There are so many ways we can communicate online these days; IM and chat are among the most popular, and people love to also communicate on websites that allow them to post, comment, and provide or receive feedback. But when the walls of decorum come down, people are liable to say things they normally wouldn’t and this can lead to all sorts of problems. For one, someone can say something in jest, and the other person can take it the wrong way. Or someone could post confidential info about another person, thinking it’s funny or that it is OK to do so, without asking the other person first. These are very dangerous scenarios, but they happen online all the time. So it is important to consider what the right way to communicate online is, and to stick to it.
Decorum and Empathy
Putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes before we post something about someone else; or about ourselves will help us to understand the consequences beforehand, which will keep us out of trouble. Internal group communications are a big part of online communication, and they should always be dealt with decorum, empathy, and tact. It is OK, occasionally, to poke fun of someone in jest, but there always has to be some tact and empathy within the sphere of communications. Flippantly poking fun at people in front of others on a social media network is a recipe for disaster, and a great way to ruin friendships or professional relationships. Also, it is not always a good idea to add a person on every single online chat site; a little privacy is necessary in some people’s lives; many people don’t want to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Simply using decorum, empathy and tact in an online chat forum or on the social network itself is always the way to go when communicating with people you know; you are all one big public group, so you always want to make sure that stuff is kept private; especially the details of others’.