Mind Your Instant Ps And Qs
Ten Simple Rules of Instant Messaging Etiquette

Develop a new mode of communication and we humans will find a way to offend, insult, irritate, and sometimes even enrage those who share in our exchange. Most often, we do this unintentionally and, on occasion, weÕre completely oblivious to what weÕve done. But you can hardly blame us. How were we to know that friend on the other end would misconstrue that message we sent? It was just a joke, after all.

Conversations that are void of body language are breeding grounds for miscommunication. We learned that lesson early on through email and in chat rooms, but today weÕve got a blend of the two called IM (instant messaging), a venue intended for personal real-time conversation between two or more parties Ð the smaller the better. Here too, as with email and in chat rooms, typing in all caps is outlawed and the use of emoticons is encouraged to help deliver messages with the correct tone and intent.

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