5 Surefire Methods For Effective Online Communication
by Sean Platt on January 13, 2009
in communication
Effective online communication requires genuine connection with others. As in offline relationships, quality connections are encouraged through clear communication. Online discourse will continue to expand its significance, but isn’t without its flaws.
Though lightning fast, the black and white of boring text can be an impediment to effective online communication, at least when compared to the visual seasoning found in a wayward gesture, roll of the eyes, or sheepish grin. However, clear articulation is a must if our road to success will wind through the weaving roads of the internet.
Five basic principles for effective online communication.
1) Get it Write!
When communicating online, take advantage of the strength of the written word while trying to avoid its flaws. Treat online writing as if you were passing a hand written note on decorative paper, rather than a careless email peppered with abbreviations and unfinished thought. Whether writing a post or drafting an email, take the time to orchestrate your thoughts and ensure your words gleam with the precision of your intent.
2) Know Your Point
Effective online communication means being clear with your message and getting there swiftly. Keep your ideas organized and concise. Take the time needed to look over your work and avoid unorganized or confusing thoughts. Clarity, grammar and spelling all matter. As in all writing, it is sometimes difficult to discern the intent of another. Write for an audience and never assume they know the nuances of your mind.
3) Follow Basic Netiquette
Though siblings, on and offline writing are not twins. There are new rules for this new medium, with brand new lexicon to match. Despite their many differences, there are tried and true do’s and don’ts that will give clarity to your thought and help you achieve effective online communication.
- Always treat others with respect. Don’t say anything online you wouldn’t be comfortable saying directly to someone’s face. Don’t allow the distance of the keyboard to dictate your bravado.
- Give others the benefit of the doubt. You would want the same. If you’re uncertain of tone, assume the best unless you have a definite reason to believe otherwise.
- State your perspective with confidence, not arrogance. No one likes a know-it-all. You can be confident in your voice while allowing plenty of room for the outlook of others.
- Don’t tear down others to elevate yourself. Good manners can’t be bought. Treating others with the courtesy you would wish to receive is an essential ingredient of effective online communication.
4) Be Genuine
Every minute online, is another sixty seconds that can be spent to strengthen your online fingerprint. Every line you write casts a brighter light on what makes you an individual. Each answered email, tweet, or post is another opportunity to show the online community precisely who you are. Use your most authentic voice, it’s the one your community most wants to hear.
5) Be Humble
Be willing to admit mistakes. We all are constant learners. Don’t be afraid to admit those things you do not know. You might be surprised how many people are willing to reach out and offer their hand.
Written communication has its limitations; the lack of body language and intonation can make us uncertain of an author’s intent. However, there are advantages to the written word that verbal communication cannot match. We create our identity from the words we write. It is up to us to crystallize our thought and bring order to our message.
Building a robust online community is like building a door to greater possibility. Effective online communication is the key to unlock it.
Sean
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This is a very good, concise post that states some of the most important aspects of communication using a blog.
The only part I disagree with is the emphasis on grammar and I only disagree in that some folks can do pretty well without having “perfect” grammar.
I’m a little bit of a stickler for grammar — so far as I can get it right, and sometimes I don’t. However, my wife isn’t that concerned about grammar. While I’m very careful about being too critical of her writing, her quilting blog sometimes has grammatical errors that sometimes make me cringe just a bit. She is developing a regular following of fellow quilters from all quite a few different countries in just a short time. Her blog is a chatty sort of informational blog that overall gets her points across very well and the things that I see as errors just don’t seem to matter.
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I kind of disagree with you Mike. I believe that it’s our responsibility as writers to make use of correct grammar and emphasis should be placed on it.
The degree to which poor grammar is accepted is of course down to individual taste/opinion, maybe I too am a stickler
On a different note, spell checking isn’t always enough, don’t forget the impotence of proof-reading
The grammar issue is a sticky one. I know there are a couple sites I go to daily that are riddled with grammar issues but they are saying such wonderful things, that it does not matter. However, I personally think it is very important to take the time to, as Hemingway said, “Get the words right.” For me, I read everything twice outloud and have my wife edit it. Maybe that is overkill, but I want my message to stand out, not my poor grammar. You will notice in everything Sean writes it is not only his message that is spot on, but his wording is perfect and that stands out too. I think there might a lot of different opinions on this one. Thanks Sean for a great post.
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I’m with Mike. It depends on the blog. Of course if it’s a blog about writing, then correct grammar, spelling, etc., is important. However, a mostly chatty blog about quilting? Not so much. Just look at the success of icanhascheezburger at http://icanhascheezburger.com/ ! ; )
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I would say that it’s more about the individual than the blog. Sure, a chatty blog is less likely to punctuate bag grammar than a writing blog, but a writer will notice it in either location. And since most bloggers are in some way, shape or form, writers, it just makes sense to keep your grammar ‘tight’.
On “Motivate Thyself” I started out being less strict with my grammar and quickly found a few comments that said something to the affect of, “It’s not a HUGE deal or anything, but you had quite a few typos in that post.” Like Jay said, anything that takes attention away from the message is a bad thing.
(Devil’s advocate) Some blogs are SO relaxed that a sort of slang conversation becomes common place in the comments. But I don’t see this as the bad grammar Sean is talking about. This, to me, is more of an accepted premise for casual writing. Does that make sense?
It’s all about knowing your audience. A conversational tone with conversational jargon is appropriate of many blogs, and spelling and grammar in these instances will be (of course) more forgiving. If your site has a focus on writing, communication, business, or any topic that is instructional in any way, than poor grammar can only dim the message. Nobody’s perfect. We write posts, not copy ready for print. An occasional typo is fine, but at the very least we can proofread our work.
Grammar and spelling errors can’t be hugely important…I make them all the time, but my readers either ignore the glaring eyesores or just don’t care. Hm.
I am trying to learn to be conscise and not to appear as know-it-all. Although I may not want to sound like this, I guess I do sometimes. I know that I might lose some visitors because of this, so I am trying to correct myself.
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