Do As I Say, Not As I Do
One of the mantras of joining the online global community is that what you post on the internet stays there forever and forever. We all have heard this so it always amazes me when I see some of the thing that people post in various types of online communal discussions. We always make sure to let our kids know not to post pictures or comments that they wouldn’t want college admissions folks to see. Not everyone follows that advice themselves.
There are lots of places to post your thoughts and ideas online, for this article I’m focusing on the behaviors I see in Blog comment threads and Group discussions on forums such as LinkedIn or Focus.
A Double Edged Sword
The internet creates a level field where anyone can pretty much say whatever they like. This is a good thing for the most part. It gives you a chance to exercise your right of free speech. The other side of the sword is to remember the line often attributed, (some say erroneously) to the Spiderman saga: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
I’m not referring here to the responsibility we have to others. This isn’t about bullying, which is a different subject for a different day. This is about the responsibility you have to yourself.
In a nutshell ask you self the following question, “If I act discourteously online, what will people think of me in general?”
To Be Or Not To Be (respectful)
On an individual level, perhaps you’re someone who doesn’t care what others think about them. That’s a personal decision. If, however, you are posting online as part of growing your business, there’s a different story. Exactly how does it help you to have the global community think of you as an immature jerk?
So here are five examples of verbiage I’ve seen which guarantee that the poster isn’t worth trying to engage further. You’ll note that I haven’t included the obvious, blatantly aggressive and immature tactics such as calling names, using profanity and generally belittling other people as individuals. The folks who do that, imo are beyond help.
Things I’ve Read in Discussion groups that force the others to react to your attitude, not your message.
1. None of you commenting on this discussion have any idea what you’re talking about. Have you ever even tried to [fill in the discussion topic].
2. I can’t believe you still don’t get it. Do I have to paint a picture for you?
3. Obviously your comments are directly from a textbook. Come back when you’ve had some real-world experience. Good luck with your business.
4. Sounds like you should be commenting on a different forum. Clearly you have no credibility here.
5. I’ve run many successful businesses. How many businesses have you brought back from the brink of failure?
Here’s one I heard the other day. The guy who said it is very passionate about what he believes. It’s probably on the wrong side of the rude-o-meter but I thought it was kind of funny, “In closing I will say this…….You are wrong!”
Gotta love it!
