Comments on: Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/ Freelance Advice and Freelance Jobs - FreelanceSwitch Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:26:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Rebecca Laffar-Smith http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-13424 Rebecca Laffar-Smith Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:56:04 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-13424 This is a fantastic topic, Kristen! It's often easy to forget there are real people behind these screens. I'm always particularly aware of that fact because I've felt the impact of careless tones and words via the web. Everyone deserves the respect and consideration we would give a person face to face. Then again, it's possible some of the culprits are brash in person too. Sometimes there are rude and inconsiderate web users who are rude and inconsiderate simply because they are, online and off. If only there were a way to teach common decency and diplomacy. Alas, it's those who need it most who would never seek to learn. This is a fantastic topic, Kristen! It’s often easy to forget there are real people behind these screens. I’m always particularly aware of that fact because I’ve felt the impact of careless tones and words via the web. Everyone deserves the respect and consideration we would give a person face to face.

Then again, it’s possible some of the culprits are brash in person too. Sometimes there are rude and inconsiderate web users who are rude and inconsiderate simply because they are, online and off.

If only there were a way to teach common decency and diplomacy. Alas, it’s those who need it most who would never seek to learn.

]]> By: Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » Saturday Afternoon Link Love http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-13302 Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » Saturday Afternoon Link Love Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:32:16 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-13302 [...] Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career at Freelance Switch. [...] […] Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career at Freelance Switch. […]

]]> By: MK http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-3864 MK Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:40:17 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-3864 totally agree, especially when your mode of contact/review is over email, an irritated tone in an email can sour a project very quickly! great post! totally agree, especially when your mode of contact/review is over email, an irritated tone in an email can sour a project very quickly! great post!

]]> By: Rhys http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-3054 Rhys Fri, 08 Jun 2007 01:25:09 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-3054 I get this all the time at my current job. With people in the other offices in the US or UK, they tend to NOT address me by my name or even a simple "hello", "hey" or even "hi". The emails just have the content of their problem (I'm a website looker after - I hate the title webmaster), with their default signature. There is only one person out of the 10 people I deal with who will always say "Hey Rhys" or something along those lines and will also wish me a good weekend or even ask about it. She tends to get her requests done straight away ;) I get this all the time at my current job. With people in the other offices in the US or UK, they tend to NOT address me by my name or even a simple “hello”, “hey” or even “hi”.

The emails just have the content of their problem (I’m a website looker after - I hate the title webmaster), with their default signature.

There is only one person out of the 10 people I deal with who will always say “Hey Rhys” or something along those lines and will also wish me a good weekend or even ask about it. She tends to get her requests done straight away ;)

]]> By: Jeff http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2986 Jeff Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:47:04 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2986 Couple things...: It appears your "boss" [or more appropriately "client"] has learned that you deliver good stuff. That creates expectations for everything going forward. Appears you let him down, in his expectation. Second, you don't know what's going on at his end... mebbe he forwarded it to his "boss" without looking, assuming your good stuff was in there, and got his wrist slapped. Or he's under other pressures. Sure, we should all count to ten before replying, but that's not the real world... not your, his. First thing I woulda done was picked up the phone and restored the human interaction, and fired the corrected document back without hesitation. The dizzying speed in which computers/email let us exchange our words and work often leads to "miscommunication"... stuff we wish we could take back five, ten seconds later. Get up off the floor. Dust yourself off and get on with it. You're only as good as your last delivery in this biz. If it's too hot, get out now. Oh, and keep the emoticons [ewwwwwww!] for family and close friends. Couple things…:
It appears your “boss” [or more appropriately “client”] has learned that you deliver good stuff. That creates expectations for everything going forward. Appears you let him down, in his expectation.
Second, you don’t know what’s going on at his end… mebbe he forwarded it to his “boss” without looking, assuming your good stuff was in there, and got his wrist slapped.
Or he’s under other pressures.
Sure, we should all count to ten before replying, but that’s not the real world… not your, his.
First thing I woulda done was picked up the phone and restored the human interaction, and fired the corrected document back without hesitation.
The dizzying speed in which computers/email let us exchange our words and work often leads to “miscommunication”… stuff we wish we could take back five, ten seconds later.
Get up off the floor.
Dust yourself off and get on with it.
You’re only as good as your last delivery in this biz. If it’s too hot, get out now.

Oh, and keep the emoticons [ewwwwwww!] for family and close friends.

]]> By: Ben http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2984 Ben Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:05:59 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2984 I had a client tell me "come on" before as well and it sucks. Good advice. Thanks! I had a client tell me “come on” before as well and it sucks. Good advice.

Thanks!

]]> By: Anne 2.1 » links for 2007-06-05 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2964 Anne 2.1 » links for 2007-06-05 Tue, 05 Jun 2007 23:25:46 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2964 [...] » Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career “It was like he was spitting out nasty comments to someone who didn’t matter, and he could say it because we weren’t face to face.” (tags: etiquette communication virtual-teams) [...] […] » Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career “It was like he was spitting out nasty comments to someone who didn’t matter, and he could say it because we weren’t face to face.” (tags: etiquette communication virtual-teams) […]

]]> By: Pristine http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2929 Pristine Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:12:35 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2929 John, I totally agree with you. Indeed, a plain "good job." does come across as very cold. When you mention something like "Guess I'll have to stay up late finishing the job" without an emoticon, what might seem like a casual remark in actual conversation carries a somewhat, in this context, dissatisfied tone. I'm an English student and one rule of thumb (at least, in high school) is that for every page of writing you have, you shouldn't have more than 3 exclamation points--that is, one exclamation point for each of three separate instances and a single !!! or !! is totally unacceptable. But, when writing online or in e-mails, that rule is I virtually throw out the window; of course, I try not to use it to excess so that everything becomes hard! to! read! Certainly, exclamation points do serve a valuable purpose. When I e-mail to friends, especially, I like to start off with Hi! or Hey! occasionally rather than Hi, or Hey,. John, I totally agree with you. Indeed, a plain “good job.” does come across as very cold. When you mention something like “Guess I’ll have to stay up late finishing the job” without an emoticon, what might seem like a casual remark in actual conversation carries a somewhat, in this context, dissatisfied tone.

I’m an English student and one rule of thumb (at least, in high school) is that for every page of writing you have, you shouldn’t have more than 3 exclamation points–that is, one exclamation point for each of three separate instances and a single !!! or !! is totally unacceptable. But, when writing online or in e-mails, that rule is I virtually throw out the window; of course, I try not to use it to excess so that everything becomes hard! to! read! Certainly, exclamation points do serve a valuable purpose. When I e-mail to friends, especially, I like to start off with Hi! or Hey! occasionally rather than Hi, or Hey,.

]]> By: Rajesh Shakya http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2926 Rajesh Shakya Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:07:12 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2926 Yes, you discussed correctly. Please read my posts in-line with this article at: http://www.rajeshshakya.com/category/business_communications/ Rajesh Shakya Yes, you discussed correctly.
Please read my posts in-line with this article at:
http://www.rajeshshakya.com/category/business_communications/

Rajesh Shakya

]]> By: tecosystems » links for 2007-06-05 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2917 tecosystems » links for 2007-06-05 Tue, 05 Jun 2007 05:33:22 +0000 http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/maintaining-your-human-identity-in-a-cyber-career/#comment-2917 [...] » Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career totally agree; digital manners are hugely critical in an increasingly disconnected and distributed work force - you need to consider carefully the potential interpretations for your communications (tags: digital manners identity communication collaboration) [...] […] » Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career totally agree; digital manners are hugely critical in an increasingly disconnected and distributed work force - you need to consider carefully the potential interpretations for your communications (tags: digital manners identity communication collaboration) […]

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