Online Etiquette Rules 3 & 4 Two Rules Regarding Good-byes

Two Rules Regarding Good-byes Online

Rule 3:  If you have been chatting with someone and have a conversation developing, say good night before you leave.

            We should treat online chatting the same as we do other interactions.  You wouldn’t just stop a letter midway, and put it in an envelope and mail it? You would just hang up the phone when you are having a conversation would you?  What would you think of a friend who walked away just after you asked him a question? 

            What we would easily recognize as strange behavior, or rude,  in person somehow hasn’t made it to the internet.  How often have you stayed up late chatting with a guy, enjoying the conversation, when suddenly he stops replying. You wait; you feel guilty for being impatient, so you wait more. Then you look to see if he is still online only to find he’s signed off.  No good bye. Nothing, just gone.

            I think this should be avoided.  If you are chatting with someone, and you leave: say good bye. It’s polite. And it reflects well on you.  But if you are thinking that you don’t want to say good bye as to not end the conversation, because you realize that this chat can pick up in a day or so right where it left off, you may not want to say good bye in that window. I suggest, opening a new window to say good night.  This will close the conversation for the night, be polite to your friend, and keep the conversation window active.

            Just keep politeness always in mind.

Rule 4:  If you are chatting and in a conversation, and he doesn’t say good night let this go without complaint.

            We should treat online life the same as we treat other interactions.  While it is rude for your chat buddy to sign off without a good bye, do not take it personally.   Do not get upset, just move on.  Don’t bring it up the next time you are chatting with him. It will come off as whiny and nick picky. You don’t want that any more than you want him to be rude. 

            You can, however, keep this in mind and realize that he could be a rude person.  You can and should use it to determine if you are compatible. Or if he has a real interest in you for anything other than a causal chat.  This is really a sign of his interest in you other than chatting.  So while you shouldn’t be upset with him for being rude, you should accept that your interest and his interest may not be the same.

            Not being upset in this situation does not include a clear angry ending of the chat.  Signing off in the middle of a heated discussion is the same as hanging up the phone.  You may be upset in the kind of situation.

            Realize that not everyone will act the way they should in all situations.  So keep yourself free of unnecessary stress in this situation by understanding that the rules of politeness haven’t been established.  Just let this pass by without complaint from you the next time you see him.  But remember, letting this pass by doesn’t mean forgetting bad behavior.  You can remember and allow it to influence your assessment of him, his personality, or your compatibility.