for example, to be more casual and even use first names, but that wouldn’t sound right in a bank.
- Internal/external: A lot of companies like using first names because it promotes cohesion and collaboration. But companies should definitely make it clear whether this informal form of address is also something to be used outside the company.
- Emojis: These little symbols have become an integral part of lots of messages. They lighten up the text and give it an emotional context. There are now so many different emojis, however, that there is a risk of using them incorrectly. This is the case, for example, if a person decides to express their condolences with 😂 because it is “crying”. 🤯? Companies should think long and hard about whether to use emojis and, if so, which ones.
- Abbreviations: When people first started using mobile communication, text messages were still expensive and the number of characters was limited, so lots of abbreviations were invented that people still like using today. So we have LOL for “laughing out loud”, SOML for “story of my life” and WTF for an expletive we won’t go into in any detail here. The teaching platform Preply has compiled an up-to-date list. But just like emojis, these abbreviations can cause misunderstandings and need to be used carefully.
- Memes: Memes have become a cultural phenomenon on social media. Existing content, usually pictures or videos, is distorted. It’s often the case that only people who are familiar with the original context can understand the joke. We all know how important humour is, but companies should avoid using memes – even if it’s only because they often violate copyright regulations.
- Copyright: Sometimes, the internet is a little bit like a shelf of sweets by a till. So many lovely pictures and videos everywhere. Nevertheless: “Leave them be!” Pictures and content are generally protected by copyright and cannot be used without the consent of the author or owner. A lot of people aren’t aware of that, so you should make a point of informing your employees. After all, violation of copyright can be really expensive.
As much as necessary, as little as possible
The many new forms and channels of communication have led to a flood of content, but at the same time people’s attention span is constantly decreasing, as a research team from the Max Planck Institute discovered in 2019. As a result, long or complicated texts are no longer absorbed. This also changes corporate communication – what you need are short sentences, clear statements and straightforward language. If you are looking for effective communication, less is more. Perhaps it’s time to give your internal style guide an overhaul.
The subject of spam is something similar. The number of channels and the speed with which you have to react nowadays lead to there being far too much communication far too often. Messages are often unclear or lacking information and result in the people receiving them having to ask for an explanation. Everybody complains about overflowing inboxes and the most important things get lost in tangled information. Clear and effective communication needs much more discipline today than it used to.
Why not contact us for advice?
Digitalisation has led to an increase in the pitfalls of communication – and these are constantly changing. Communicating has become more diverse and therefore more challenging. Professional corporate communication involves keeping track of all the developments and constantly adapting. That can quite quickly become overwhelming. The language professionals at Apostroph would be happy to support you in updating your style guide or your tone-of-voice documents. Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to advise you.
