How Does Social Media Change the Rules for Civility?

Early today, Robert Scoble twittered "“I think I'll write up a new post about why the new polite is to be impolite". His statement made me think about the civility of social media. Please understand that I'm neither an expert on social media or civility... but I have been accused of being too short and impersonal in my own communications.

Here are a few observations to keep in mind when using social media tools.

1. Don't try too hard to read between the lines. Twitter, Friendfeed, blog comments, etc are not the same as face to face conversations, they are concise and public.
2. Social media has significantly increased competition for attention. This may be the scariest aspect for many people new to using social media. I want to participate in the larger world, but I need to filter it down to something I can digest. This means I can't attend every party and I must recognize that my parties may not always be well attended.
3. Sometimes I'm just talking to myself... and that's OK. Find value for yourself. Yes I can laugh at my own jokes and I often do.
4. Sometimes you're not talking to me. If I dont' get it, you probably don't care.
5. Don't feel the need to respond to every post. Ask yourself if you are adding value to the conversation. I admit this is difficult for me; sometimes I need to keep my 2 cents and save them up for a different conversation where I can provide more value.
6. Communications are more public than ever before, you may not fully understand your influence and words can hurt... so use your words carefully.

Have a nice day!

:)