In the era of electronic communication, need we pay the same level of attention to grammar and etiquette as we do in conventional communication mediums? Technology has revolutionized the method of information exchange. Emoticons were never of part of the traditional missive. In new media communication channels, button down CEOs, are firing off smilies, “lol”s, etc.. A 140 character tweet does not leave a whole lot of room for dotting all the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s of proper etiquette… ‘tis a strange new world we live in!!
Keep in mind:
In online communication there is near universal acceptance of slang. It is practically a necessity. Proven testing shows that a conversational style of writing, mistakes, slang and all, is a very effective way of communicating with your readers.
Having said that, we do need to be certain that our casual use of the language does not infect our off-line correspondence. Those same readers who forgive errors on line, will quickly discard your business proposal for the same mistake found in an advertisement or letter.
As always, remember that first impressions count for more than they should! Occasionally, even though it may be acceptable to use slang or shortcuts in your online communications, it may be wise to refrain from doing so.
Here is a funny story I read by a well known speaker, author and trainer, Stephen M. Canale:
An Amusing Story?
I still have the actual copy of a prospecting letter that I once sent, and also received! It was the typical “I have a buyer, who is looking for a home in your neighborhood” correspondence. I even offered to reduce my commission if anyone responded, and the customer subsequently purchased their home. I received one reply. Ozora McCarthy, (of 2880 Renfrew, Ann Arbor, Michigan) took the letter and wrote, in red pen, the following: “Stephen, Nice letter, nice stationary, nice offer on my home – but I would NEVER do business with a person who signs his name scribblescribblescribble”
You see, In an effort to be personal in my prospecting, I used to hand sign each and every letter I sent, even if that meant autographing hundreds of mailings! Well, by signature 143 or so, you can imagine that my autograph was not a work of beauty. Ozora hand wrote the above message on my letter itself, in rather poor script I might add, folded it in three, placed a .22 cent stamp on it (now you know how long I’ve kept this damn thing!) and mailed it back to me. The Lesson: Other than the obvious: Ozora McCarthey is a narrow-minded, mean-spirited, petty and insignificant excuse for a human being (just pulling it out of my “saved letters” file still steams me) there is a lesson to be learned; which is why I saved the letter in the first place.
There are millions of folks out there just like Ozora, and they are your potential clients and customers! Like it or not, they will judge you on some pretty insignificant criteria. That’s just the way it is. So, what did I do? I spent $20 to purchase a self-inking stamp of my signature. Actually, it’s a stamp of what my signature looks like after twenty tries to have the kind of signature that I think Ozora would approve of; and nobody’s complained about my autograph since. Before you say “Stephen, why bother? Why didn’t you just shrug it off and get on with your business? Why even give this person a moment of your time?” let me answer your question. Ozora Did Me A Favor! For every person who will correct your grammar, signature or other minor flaw in your advertising and/or correspondence, there must be at least ten others who won’t do business with you for the same reason! These other people just are not as mean-spirited, or don’t have the time, to correct your correspondence and send it back! In returning my letter, Ozora has allowed me to correct a rather minor flaw in my prospecting technique. A minor flaw which would have certainly continued to undermine the effectiveness of all of my business communications! The Technological Application: I don’t use the stamp very much anymore. Several years ago, I scanned my own signature into my computer graphics program, cleaned it up and colorized it. Now my autograph is perfect (as much as it ever will be), and the computer signs my prospecting correspondence for me. This is a real time-saver, and a wrist-saver too! I would suggest you do the same!