Faithchick: IM etiquette

IM etiquette

Camy here, pondering more frivolous things. Today, I delve into the mysteries of Instant Messaging etiquette.

I am rather clueless when it comes to being polite. My husband often has to remind me to be tactful.

Yesterday, he brought up a good question:

When you IM someone, do you open with a greeting (i.e., “Hi Jane”) or just ask the question you want to ask them?

For example, is it rude to open an IM conversation with the question you want to ask (“When’s the release date for your book, Deadly Intent?”) or is it proper etiquette to open the IM conversation with a greeting first (“Hi Camy, When’s the release date for your book, Deadly Intent?”)?

Sometimes I open with a greeting, sometimes I don’t. I thought about it for a moment, and realized that what makes me open with a greeting or not depends on what the question I’m asking is about.

If I’m requiring some action or favor from the person I’m IMing, I’ll open with a greeting: “Hi Cheryl, Would you like to donate a book for my website contest?”

If I’m the one conferring a favor, I don’t open with a greeting (I’m not sure why): (to Janelle) “Do you need an atom card in Packrat?”

(The above question will probably make no sense to you unless you’re one of the rockin’ people who play Packrat on Facebook. It’s a totally addictive game!)

So what is proper etiquette for IMing people?

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her latest Asian chick lit novel, Single Sashimi, is out now. Join her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly Christian fiction giveaways!