NFIB

Netiquette: Business Do's and Don'ts in Cyberspace
04/ 15/ 2002


As with every form of media, there are specific etiquette do's and don'ts for business users of the Internet. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses discusses a few of these that can influence your online business success -- or just generally smooth your online activities.

In print, radio and television advertising, content is traditionally about 85 percent sales pitch and 15 percent information. When it comes to promoting through a Web site, however, content should be about 85 percent information and 15 percent sales pitch. This is because the Internet, at least for now, is information based, and messages that have too much sales hype are turn-offs to many people.

What does this mean for Web site content? Simply that to be successful, you have to offer a viable benefit that people receive from visiting your site. In almost all cases, it has been found that the more information a site offers about its particular field, the more people will visit and the longer they will stay. This ultimately translates to sales, because when people find value in a site's contents, they tend to feel drawn to purchasing the related products the site offers.

When involved in discussion groups or bulletin boards, post ads only when ads are considered a normal part of the group's activities. Many people are completely turned off by unsolicited ads in discussions groups. Some may respond angrily, posting messages scolding you (or worse), bringing further negative attention to your efforts. Newsgroups that accept ads are, among others, alt.business.misc andbiz.misc.

On the other hand, chatting in discussion groups can help build your Web site business -- but don't do so commercially. Again, the medium of the Internet demands information, not sales pitches. When chatting, give out as much information as you can in your message, not mentioning you or your Web site at all. Then, when you sign the message, include your Web address.

Although mass E-mailing is becoming more common, it is still considered poor netiquette. Such "spamming" is a definite irritant to millions of people, and can get you in hot water with your Internet Service Provider.

Netiquette extends to web design, as well. Your Web site should be designed not only to be attractive from a design standpoint, but to be quick and functional. Don't make visitors wait around as a large picture of yourself unfolds on your home page. Chances are, they'll be gone long before the picture scrolls in.

Read your E-mails regularly. Some people I know receive literally hundreds of E-mails daily. Even so, it's important to read through them as frequently as possible because people can be offended if you're overly slow in responding. Frequent scans of your E-mail may also serve to avoid missing important, timely information.

If you have friends or associates who regularly E-mail you unsolicited (and unwanted) jokes, lengthy informational pieces, or the latest sure-fire big-money chain letters, inform them in the nicest way possible that these "E-stuffers" are making it hard for you to sort through your E-mail. Simply tell people that they should send it to your personal E-mail address -- or say that you're too busy to look at extraneous material and you'd very much appreciate being taken off their list. (As an aside, good netiquette requires that you not send such material via E-mail unless requested.)

One last tip: don't forget to "attach" attachments when you E-mail. It makes you look forgetful, and can be annoying to recipients when you forget to attach files they were expecting.

workshop.technology.thu
11.11.99

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