Our digital world is changing at a super sonic pace, but one thing should remain constant: gracious manners. DoSayGive’s Guide to Digital Etiquette has everything you need to know abut polite texting, emailing, social media usage and more. (This is a great post to share on Facebook as a little hint, hint!)

It’s SO easy to let our best intentions (and everything our mothers taught us!) go by the wayside when we are behind a screen. But you never want to regret pushing send. Here is DoSayGive’s Guide to gracious “digital” manners:

 

Texting Etiquette

Do not text at an ungodly hour. Not everyone wakes up at 5 am or stays up until midnight.

Be considerate with group texts. No one wants to receive 25 “Congratulations” responses when someone texts out a birth announcement. Text separately if needed.

Resist the urge to respond to a text with a phone call. There’s a reason the person chose text as their form of communication.

BUT if there’s ever a misunderstanding in a text message, pick up the phone.

Not everyone has unlimited text messaging on their phone plan so consider email if the back and forth is going to be lengthly.

A text sent in anger is a text you will soon regret.

Never break up with someone via text. Be an adult and break up the the old fashioned way. (Same goes for difficult family conversations!)

Don’t text a small business owner to purchase things. Treat them professionally and order/ask questions via their website or work email. More on that here.

Texts should generally be between friends and family. Emails for professional use.

 

Email Etiquette

Emails don’t have to be as formal as a letter, but an introduction and signature should be included.

Adults should spell out words in emails. Grown men and women using abbreviations (LOL!) and slang comes across as juvenile.

Because tone can be difficult, it’s best to err on the side of being overly friendly in email conversations (but watch the overuse of exclamations points!).

Automatic email signatures excusing typos and brevity come across as a lazy and inconsiderate. We can all make time to spell check and politely end our email!

It’s never too late to respond to an email. It’s tempting to ignore an email you found from two months ago, but so much better to reply with a sincere mea culpa and leave things on a good note.

RSVP to all email invitations/evites/paperless posts! They are just as necessary as paper invitations.

Don’t spring video conferences on people. If you send out a conference call request, make sure it clarifies if it will be a video chat.

Social Media Etiquette

Don’t send friend requests to your boss or your employee (unless necessary for job).

Don’t post photos of people or their children (or tag them) without asking or knowing they are okay with it (see also: Wedding Etiquette post).

While you certainly can’t protect all hurt feelings, be as considerate as possible when posting about social gatherings (adults or children) that could make good friends feel excluded.

Breakup announcements on social media are unnecessary. People will figure it out.

Don’t share personal or marital problems on social media. Facebook is not therapy.

 

Phone Etiquette

Be present. Put your phone away at meals, even work dinners. Put it away at plays, movies, any time you are in the company of others. It’s okay to peek, just don’t let it dominate your attention while with others.

Always look up from phone when speaking to someone.

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Did I miss any pointers you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!