Tim O’Reiley gives some good concise (much-needed) advice on Social Networking invitation etiquette.
I remember when people first started using email, and there was a flurry of publications on “netiquette,” the etiquette of how to use email. Social networking is at that stage now. There’s been a lot written about the potential for future embarrassment from photos or videos published on Facebook or MySpace, but I am focused on a humber bit of social networking etiquette: the proper use of invitations.
The main bit of advice seems to be: ditch the default invite message and write something about why you should be connected. It’s not rocket science, but from my experience it did need to be said. He probably says it better though.
I like the idea of sending an email outlining why you haven’t invited someone.
brilliant!
“please don’t be my friend on facebook, we haven’t really got much in common and i’ve got no interest in what you did last weekend”
I wrote this on the company blog a while ago:
(I tried to trackback, but am not good with the interwebs):
Just like every other planner on this planet I think the “Polaroid as social lubricant” repositioning is the one of the smartest things ever. And just now it got me thinking. Of something completely different but hey, every blog post needs an intro.
I know all the smokers that work here ’cause I don’t have a lighter. When I go outside to our designated spot I always have to talk to someone to get a light. And I ask the new guys first, that way the ice is broken. So what we have here is the not-having of something that is the social lubricant.
I’m thinking that sometimes social networks could become more social by NOT including features. Like the generic “introduction message” in Linkedin, maybe by not having this people would *have to* write their own message making it more personal, it could even be the start of a conversation. A frienship. A love affair. Okay, maybe not that, but you catch my drift.
http://blog.emakina.com/2007/09/11/less-is-more/
I worked on Polaroid and that ‘social lubricant’ story is slightly more interesting than the reality. Polaroid is actually run by Mormons who didn’t want to do anything even vaguely risky or clever.
And where are Polaroid now!
Obviously, once people started realizing *not* having a lighter was cheaper than buying a polaroid, their social lubricant thing went down the drain.