Hello there, this is my small guide showing you how to be HQ & respected as well as making yourself more chances of making money online!
Etiquette.
The word seems kind of “olden-days” doesn’t it? Do people even take etiquette classes anymore? Is that a thing? I find myself at a loss when it comes to proper etiquette because I think in someways it is a lost art, or quickly becoming one.
What about on the internet?
Things are even foggier there. The internet is still a relatively new presence in society, so a lot of etiquette hasn’t even been established yet. Worse yet, with the anonymity the internet provides, it is probably the most hostile environment to politeness and etiquette we have ever witnessed. By no means am I a stickler for etiquette, but having worked extensively online for the past 5 years, I know there is room for improvement in this area.
I have kept a running list for these past 5 years on certain activities and actions that I believe are proper etiquette when working online. I don’t feel this way because they are “morally right”. I am not talking about morals here. I am sharing these tips, because these are all things that personally annoy me, waste my time, waste your time, have gotten me in trouble with others or have directly impacted my bottom line in a negative way.
Simple as that.
I know that not everyone will agree, but I also know if everyone followed these rules the online business world would be a far better place. If you follow these tips, you will build online relationships faster, network more eectively and build your brand with integrity. In order to best show why these tips are so important, I wrote this from my perspective. As if the etiquette transgressions were against me. The “I” in this guide is universal - it could be anyone’s reactions to these common etiquette problems.
The message board (or forum) is almost a self contained community of it’s own. There are usually a group of regular contributers to each board who know each other’s quirks, personalities and posting patterns. This type of familiarity can lead to a lot of head-butting.
Just about any interest you have (and yes I mean ANY) is represented by a message board online. They are great places to find current information, network and even make some money.
One problem, even the most heavily moderated message boards will have annoying issues. Most of these issues come down to a simple lack of online etiquette. If you want to be the most eective message board member you can be, while maximizing your networking opportunity - read the tips below:
‣Avoid All Caps - You will get used to this tip. I can’t believe people still have to be reminded. It is annoying, strains the eye and it is rude.
‣Type Properly - You can ruin your credibility if you have lots of typos or use lot’s of web-speak. If your goal is to network - put your best foot forward.
‣Search Before You Start A Thread - This is so annoying and really clogs up busy forums. If you are looking for an
answer to a question, do a forum search first to see if it has already been answered.
‣Don’t Thread Bomb - Don’t rain on someone’s parade for no reason. I was using a thread to sell something once, when someone who didn’t even buy it left a negative message that was wrong and had nothing to do with our oer. It hurt sales momentum and there was no reason he couldn’t have private messaged me instead.
‣Private Message - Private Info - Speaking of which, private matters are dealt with by private messages. That is basics.
‣Consider Lurking - Before you dive into a forum, guns blazing, maybe spend some time lurking. This way you will get an idea of what is and isn’t acceptable and some of the personality quirks of individual posters.
‣Introduce Yourself - Most forums have an area especially for this. Introduce yourself. Tell people a little about what you do and why you are there.
‣Read The Guidelines - Almost all forums will have a set of rules specifically created for them. Read these and understand them. Avoid breaking any of the terms or you will end up being banned.
‣Fill Out Profile - Nothing worse than when I see a post I like, I check out the profile and it is completely blank. This causes red flags because I instantly think spammer!
‣Ask Before Battle - Sarcasm is hard to project with just the typed word. So is tone. In fact it is very easy to confuse someone’s intention. Make sure you ask for clarification before you engage in a full blown argument.
‣Post In The Right Categories - A message board has categories for a reason. For example, if you are selling something - then go to the buy/sell forum. Makes it easer for me to find if I want to purchase.
‣Don’t Hijack - Don’t hijack someone else's thread - it can lead to the original poster not getting his question asked. Nothing worse then asking about something, then someone else comes in and steers the thread towards a question of their own.
‣Don’t Be a Phony - You will lose all credibility if you act like a phony. Don’t pretend to promote your own product or something lame like that. Also, never create other aliases to help you argue. You will not only lose credibility you will probably be laughed on the board.
‣Don’t SPAM - Posting tons of affiliate links will just clog forum, they will get erased anyways and you will just cause general disruption for no gain.
Support
The section is actually about how to deal with support from product creators and membership site owners. While as a customer you do have certain rights, there are ways to go about things that will make life easier for everyone involved.
You will get your answer quicker and it is more likely to be correct if you follow these tips:
‣Check Forums/Faq - If there is a support forum or FAQ on the site you are having an issue with - check it first. If you are having an issue someone may have already had it, and you won’t have to wait for a response from support if it is already posted.
‣Don’t Email Angrily - I think 80% of the angry emails I have gotten were straight up wrong. Either they were doing something wrong, or they were mistaken. The other 20% is usually dealt with quickly. In both scenarios the angry emailer feels embarrassed and apologetic. Avoid that - be polite.
‣Give All The Info Needed - Many times a website’s support portal will ask you to include information with any support requests. Include everything they ask for. You might not care that they want to know your Operating System, but it will allow them to diagnose your problem much more clearly. If you don’t include all the info, you can bet your first response from support will be them asking for it again.
‣Read The Emails We Send - Read AND Respond to everything asked of you. If support responded with 3 things to try, or three questions - please answer them all! If you don’t, we just have to resend them.
‣Don’t Ignore “Obvious” Advice - You know how every time you call the cable company about a problem the first thing they tell you to do is to “Power Cycle” the receiver? The reason is because this fixes like 90% of their calls. When support gives you obvious advice, don’t be angry - it is because that is what people usually need.
Disputes
There are times when no amount of support will do. You have an issue with a product or service and you want a refund. If you have gotten to this point here are some etiquette tips to remember...
Note: I understand etiquette is the last thing you are thinking of when you want a refund, but keeping these tips in mind will actually help you reach a resolution quicker and easier:
‣Contact The Seller - Before you go to Paypal or another third party, contact the seller directly first. Any reputable seller or webmaster will have an easy way to contact them.
‣Understand The Refund Policy - Make sure you understand the refund policy before you contact the seller. You might only have a limited time to request a refund, and
in some top heavy jobs there may be no refund policy.
‣Go Easy on Paypal Disputes - Don’t be so trigger happy on Paypal disputes. Paypal doesn’t have a great reputation in the online marketing world (and vice versa). Even an unfounded dispute could lead to a suspension of a Paypal account. Then no one can get any money. Contact sellers before Paypal disputes!
‣Include Purchase Info - If you are emailing asking for a refund, please include your purchase information in the email. Your original purchase email invoice is perfect. This will allow the person to give you a refund ASAP. If they have to try to figure out what you bought or who you are - then it will take a much longer time. Some people even email from a dierent email address than they bought with - which adds to the confusion and time.
‣Save The Trash Talk - If someone truly rips you off (and it happens!) then feel free to let loose on social media or forums. You could save others from being ripped off.
Make sure though you got ripped off. You will look and feel bad if you trash talk people and then find out it was a misunderstanding, easily fixed or worse - your own fault.
Conclusion
There you have it, a long (but I am sure not all encompassing) list of online marketing etiquette.
I will be honest, you don’t need to follow this list to succeed online. I am sure a lot of complete jerks make money online. In fact after 5 years I know that for a fact.
Hopefully you've learnt a bunch from this, I know I have! I hope to see some of you following this and making yourself look professional!
Etiquette.
The word seems kind of “olden-days” doesn’t it? Do people even take etiquette classes anymore? Is that a thing? I find myself at a loss when it comes to proper etiquette because I think in someways it is a lost art, or quickly becoming one.
What about on the internet?
Things are even foggier there. The internet is still a relatively new presence in society, so a lot of etiquette hasn’t even been established yet. Worse yet, with the anonymity the internet provides, it is probably the most hostile environment to politeness and etiquette we have ever witnessed. By no means am I a stickler for etiquette, but having worked extensively online for the past 5 years, I know there is room for improvement in this area.
I have kept a running list for these past 5 years on certain activities and actions that I believe are proper etiquette when working online. I don’t feel this way because they are “morally right”. I am not talking about morals here. I am sharing these tips, because these are all things that personally annoy me, waste my time, waste your time, have gotten me in trouble with others or have directly impacted my bottom line in a negative way.
Simple as that.
I know that not everyone will agree, but I also know if everyone followed these rules the online business world would be a far better place. If you follow these tips, you will build online relationships faster, network more eectively and build your brand with integrity. In order to best show why these tips are so important, I wrote this from my perspective. As if the etiquette transgressions were against me. The “I” in this guide is universal - it could be anyone’s reactions to these common etiquette problems.
The message board (or forum) is almost a self contained community of it’s own. There are usually a group of regular contributers to each board who know each other’s quirks, personalities and posting patterns. This type of familiarity can lead to a lot of head-butting.
Just about any interest you have (and yes I mean ANY) is represented by a message board online. They are great places to find current information, network and even make some money.
One problem, even the most heavily moderated message boards will have annoying issues. Most of these issues come down to a simple lack of online etiquette. If you want to be the most eective message board member you can be, while maximizing your networking opportunity - read the tips below:
‣Avoid All Caps - You will get used to this tip. I can’t believe people still have to be reminded. It is annoying, strains the eye and it is rude.
‣Type Properly - You can ruin your credibility if you have lots of typos or use lot’s of web-speak. If your goal is to network - put your best foot forward.
‣Search Before You Start A Thread - This is so annoying and really clogs up busy forums. If you are looking for an
answer to a question, do a forum search first to see if it has already been answered.
‣Don’t Thread Bomb - Don’t rain on someone’s parade for no reason. I was using a thread to sell something once, when someone who didn’t even buy it left a negative message that was wrong and had nothing to do with our oer. It hurt sales momentum and there was no reason he couldn’t have private messaged me instead.
‣Private Message - Private Info - Speaking of which, private matters are dealt with by private messages. That is basics.
‣Consider Lurking - Before you dive into a forum, guns blazing, maybe spend some time lurking. This way you will get an idea of what is and isn’t acceptable and some of the personality quirks of individual posters.
‣Introduce Yourself - Most forums have an area especially for this. Introduce yourself. Tell people a little about what you do and why you are there.
‣Read The Guidelines - Almost all forums will have a set of rules specifically created for them. Read these and understand them. Avoid breaking any of the terms or you will end up being banned.
‣Fill Out Profile - Nothing worse than when I see a post I like, I check out the profile and it is completely blank. This causes red flags because I instantly think spammer!
‣Ask Before Battle - Sarcasm is hard to project with just the typed word. So is tone. In fact it is very easy to confuse someone’s intention. Make sure you ask for clarification before you engage in a full blown argument.
‣Post In The Right Categories - A message board has categories for a reason. For example, if you are selling something - then go to the buy/sell forum. Makes it easer for me to find if I want to purchase.
‣Don’t Hijack - Don’t hijack someone else's thread - it can lead to the original poster not getting his question asked. Nothing worse then asking about something, then someone else comes in and steers the thread towards a question of their own.
‣Don’t Be a Phony - You will lose all credibility if you act like a phony. Don’t pretend to promote your own product or something lame like that. Also, never create other aliases to help you argue. You will not only lose credibility you will probably be laughed on the board.
‣Don’t SPAM - Posting tons of affiliate links will just clog forum, they will get erased anyways and you will just cause general disruption for no gain.
Support
The section is actually about how to deal with support from product creators and membership site owners. While as a customer you do have certain rights, there are ways to go about things that will make life easier for everyone involved.
You will get your answer quicker and it is more likely to be correct if you follow these tips:
‣Check Forums/Faq - If there is a support forum or FAQ on the site you are having an issue with - check it first. If you are having an issue someone may have already had it, and you won’t have to wait for a response from support if it is already posted.
‣Don’t Email Angrily - I think 80% of the angry emails I have gotten were straight up wrong. Either they were doing something wrong, or they were mistaken. The other 20% is usually dealt with quickly. In both scenarios the angry emailer feels embarrassed and apologetic. Avoid that - be polite.
‣Give All The Info Needed - Many times a website’s support portal will ask you to include information with any support requests. Include everything they ask for. You might not care that they want to know your Operating System, but it will allow them to diagnose your problem much more clearly. If you don’t include all the info, you can bet your first response from support will be them asking for it again.
‣Read The Emails We Send - Read AND Respond to everything asked of you. If support responded with 3 things to try, or three questions - please answer them all! If you don’t, we just have to resend them.
‣Don’t Ignore “Obvious” Advice - You know how every time you call the cable company about a problem the first thing they tell you to do is to “Power Cycle” the receiver? The reason is because this fixes like 90% of their calls. When support gives you obvious advice, don’t be angry - it is because that is what people usually need.
Disputes
There are times when no amount of support will do. You have an issue with a product or service and you want a refund. If you have gotten to this point here are some etiquette tips to remember...
Note: I understand etiquette is the last thing you are thinking of when you want a refund, but keeping these tips in mind will actually help you reach a resolution quicker and easier:
‣Contact The Seller - Before you go to Paypal or another third party, contact the seller directly first. Any reputable seller or webmaster will have an easy way to contact them.
‣Understand The Refund Policy - Make sure you understand the refund policy before you contact the seller. You might only have a limited time to request a refund, and
in some top heavy jobs there may be no refund policy.
‣Go Easy on Paypal Disputes - Don’t be so trigger happy on Paypal disputes. Paypal doesn’t have a great reputation in the online marketing world (and vice versa). Even an unfounded dispute could lead to a suspension of a Paypal account. Then no one can get any money. Contact sellers before Paypal disputes!
‣Include Purchase Info - If you are emailing asking for a refund, please include your purchase information in the email. Your original purchase email invoice is perfect. This will allow the person to give you a refund ASAP. If they have to try to figure out what you bought or who you are - then it will take a much longer time. Some people even email from a dierent email address than they bought with - which adds to the confusion and time.
‣Save The Trash Talk - If someone truly rips you off (and it happens!) then feel free to let loose on social media or forums. You could save others from being ripped off.
Make sure though you got ripped off. You will look and feel bad if you trash talk people and then find out it was a misunderstanding, easily fixed or worse - your own fault.
Conclusion
There you have it, a long (but I am sure not all encompassing) list of online marketing etiquette.
I will be honest, you don’t need to follow this list to succeed online. I am sure a lot of complete jerks make money online. In fact after 5 years I know that for a fact.
Hopefully you've learnt a bunch from this, I know I have! I hope to see some of you following this and making yourself look professional!
