Social Media Etiquette at Work | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

You’ve heard the rumors, the horror stories and the success stories. You know the positives and negatives of using social media for promoting yourself and your business. Though it may seem obvious at times what you should and shouldn’t do, people are breaking the rules left and right.

The ABSOLUTE Do Not’s

Never ever, no matter how bad of a day you’re having, no matter how miserable you are, no matter what life debacles you’re facing, under any circumstances write about how much you hate your job or hate an employer or even fellow employee on the Internet. It doesn’t matter if you’re not Facebook friends or that they don’t follow you on Twitter. The Internet is public domain, and certainly no place to post your every thought and feeling. Even if you think you’re stuck at the worst job in the world, if you value keeping that job and receiving money, don’t complain! Well, you can complain but in private, in person—which can sometimes be a little risky as it is. But there’s no reason to tweet out for all to see that you think your boss is a spawn of the devil. That’s just a do-not-enter zone.

On the other side of the spectrum, don’t become a harbinger of all things work-related. Regardless of whether or not you love your job, your social media accounts shouldn’t revolve around what you’re doing at work this minute, or asking people to spotlight your company on their blog. You’ll quickly go from someone very pleased with their working situation to someone other people on the Internet see as an annoying spammer. Don’t be the person to friend request anyone you see of any importance on Facebook who could bolster your career or promote where you’re currently working. Social media has one key word that’s often forgotten: social! While you should definitely dedicate some time to promoting your business and tweeting articles, it’s also important to interact with people on a friendly or helpful basis. Find people asking questions, and give them tips or strike up the occasional conversation with a friend. It’s not the end of the world to use social media for some entertainment and potential connection making.

Social Media is Your Friend

While some people cower in fear at the thought of tweeting or posting helpful articles on Facebook—especially after hearing about people getting fired because of what they post—it’s important to remember that social media is more beneficial than it is negative. If used correctly, social media can even land you a job! Really, all it takes is some common sense, a friendly attitude and a proactive mindset to make the most out of social media. You need to take your accounts outside the realm of just spamming or delving more into your personal life than necessary. It’s important to remember that although you’re writing and interacting on your personal accounts, you shouldn’t treat it like a free for all. Think of the online world as an extension of the everyday real world. Proper grammar, talking to others with respect and actually providing useful and insightful information is a must if you want social media to work in your favor. Don’t cower away from the Internet, but immerse yourself into blogs, forums, and what have you to promote yourself and your business in a positive way.

Right from Wrong

It’s as simple as right and wrong when it comes to using social media at work. Don’t say anything bad about your business in any way. Even if it’s just teasing, it could still cause some harm. Don’t spam everyone you know constantly with what you and your business is doing; it’s not helpful, it’s annoying. Remember that the Internet is an open forum; people can access basically anything they want, so while your unsettled tweets about your job might not cause any problems now, they could in the future. Make your English teachers proud and spell correctly with complete sentences as much as possible, and use your best manners online. Live by the rule, if you wouldn’t say or do it in the workplace, then definitely don’t post it online.

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

I Do Not Use Correct Punctuation. So What? | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

I have had a couple of conversations over the past week pertaining to my use of correct (or lack of) punctuation in my blog posts. There are many that have lectured me over the correct use of punctuation and grammar when writing my blog… (there it goes) simply because of my so-called lack of professionalism.

To that I say… (there it is again) So what?

There is a method to my madness and I have felt the sudden urge to try and explain myself to the masses that may not appreciate my writing technique. Because there is a personal branding technique built into this entire discussion. I would like to call this technique: the pause affect.  Notice… look closely… I used the word affect instead of effect. There is reasoning behind the use of the word that we will discuss later.

I write as though I am speaking to a group or an individual. I tend to use three periods to show a pause in my mode of speaking or an influx of emotion pertaining to a specific topic or thought. The three periods exemplify the art of a pause when speaking… because it shows a pause in a person’s thought process.

There are many that would say that the use of correct punctuation has a positive influence on your personal brand. I would say that is absolutely correct. I may not use correct punctuation but isn’t the value in the overall content provided? Did the post or article help you in your quest to alleviate a certain pain in your business? We try not to judge a book by the cover and the same concept applies to blog writing. Is the content valuable?

I use the pause affect to show emotion in my posts. If you were to talk to me on the street… I pretty much speak the same way as I write.

Remember…

Content is king and if the point is being portrayed with pause and affect… isn’t there still substance?

What do you think?

Author:

Kyle writes a regular blog at KyleLacy.com and is founder and CEO of Brandswag, a social media strategy and training company. His blog has been featured on Wall Street Journal’s website and Read Write Web’s daily blog journal. Recently, Kyle was voted as one of the top 150 social media blogs in the world (on two websites), and produces regular keynote speeches across the Midwest. He also just finished writing Twitter Marketing for Dummies by Wiley Publishing.

via personalbrandingblog.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Welcome to MyPath: College to Career: Your Guide to Starting Out: 10 Meal Etiquette Tips for Job Seekers

Last week I hosted an etiquette dinner at a college in New York City.  Students came in their best business casual attire, networked during a “mocktail” hour and then sat down to a formal business dinner. Believe it or not, we had a lot of fun talking about which fork to use when and how to properly butter your bread.

It’s likely that you’ll be asked to have a meal during the job interview process, so be sure to brush up on your etiquette skills as these students did. Below are my top 10 etiquette rules for job interview-related meals. Some of these are common sense and some are a little more complicated, so review them carefully. When in doubt, take a peek around the table and watch what your hosts are doing for clues.

1.     Always use basic good manners. Say please and thank you, don’t reach (ask for items to be passed to you), keep your elbows off the table and don’t speak with your mouth full. A good tip is to take small bites so you’ll never have a big chunk of food in your mouth when an interviewer or client asks you a question!

2.     Do not start to eat until every at the table has been served.

3.     Use silverware from the outside in. The spoon and fork at the top of your plate are for coffee and dessert.

4.     Be sure to sip from the correct glass and eat the right roll. Your place setting is arranged with your bread plate to the left of your plate and your beverage to the right. I like to remember this by thinking “BMW,” like the car: Bread, Meal, Water.

5.     Bread should be buttered by breaking off one piece at a time and buttering that piece. Do not cut your bread into lots of pieces or butter the whole slice or roll at once. 

It’s best to avoid drinking alcohol during the job interview process. Water, iced tea and soda are all appropriate. If you’re over 21 and you find yourself in a situation where a drink seems acceptable, be very careful about how much you consume. One glass of wine is a safe bet.

Be polite and kind to servers. (Many interviewers watch your interactions with waiters and waitresses as an indication of your personality and manners.) Say please and thank you, and if you need to get a server’s attention, make eye contact and politely say, “excuse me.” Never wave your arm or shout out.

8.     When you’re finished with your meal, place your utensils together, diagonally across your plate. Place your napkin to the left of your plate, not directly on your plate. If you need to get up at any point during the dinner, the correct place to put your napkin is on the seat of your chair.

9.     Turn off and store all cell phones, iPhones, BlackBerries, etc. in your jacket or bag. It is never okay to text, email or answer a call during a business meal, especially if you are on a job interview (and even if your host is checking his or her own device!).

10. If anything goes wrong -- you drop your fork on the floor, you spill your water, etc., remember that good etiquette is about being discreet and making other people comfortable. In other words, don’t make a scene! If you drop a utensil on the floor, politely get a server’s attention and ask for a new utensil. If you have a pit or bone in your mouth, discreetly remove it with your fork or napkin (no toothpicks at the table!). If you spill a beverage, apologize to the table and get a server’s attention for help. The more comfortably you handle any snafu, the more quickly your tablemates will forget it ever happened.

Do you have any other favorite etiquette tips? Please share!

via connect.mypath.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

reCareered: Question Of The Week - How should I let my network know that I'm looking for work?

This week, a reader asked if he should use a direct email campaign for his job search. While there are many career professionals who like this approach, I find it to be self defeating, risking more harm than good. Here's why.

On alternate Fridays, I'm posting a job search question from one of our readers. This was a question posted in response to my posting on Linkedin Answers “Candidates - What's your most difficult job search question?”

M.S. shared a question about his own job search, and asked:

"What approach I should use in the messages I send? Is it best to be direct or indirect in the messages I send to business owners or executives? For the direct approach, I could say that I would love to hear about positions they might have where I could put my e-marketing skills to work. At the worst I will just find that there isn’t much of a response."

My thoughts and experiences are going to be different than those of most career coaches, outplacement professionals, recruiters, college placement offices, and "rules of thumb". Most of these sources will advise candidates to take a direct approach. Typical advice would be to craft an email, stating that you are in an active search mode, possibly attaching your resume, and asking for help or referrals.

While those approaches worked 9 years ago, when email was still fairly new, it's less effective today - and can cause you to damage relationships unknowingly. I'll sum up the points below by asking in reply - Do you think that spamming your contacts is a good idea? Will it generate the response rate that you want? Will spamming your network help or hurt your relationships?

There are a number of differences between today's job search environment and that of 10 years ago that cause a direct approach to be ineffective:

• There are far more job seekers today: Not only are there more unemployed, but there are many passive job seekers also - as many as 60% of the workforce by some reports. Most of your competition spams their network - because "everyone" recommends it.
• Your network is already inundated by email: The people you are trying to reach get hundreds of emails per day. They can't possibly read all of them, and can only respond to a small percentage. The people you want to reach have jobs to do.
• Proliferation of spam: Spam today is more than just ads for Canadian pharmaceuticals, insurance, and penny stock tips. As our email boxes fill to overflowing, business professionals react more unfavorably to spam. resenting the time unsolicited emails take from their day.
• Backlash against spam: Over-messaged recipients can get upset due to unsolicited emails and messages. As our inboxes overflow, we've gotten used to being asked for permission to message first, and quickly grow impatient with emails that don't provide us value. Those are the emails that get deleted, or worse ... sent to spam or replied with "Please remove".
• iPod & Blackberry nation: As more professionals use smartphones as their primary email reader, especially for personal emails, attention span for non-urgent emails have shortened as our inboxes explode. If it's not valuable to us, we tend to delete first, ask questions later.
• Sending blast emails demonstrates What's In it For Me (WIFM): Most of your readers won't find value in what you want, or to quote M.S. "I would love to hear about positions they might have where I could put my e-marketing skills to work."
• "The Update email": This is the email we all get, often from people we barely know, or who are social network connections, that give us the whole history of their job search. Most recipients don't care. However, if you restructured the email to tell me about the problems you've been solving, how you are created value, or the value you are creating freelancing or at volunteer organizations - you have a much better chance of getting attention.

Fortunately. there are better alternatives. These can work as well for an accountant as a marketing person, from entry-level to executive. Use the power of social media in the way it was intended - to engage in discussions, rather than spam. Here's some ideas of how you can utilize your social network to engage in job search discussions:

1. Create a newsletter or blog: Use a newsletter or blog to provide value to your readers, give them ideas, demonstrate the value you can provide by describing past projects and the problems you solved - show them WIFT (What's In it For Them - see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2010/03/job-seekers-tell-your-readers-wift.html).

Use Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter Status: Use your social media status to start discussions of projects, rather than asking if your network knows who's hiring. Use your status as a megaphone to provide value, rather than spam.

Discuss on Industry sites and forums: If you are a marketing person, find the top marketing forums, sites, social networks, and blogs. Contribute value by starting discussions, engaging in discussions ... if you've picked the right forums you reach your hiring managers and show the type of value you provide to a group ... and could provide to their company (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-use-social-branding.html).

Send emails with links to discussions, blog posts, web sites, etc that provide value: If you want to use Direct email, use it to provide value and WIFT, rather than ask about openings.

Create a website or online portfolio to show off your work: It's easy and inexpensive. There are a number of free alternatives, including Google Sites, Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress, and hundreds of inexpensive choices where you can easily post examples of your work, case studies, and the problems you've solved. Presenting your background in this way adds value to your network, because you're giving ideas while you promote your work (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-online-portfolios-put-you-at-top-of.html).

Don't burn your network: Rely on your network for high return information, rather than just asking what's on their website's job tab. Your network has a higher value of inside information, than just randomly asking if a contact knows of any openings. Your network's highest value is in Guerrilla Job Search tactics, to give you the inside information that allows you to understand company problems, so you can present yourself as the solution (see http://recareered.blogspot.com/2009/11/guerrilla-job-search-tactics.html).

The beauty of this approach is that it can reach far more than just your network and by not directly asking for a job you provide value, encouraging more attention. This approach can be used to help change industries or job function, and can be used by active or passive job seekers (your employer won't have problems with your involvement in the industry - it makes your company look good as long as you don't give out company secrets).

The more you provide value, the less your messaging is viewed as spam, the fewer times the delete button is hit, and the more likely you'll be recruited as a great fit to fix problems just like the ones you described.

via recareered.blogspot.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Add Context to Business Cards to Help Remember the Person

If you're great at taking business cards when they're handed to you but not so great at remembering who gave them to you, where, and what you were talking about, reader meep offers a simple but smart trick:

A friend told me about this excellent networking tip: when you get a business card, write where and when you met the person, along with important facts you may need later on the back. This way you can say, 'Oh, remember when we were [there] and you asked about [this]' as a conversation starter later on.

Despite what we may have expected, it turns out business card use is alive and well among Lifehacker readers, so this tip might come in particularly handy next time you're at an event where the business cards are flowing like wine. Got another method that helps you remember more about the person who handed you the card? Let's hear it in the comments.

'A friend told me about this excellent networking tip...'

Doh! 50 stupid (and common) job interview mistakes

A crappy job market makes bringing your “A” game to each and every interview totally essential. One slip-up could mean the difference between a comfortable cubicle and moving back in with your parents. Fear not, job hunter, because US News & World Report has put together a list of the fifty worst of the worst, yet most common, job interview slip-ups.

Here’s a little sampling:

• Bad-mouthing your last boss.
• Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question.
• Talking more than half the time.
• Saying “you know,” “like,” “I guess,” and “um.”
• Speaking rudely to the receptionist.
• Being too familiar and jokey.
• Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm.
• Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.

Full list at Yahoo! Finance.

Big 3 Recruiting Mistakes – Continued - RecruitingBlogs.com

Big 3 Recruiting Mistakes – Continued

• Posted by Corey Harlock on January 21, 2010 at 1:08pm
• 
  

Reputation is HUGE, especially now with social networking and immediate feedback. People talk, especially when they feel like they have been treated unfairly.

Your reputation is a consideration at every level of your business. Here are some areas you may not have thought of:

How you advertise your positions. Are you targeting the right people or using the “dirty bomb” method? Post it everywhere and hope the right person sees it. I can not stress the importance of posting the right job in the right place. Too many advertisements can = desperate.

Your selection process. Do you take the time to send a “thanks, but no thanks” letter? Here is what I know – over 70% of applicants in our industry receive a response to their online application 60% of the time or LESS. Too busy to respond? You should make time because 36% of those people you didn’t respond to WON’T re-apply! Talk about shrinking your candidate pool. You think finding good people is hard now – keep finding reasons not to respond to their application and you will find it very hard!

Your hiring process. Don’t make the candidates wait. In today’s world of instant feedback and information, making candidates wait for interviews and feedback can kill your reputation too. Here are some more scary stats and remember these are Execs & Mgrs. 42% of candidates think the interview process should be a maximum of 5 business days. Another 41% think the max should be 10 business days. Yep, take longer than 5 days and you have not met the expectations of 42% of your applicants – that’s 2 in 5. That number jumps to 4 in 5 if you go past 10 business days. Here is the worst news, take to long and 70% of these people will never re-apply again! No “thanks, but no thanks” and you lose 36% of your candidate pool. Then take to long to interview the people you actually liked and lose another 70% of your candidate pool. Ouch!

Your retention policy. Do you know what really keeps your managers working for you? Do you want to know? Here it is – 62% want the training, coaching and mentoring they need to get promoted to the next level of their career. The 2nd most important reason an employee stays with you is… input and collaboration which came in at a whopping 16%. To put this in perspective salary and bonus came in at 3.6% and 3.1% respectively.

People talk, that’s a fact. And more importantly they talk more when they feel undervalued or disrespected. The ol’ “if you don’t like it, there’s the door” mentality doesn’t work anymore (I don’t know if it ever did). You need to recognize and meet the needs of your most important asset or an equal side of your triangle or the topic of your vision statement or whatever! The fact of the matter is – good people are hard to find. As the market recovers their stock will rise and finding good people will be challenging. Now is the time to address any concerns – fix your reputation and get ready for the future.

What it Feels Like to Get Fired

Original Post: What it Feels Like to Get Fired:

"Today I got fired from my summer internship. Okay, so that’s a lie. I wasn’t fired. It was the last day of my internship, and I wasn’t offered a full-time job after graduation—which feels like getting fired when it was “my offer to lose.” I think I said that I was fired so I could feel like Heather Armstrong, a now-famous blogger who got fired for blogging about work. Alas, I didn’t get fired for writing about work—although that is definitely not okay—at least not while you are still working there. I got fired for a lot of other things—like being late to meetings a lot, not listening well, and being “too aggressive.”

When responding to the feedback I received, my voice shook like I would cry, but I didn’t, and I’m proud of that. Still haven’t cried. Don’t plan on it.

I’ve never been fired actually. I’ve come quite close several times. When I worked at the movie theater and grocery store in high school, my till would come up missing hundreds of dollars sometimes. My bosses repeatedly asserted that they would have fired anyone else, but they were all sure that sweet, zany Kaneisha had not stolen money from the register only to then diligently show up to work four times a week after school. I surely hadn’t stolen the money. I can just be very absent-minded at times. My customers were probably yelling, “Look!” and then pulling money out of the register when I turned my head to see what was so exciting. The managers at the movie theater and grocery store hired me, but in the end, it wasn’t a good fit.

And neither was this internship. When receiving my feedback, some of the things were spot-on, but others caught me completely by surprise. In my head as I read my feedback: “People cared about what I was doing and wanted to be included? They wanted to see my spreadsheets?! I didn’t even want to see my spreadsheets!” But then again, that’s part of why I was fired. You’ve got to take the whole job—not just the parts that you like.

Getting fired feels like getting broken up with. More than anything, you just want to hear that they really did care for you, that there really had been something special there at some point. It just didn’t work out. You’re a lovely person with a lot to offer—just not to offer this particular person breaking up with you.

Just like when getting broken up with, I eloquently expressed my thoughts and feelings to the other party, and ended the interaction as amicably as I imagined it could be. Then I promptly vented to my girl friends, my beau, my Grandma, and sought refuge in a self-help book (This time it was Think and Grow Rich). Yep, that’s the usual routine after a break-up. Or when I get fired.

Looks like it’s time to find a new relationship aka job. 10 months and counting until I graduate. I’ve decided my ultimate goal is to work for myself. Does that make me a career spinster?

Remote Rapport-Building 101

from WebWorkerDaily by Georgina Laidlaw

Written by Georgina Laidlaw.

Today, I received a CD of images from another remote contractor, who included a blank compliments slip in the envelope, but nothing else. As someone who works remotely, I can't believe people are still doing this stuff! Are you? If so, stop it!

Think about it: You have limited contact with the people you work with. That's fine, but because you're not hanging around the office with everyone else, people don't get to see you in your "peripheral moments" — the times when you're joking with someone else, making a cup of tea, or heading out to lunch. Although these moments probably aren't central to the way we're perceived by our colleagues, I think they really do help to build rapport.

But as a remote worker, your contact is limited, and probably contains a much larger proportion of direct communication, and much less "peripheral" stuff.

So what? So you need to see that each point of contact is an opportunity to build rapport. I promise: This is what makes the difference between remote workers who are fun to work with and really part of the team, and remote workers you'd happily never work with again.

If you're in a salaried position, don't leave rapport-building to the week before your performance review. And if you're a freelancer, don't think you'll make up for it by sending a friendly card in the holiday season. You won't: The damage will have been done by then.

If you're sending a physical package to your colleague, include a personalized note. It doesn't have to be a "War and Peace"-length letter — just a quick, friendly note saying, "Here's the information you wanted. Speak soon," is far, far better than a blank compliments slip (or nothing at all). If you're sending an email, don't rely on the subject line to say what you need to explain, or trot out the old "See attached" followed by your email signature. Take a moment to type a sentence or two — you have the entire keyboard at your disposal, after all.

Include something personal — to connect with your colleagues — in every communication, and your co-workers will be able to fill in some of the gaps that form when you're not all working in the same office.

What techniques do you use to build rapport with the people you work with?

Lessons from the Candidate from Hell

photo via realsoftwaredevelopment.com

Ever wonder what would happen if  you just went off in a job interview?

Below are some of the lessons learned from an experience like this. I especially like the last point. We are all connected. Once you've crossed the line, it will be difficult to explain away your inappropriate behavior to the employer, when you really, really want that job.

1. DO NOT  ever argue, lie, criticize or belittle anyone during your job search.

2. DO  learn to take criticism, constructive or not, with grace.

3. DO NOT underestimate the importance of details during the application process. While "on paper" the candidate for this job appeared qualified, it's small touches like enthusiasm for learning, proper e-mails, responsiveness and professionalism that make a memorable impression.

4. DO be justifiably confident. But just because you got A's in classes doesn't mean you are great. Learn enough about your business and study the leaders in your business, so that you can honestly set the bar for yourself.

5. For professors (and forgiveness, but this is one of my pet peeves): DO NOT grade too easily. Demand that students demonstrate clear understanding of concepts and how to apply them. Don't listen to obvious sob stories. Don't extend deadlines when students complain, unless there's a REALLY good reason (it's not fair to the kids who did get their work done on time). Lastly, don't feel mean for being a "tough" professor. You're not doing us any favors by taking it easy or guarding our notorious self-esteem. Our bosses, mentors and role models all will ask more of us…why shouldn't you?

6. Lastly, DO remember that everyone is connected, and the internet makes it even harder to live down our not-so-hot moments. As the blogger wrote, "Be wary of burning bridges at such an early stage." I'd say it another way: Unless you want to commit career suicide, show some integrity, no matter what the situation is. You'll regret it for a lot longer than you'll be angry about it.

Read the whole article here ... via [whygeny.wordpress.com]

7 Questions to Ask at a Job Interview

photo from biojobblog.com

Paul Sloane has written a great article about the 7 questions to ask at a job interview. Having just completed this process and missing a few of these questions, it would have been nice to read this last week. But, hey, I got the job without it. (I start next Monday)

Here are his recommended questions:

1. What exactly would my day-to-day responsibilities be?

2. What are the opportunities for training and career advancement?

3. What is the biggest challenge facing the organization today?

4. When did you join?

5. What are the criteria that you are looking for in the successful candidate for this position?

6. How do you feel that I measure up to your requirements for this position?

7. Would you like to hear what I could do to really help your department?

In my worst interview ever, I waited until the end of the interview to ask the interviewers role. When they rolled off these big official and very precise titles, I realized that my casual approach to answering their questions was the exact wrong approach. Would you hire a laid back casual Project Manager in a uptight, rigid, very structured organization? They didn't either and I did not get that job.

If you need to, write down the questions on a 3x5 card, whip it out and ask them. The interviewer will most likely be impressed that you took the time to prepare for the interview and had prepared questions.

Read more here...

Gadget Etiquette

May 27th, 2009 written by Elizabeth Harrin for PM4Girls.elizabeth-harrin.com

This month in the Office Goddess series, I want to look at using your gadgets at work.

You love your laptop, right?  It goes where you go and it's oh so handy for meetings.  Well, personally I'm a pen and paper girl but if it's really important and will make things easier I will tote around my laptop and use it in meetings.

Not using it for every meeting makes me acutely aware of some of the bad habits people adopt when they use their gadgets around other people.  Remember, being an office goddess is all about making it look easy, seamless, effortless.  So don't get side-swiped by gadgets: follow these tips for office gadget etiquette.

Laptops

• If you are going to use a laptop in a meeting, set it up beforehand.  Don't waste meeting time (and everyone else's time) while you try to work out how to connect it up and then realise you have left the mains cable at your desk and you only have 16 minutes of battery power left anyway.
• Know how it works.  Sort out your 3G/wifi in advance.  Get the passwords, know how to route round your proxy server when you are out of the office.
• If you are using your laptop to give a presentation, get there early and set it up with the projector.  Know how to switch the display to the projector, and then back to your screen.  During the presentation, switch the display away from the screen if you are fiddling with slides or trying to find things on your laptop – then switch it back.  Don't give everyone the opportunity to see your emails 6ft high on the wall.
• If it's your meeting, get the right size table.  There is nothing worse than trying to squash 6 laptops on a tiny circular table and balance the projector on your knees.
• Think about the room size too:  if it is too small it will soon get hot with all those gadgets.
• Turn the volume off before you get to the meeting room.  Those login chimes or email alert noises are really annoying and are always 100% louder than you were expecting.
• You can't talk and type.  If you need to take minutes of a meeting on the fly, have someone do it for you.  Otherwise you really aren't saving any time, all you are doing is replacing type-it-up-later time with sitting-in-silence-in-the-meeting-room-while-I-type time.

Phones and BlackBerries

• Put your phone on silent.  If there's recording equipment or video conferencing in the room turn it off.  Can't turn it off?  How important are you, really?  If you are so important that you can't turn your phone off for an hour you will have a secretary who can come and get you if the world starts to implode.  Just prep your staff in advance so they know you are unavailable.
• If you are expecting a call, let the meeting attendees know in advance.  It happens.  Then sit by the door and let yourself out quietly when you get the call.  Not all calls.  Just the one you were expecting that is important enough for you to excuse yourself from the meeting.
• Don't let your BlackBerry vibrate on the desk.  You know how much of a racket this makes.  It's much more discrete to have it in your pocket or on the chair next to you.  Besides, you shouldn't be looking at it anyway.
• Let's just repeat that last point: you shouldn't be looking at it anyway.  Texts or emails can wait.  It is so disrespectful to check your messages when someone is giving a presentation – unless you want to send the message that they are overrunning their allocated slot and are giving the dullest presentation ever.
• Typing away when you are on a conference call is noisy for the other attendees.  Don't do it.  Or wear a headset for your phone; it mutes the noise of the keys tapping.

OK, no excuses now.  Set a good example for everyone else!

Social Networking Etiquette: How to Introduce Yourself and Others Politely

Improve your social networking etiquette IQ with our expert advice on some sticky situations. How can you politely decline friend requests? Effectively introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you well? Thoughtfully connect two contacts? We've got answers.

 

By C.G. Lynch via CIO.com

May 20, 2009 — via CIO — One of the most fundamental rules of social networking etiquette: You must carefully consider who you "friend" or "connect" with on services like Facebook and LinkedIn. According to career experts, the people with whom you associate, in many ways, reflect upon you.

picture from kikolani.com

Deciding who to connect with, however, can be a tricky endeavor, since social networks have grown to include people from your personal and professional lives. Some people choose to connect with colleagues on Facebook, while others decide that they want to keep that network for just friends and family.

When it comes to social networking etiquette, the building block is having a consistent policy and then communicating it clearly to current and prospective contacts who connect with you on social networks, says Kirsten Dixson, a reputation management and online identity expert, who co-authored the book Career Distinction, Stand Out By Building Your Brand.

Here are some tips Dixson told CIO.com for crafting an online contact strategy that works for you, and how to handle the sticky questions that can arise around introductions.

1. Decide on a Friend Strategy for Both LinkedIn and Facebook

Before you establish criteria for "friending" people, you should look closely at the social network and the content of yours that flows through it. For this article, we focused primarily on LinkedIn and Facebook. Twitter, the emerging social network, allows people to follow you whether you like it or not (by its default settings).

On LinkedIn, users don't trade the same types of personal information as they do on Facebook. But you should realize that the LinkedIn contacts you make do matter, Dixson says.

"Everything has to do with the company you keep," she says. "So you really do want to think about who you accept or let in to your network, whether it's on Facebook or LinkedIn."

On Facebook, some users brush aside the need to be discerning about friends. Because of the social network'srobust privacy settings, they argue, you can friend anyone and give the person limited access to your content. So you could allow friends to view your party pictures, while blocking them from your boss's view.

Dixson warns against relying solely on such a strategy. For one, career experts will tell you that privacy settings are hardly foolproof. The cardinal rule: Somehow, someway, all information may be accessed. Secondly, because Facebook is a more closed-off network, the friend list that you garner there seems even more significant to people because it tends to be more exclusive.

Also, how much energy do you really want to commit to setting all those Facebook privacy controls?

2. Communicate a Clear Policy to Potential Contacts

On LinkedIn, some people will connect with anyone and everyone, while others only connect with personal contacts. On Facebook, some people decide to friend their personal friends, but not their colleagues or customers. Conversely, others decide that they don't put anything scandalous enough on Facebook to warrant keeping anyone out of their network.

The key is to communicate your policy clearly and concisely when people try to friend you on Facebook or "connect" with you on LinkedIn. Dixson recalls requesting a colleague become friends with her on Facebook, and being politely turned down. The friend responded that while she valued her working relationship with Dixson, and considered her a friend, she didn't friend anyone from work on Facebook.

"And it totally wasn't a problem for me at all," Dixson says. "She was clear, up front, and I totally respect that. Others will too as long as you are clear."

3. Don't Ignore Friends, or Friends of Friends

While it's acceptable to reject a person based on your social networking friend criteria, you should always respond to the person if he or she took the time to write you a personal note in the friend or connection invitation.

"Etiquette is about making people feel comfortable, not ignoring them," Dixson says. "Especially if it's a colleague or a friend of a friend, if you just ignore them, that's problematic."

On the other hand, you will also find "friend spammers" who want to connect with anyone and everyone. If someone like this sends you a canned invitation, or provides no indication of how he or she might know you, Dixson says you can feel free to ignore it.

4. If the Answer Is No, Offer Alternatives

For the people you do reject, it's nice to offer alternatives. So, for instance, if you say, "I do not connect with work contacts on Facebook, but please connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter," that might be a nice option, Dixson says.

5. Be Specific When Sending Invitations

We've discussed friend etiquette with the presumption that you are the one in the position to choose, but what if you're courting a new friend or connection whom you think might be on the fence about accepting? In this case, Dixson says, you should explain how you know the person. It will make a world of difference in having that person accept your request.

Sometimes, a well-intentioned friend or connection request may be turned down because the person receiving it honestly can't place the person based upon memory.

"I might have met someone who saw me speak at an event or read my book, but if they don't say so in the request, I definitely ignore it," Dixson says. So include a personal note when in doubt, and be specific.

6. Give a Heads-Up When Brokering Connections Between Friends

In the business world, many people like to play professional matchmaker on social networks. Both Facebook and LinkedIn offer the capability to "suggest a friend" or "introduce" one through a mutual connection, respectively.

If you are introducing two people who don't know each other, you must realize that you have put one of your friends in an tough position — you have made it very difficult for him or her to say no without feeling like a jerk. As a result, unless you're 100 percent sure that the connection will be a no-brainer for the two people, you should alert your friend ahead of time, via phone, e-mail, IM or a private message on LinkedIn or Facebook, Dixson advises.

"That will happen a lot on LinkedIn," Dixson says. "Again, the key to good etiquette in this case: Don't make people feel awkward."

C.G. Lynch covers Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social and consumer Web technologies for CIO. You can follow him on Twitter: @cglynch.