Being in a group chat means that you could be interacting with people that you’ve likely never met. Due to this fact, I think it’s only right that I give you a few pointers on how to properly engage in a group chat setting. I’ll leave you with a brief list of etiquette items below; but, please watch the video to get the full picture.
1. Be Patient
Don’t expect everyone to respond to your messages, especially if it’s a large group. People actually have careers and may be unable to respond as frequently as others.
2. Get Out Your Feelings
Heated debates arise…it’s a part of life. Listen to other people’s points of view without judgment and express your thoughts in a respectful manner. If you strongly disagree with someone don’t get your undies in a bunch. Back away from the conversation, agree to disagree and/or hug it out virtually and move on.
3. Ask for Clarity
Texting overall is a very dangerous thing. When texting, you don’t have the benefit of hearing someone’s tone, reading their facial expressions or analyzing their body language. All you see are words on a screen. If you’re unsure of how to read someone’s message, ask for clarity to avoid taking it the wrong way. The last thing any chat needs is tension.
4. The Chatter vs. The Person
Don’t make judgments about people based on their chat-personalities; these can be very different than their persona in living color. I know people who are sweethearts in person but come across as complete bungholes in the chat world.
5. Don’t Be a Lurker
If it’s one thing active chatters hate, it’s a lurker. The point of a chat group is to actually chat. Not sit there and macco 24/7.
6. Forget that Screen Shots Exist
What happens in a chat SHOULD stay in the chat. If it isn’t a funny meme you’re copying and sending to another person then please do us all a favor and refrain from sharing any pieces of group chat conversation. This never ends well.
7. Learn to Mute
Don’t come in complaining that chatters talk to much. Use the mute button because the last thing you want is a dead battery. Depending on the day and the topic, there can be 800+ messages within any given hour. No sane person wants to hear all of these notifications so please mute the chat. You have a number of options I.e. 8 hours, 1 week or 1 year. I usually mute chats for a year.
8. Clear out the Chat!
For crying out loud people. Clear out the chat every now and then eh! If you know your phone isn’t good on storage space then this is a must, especially if your group sends a ton of photos, videos and memes daily.
9. Star! Star! Star!
Starring messages will save your life. Anything you wish to have access to forever please star it. This way, when you go to clear out the chat these messages can be spared.
10. Don’t Just Bounce
You’re free to leave a chat at any time. But, if you choose to, let the rest of the group know. The one thing we hate to see is “123-456-7890 left the chat ” with zero warning. Then after that all you see are a bunch of eyes like …
You kow what I’m talmbout!
Anyway, I’m done LOL…I’ll be back with more for this series I’m sure. Thanks for tuning in!
