Is there a difference between online and offline social etiquette?

In today's social media age the border between public and privacy gets more and more blurred. Privacy often becomes an illusion. Nonetheless, in my opinion there is not much of a difference in the social behavior rules for online social media compared to the offline world. To illustrate this we tried to come up with five golden rules of social media etiquette. We could also call them "netiquettes":

1. Listen
Listen first before speaking - meaning be aware of the context. Listening gives you a better sense of not only what people are saying but also how they are feeling. In virtual spaces where there are no visual cues, good listening skills become a powerful asset. Listening also helps you map out your current social media footprint or measuring your marketing campaigns over time. Additionally, keep in mind that you don't know everything, and you can learn from others if you take the time to listen.

2. Be nice
Although this sounds quite trivial, being nice is often not respected. You can call us old-fashioned but we think it should not be so difficult to just treat people as you would like to be treated from others as well.

3. Be real
Because of the anonymity the Internet allows, there is little to no accountability online. Authenticity is the most important for any good and valuable social media behavior. Just be yourself, you'll have far better and more long-lasting positive results than if you try to be someone - or something - you're not. And do not forget: One always meets each other twice - and in today's virtual world even more. Furthermore, cheaters never win! And once everyone sees you for the cheater you are, you can't un-ring that bell. Therefore, be accountable, people will respect you, whether they agree with you or not.

4. Add value
While entering a social media platform try to start any online conversation with the aim of adding value. Before adding a post to a platform, ask yourself: How is this providing value to the conversation or the community? 5. Pay attention to language issues Improper, inappropriate or bad language may, in the worst case, lead to a permanent ban from a forum or group. It is also important to remember people from other countries may be participating in the conversation and language barriers may be an issue.

This short video also explains our "netiquettes":