16 Biggest Tech No-Nos
BY DAN REILLEY - "SWITCHED "
Whether it's the colleague who CC's you on irrelevant e-mails or the stranger who makes loud, public phone calls, many people are downright rude in their gadget use and online behavior. You may not agree with all of them, but we've compiled 16 common tech no-nos, along with ways to avoid them in the future. Read on, because a little more respect and politeness never hurt anyone, right?
Biggest Tech No-Nos 2
Accidentally replying to everyone
Hitting 'Reply All' by mistake is a far too common occurrence these days. At best, you send an irrelevant e-mail; at worst, you reveal sensitive, confidential, or offensive information. If you're going to say something that others shouldn't hear, then do it in private to avoid compromising your job, reputation, relationship, dignity, etc. Take a minute and think things over before clicking 'Send.'
Biggest Tech No-Nos 3
WRITING IN ALL CAPS
Leaving the caps lock engaged in e-mails or chats is like constantly shouting in normal conversation; it makes you seem angry or in need of attention. It's difficult to communicate inflection and tone in online communication, so use normal capitalization and punctuation to get your point across. If not, people won't take you seriously.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 4
Taking or posting incriminating photos
The paparazzi are some of the most reviled people out there, so why must you act like them? Please, try to avoid taking incriminating or embarrassing photos of others. It rarely ends well. If you must take these pictures, refrain from posting them on public sites. The exception? If you're actually witnessing a crime. In that case, be a good citizen and snap away.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 5
Constant, lame status updates
If you're a constant status updater on Twitter, Facebook, or IM, please keep things interesting. For example, if you must let everyone know that you're at the supermarket, at least spice it up with a joke about the shopping cart with one bad wheel, okay? If not, you'll wind up with friends who simply don't care about what's going on with you.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 6
Leaving your phone's ringer on
Cell phones ring or vibrate loudly at inappropriate times far too often. Whether it's out of laziness or the stress of disconnection, many people refuse to simply turn off their phone. You probably don't need to get calls, texts, or e-mails during job interviews, movies, weddings, etc., so shut off your devices for a little while. You'll be fine. We promise.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 7
Overusing the 'CC' in e-mails
Sometimes you need to get the opinions of many colleagues and friends, or need to start a group discussion. But there are also many times when you don't. People today seem to think that including more contacts in an e-mail increases efficiency, especially in work situations. More often than not, however, it wastes time and clogs inboxes. Think before you add more recipients.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 8
Being a bad customer with gadgets
Ever worked in retail or as a waiter? If so, then listen up. If someone is trying to help or wait on you, don't keep listening to music or yapping into your phone. At best, you're making others wait, and, at worst, you're saying, "You're not important to me, servant." Either way, this obnoxious behavior is easily remedied by, at the very least, removing one headphone or putting your call on hold. You have no excuses.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 9
Never removing Bluetooth headsets
It makes sense to wear your Bluetooth headset in your ear while you're driving or working with your hands. Leaving it in while you're at a meal, gathering, or, as one of our staffers witnessed, a funeral, makes you look like a self-important, inconsiderate jerk. If you're expecting a call important enough to interrupt one of these events, just subtly slip the device in your ear precisely when you need to answer the call. On second thought, just leave it on; it's easier for us to avoid you.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 10
Using the smartphone at meals
How would you feel if you were out for a meal and your companion pulled out their laptop to surf the Web or check their e-mail? Well, that's the same thing you're doing when you play on your iPhone or BlackBerry instead of paying attention to others. Yes, there are exceptions based on location, formality, and familiarity, but mind your manners.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 11
Unnecessary e-mail forwards
This silly behavior has been around for ages, but people still seem to think that their friends want to read lame jokes, cute stories, and scary chain letters. If you're passing along anything that's not serious, be mindful of your audience. If it's a warning of some kind, search for it on Snopes.com to see if it's a hoax. We'll all be grateful.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 12
Pocket calling
If you own a non-flip phone, chances are you've accidentally called someone from your pocket. First off, it's annoying to get these calls or voicemails. Second, and far worse, you could call an ex, relative, or boss at an inappropriate time and get caught saying something offensive. Just lock the keypad. It's that easy.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 13
Fail to give a NSFW warning
Just because you're at home, or your workplace is cool with improper content, doesn't mean that your friends are in the same situation. If you're forwarding a dirty e-mail (or sending a song, image, or video containing improper language, nudity, or porn), just write "NSFW," or "Not Safe For Work" in the subject line. Neglecting to warn someone can have extremely bad ramifications, so use your head.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 14
Inappropriate gadget volume
If you're in public or the workplace, keep the volume of your conversations, music, or video games to a minimum. Nobody cares about your business or music preferences, and we really don't want to hear about it during our rush hour commute. Also, speakerphone isn't necessary when only two people are talking. And, really, why does anyone use tiny speakers instead of headphones? Come on.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 15
Forgetting attachments
How many times have you had to send an e-mail twice because you forgot to include an attachment? If the entire point of an e-mail is to send a file, make sure you actually include it. The easiest strategy here is to attach the file before you write anything in the body. That way, if you click send too quickly, you at least know the important stuff went through. If you do forget, though, the best course of action is to send another e-mail (with the attachment!) immediately.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 16
Sharing large files
Yes, the high-res pictures and movies of your dog wearing phony reindeer antlers were funny. But the huge files you e-mailed to everyone take up precious inbox storage space. Unless it's necessary to send large files, either resize them (we like using the free IrfanView for Windows or iResize for Mac), or upload them to a site like Snapfish, YouTube, Flickr, or Dropbox, where they can be shared or downloaded.
Biggest Tech No-Nos 17
Facebook apps -- too many of them
As many Facebookers can agree, constant invitations -- whether to play some weird game or to add a random application -- are almost always unwelcome. Stop with the invites and be careful of what you sign up for; many applications can automatically send invites and post spam, all without your knowledge. Sure, it might all seem like fun and games, but, for most of us, it's clutter.
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6 Examples of Workplace Rudeness
Posted Mar 24th 2009 4:00PM
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer\
Are you rude?
* You rarely steal candy from toddlers.
* You don't trip people on crutches anymore.
* You can't even remember the last time you made someone cry.
All in all, you could do a lot worse. You might not be in the running for a Good Samaritan of the Year Award, but you're a pretty decent person.
But how about your co-workers? Plenty of our daily interactions at work are befuddling. You're often left wondering if people are deliberately rude or just ignorant of their behavior. After all, you'd like to think people aren't going out of their way to inconvenience you.
With that in mind, we've taken a look at unappreciated behavior that rears its head in an effort to explain why it's rude and why you shouldn't do it (or why someone shouldn't do it to you).
1. You know what's rude? When someone --
Interruptions are offensive on many levels. When you interrupt someone, you suggest that your time and ideas are more important them everyone else's and that you have no interest in listening to what they have to say.
A rare offense is forgivable, but habitual interruption is problematic, according to professional coach Susan B. Wilson. "Some folks interrupt incessantly, whether you are on the phone, in a meeting, deep in thought or in another conversation."
2. No thanks
Aside from the phrases "Because I said so!" and "No," perhaps the most common thing you'll hear parents say to a child is, "And what do we say?" The prompt is, of course, for the child to tell someone "thanks" for a kind gesture -- a practice lost on many adults.
"The following statistic bears repeating," Wilson says. "In a 2002 Public Agenda survey, 48 percent of adults expressed only 'sometimes' encountering people who made an effort to say 'please' and 'thank you'; 16 percent said they saw such behavior 'practically never.'" A few words to show gratitude can put someone in a good mood -- or at the very least can keep someone out of a foul mood. Why not do it?
3. Table manners
Kara C.* has her share of venting to do about workplace rudeness, and at the top of the list is the lack of housekeeping manners she witnesses. In her company's communal kitchen, you won't have to look hard to see evidence that someone's recently enjoyed a snack in one of the cups or bowls littering the counter. She wants to remind her colleagues that maids don't work in the office, so they should clean up after themselves.
4. That's just #@*%ing rude!
Language is very subjective, and everybody has his or her own unique way of speaking. One person's "Howdy" is another person's "What's up?" When it comes to R-rated language, one person's "hell" is another person's "H-E-double hockey sticks." And that's something you should remember when interacting with others at work. It's less about the profanity itself and more about the fact that you don't care if it bothers the people around you.
5. Yes, all of us can hear you now
Teenagers are very private about phone conversations. They might be young, but they will give you a scowl that makes you feel like you're the child and they're the adult if you eavesdrop. Strange, then, how a dozen years later, many people do a 180 on this practice and want everyone to hear their conversations.
Cubicles are the norm in many workplaces, so one person's speakerphone conversation becomes an entire floor's business. Never mind how annoying it is to hear a conversation you're not a part of; think how bothersome it is to try to concentrate on work when someone's blathering in your ears. Rather than force your call on the whole department, invest in a headset or just hold the receiver in your hand.
6. I'm sorry, do I know you?
When you're walking down the hall and a co-worker is walking toward you, give a smile, a nod or some other greeting. No one's asking you to engage in a bear hug or to pretend you two are best friends. All anyone wants is an acknowledgement that you see them and that you're not going out of your way to avoid having any contact with them.
Why is this important, anyway? Well, think about the alternative: You walk down the hall and pretend not to see them by averting your eyes. You'd rather do anything but give a quick acknowledgement to this person. What kind of message does that send?
*Kara asked that her full name be withheld.
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