How NOT to Be Rude on Google Plus

July 20, 2011 / Becky B / Leave a comment

Chris Pirillo has it right: If you “uncircle” someone and tell people about it, it’s rude.

Google+ may feel like a fun playhouse, but we need to be aware that there are real people playing. Social media shouldn’t mean we lose our sense of etiquette or tact just because we’re hiding behind a screen.

The trouble is, these rules of engagement can mean different things to different people, with one side deriding the other for caring too much, another side wondering how people can seem so deliberately hurtful, and so forth and so on.

A Few Ways NOT to Be Rude:

Don’t share who you’ve stuck in your <Insert Uncomplimentary Title Here> Circle. It may seem doggone hi-larious to you and your crowd of sycophants, but you may find that’s all you have left.
Add the person who invited you in to one of your Circles. Why take their invite if you want nothing to do with them?
Give strangers who added you to a Circle a chance. Leaving them “uncircled” unless or until you know you should steer clear could mean you’ll miss out on a great connection.
As Guy Kawasaki says, “Generally, if you’re wondering if you’re about to do something clueless, just don’t do it. “ (He was talking about Twitter, but the point remains the same across platforms.)

Agree, disagree? What else?

Stymied by all this Circle talk? Here’s a post on How to Set Up Circles in Google Plus, recommending adding your Gmail contacts even before they join.

Google+: A New Round of Etiquette

July 14, 2011July 14, 2011 / Becky B / Leave a comment

toptechreviews

Now that I’m in Google+, I’m really liking it. It’s like a simplified version of Facebook with a potentially broader reach. And the privacy controls are up front, easy to use, and seemingly in place before we can even say, “Hey, what about – ?” Thank you, Google, for paying attention all these years.

But even here in this shiny new social media fun house, etiquette issues crop up.

Take Circles. The Google+ answer to Facebook Friends lists, you can create a Circle for any kind of group you want. Take a look at The Brutally Honest Guide to Naming Circles in Google Plus for ideas.

There’s also a lot of talk about reciprocity: If someone adds you to one of their Circles, do you automatically add them to one of yours?

I don’t think you should feel obligated, but if you’re in Google+ for social networking, adding people to at least an Acquaintances Circle could make sense. The privacy levels on posts and pictures let you decide who sees what anyway, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the job seeking world, it’s that you never know who can lead you to your next fabulous job.

But what about the people who clamor for a Google+ invite and then DON’T add you to one of their Circles? You’re effectively locked off from getting to know that person better, barring public posts.

Now with friends locking you out, it could be a simple case of morons online (or you need better friends). With name-only acquaintances or outright strangers, it could be another. I’ve seen a lot of begging out there on Twitter and other public forums to kindly folks who are sowing invites broadcast. What happens after that?

Do you feel a sense of obligation to give back to the person who invited you by adding them to a Circle, even if it’s a “Stranger who invited me” Circle, or is Google+ a take-it-and-run kind of scene? Let me know!

Want to know if Google Plus is for you? Read Google+ Micro-Review: If Drinking From a Fire Hose Entertains You by @jmacofearth.