Yahoo! Messenger Shares Survey about Online Etiquette

I just received this email from Yahoo! and thought it would be interesting to share… Happy birthday Yahoo!

Yahoo! Messenger Turns 10 and Reveals the Truth About
“Netiquette”

Here is a summary, but the details of the survey are listed below:

Rules of netiquette:

• It’s ok to…

• Wish someone a happy birthday via IM (according to 68% of the young adults surveyed)
• Say thanks! With an IM (57%)
        
• RSVP through instant message (55%) 

• It’s NOT ok to…

• Apologize via IM (only 21% of young adults said it is acceptable)
• Break up electronically (8%)
        
• Communicate the death of a loved one with an IM (10%)

Communicating with Kids:

• BRB (be right back)
      
• LOL (laugh out loud) – believe it or not 56% of young adults admit to using LOL in their regular speech!
      
• TTYL (Talk to you later)

 

New Survey Breaks Down the Dos and Don’ts of Online Etiquette

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of Yahoo! Messenger, the leading
instant messaging application in the  U.S. and the service on which worldwide users spend the most time.  For the last decade, Yahoo! Messenger
has been connecting friends, family and colleagues, and is often one of
the first communication tools people see and use on a daily basis –
whether from home or at work. To celebrate the anniversary, Yahoo! conducted a survey
to find out how instant messaging (IM) has changed the way we communicate and
how people do – or do not – adhere to common rules of etiquette in their online
communication.

IM has evolved greatly since Yahoo! Messenger launched in 1998 and has
become a necessity for every day communication.  According to the survey,
75 percent of respondents between the age of 18-30, or young adults, use an
instant messaging service on a regular basis.  A sign of its popularity
and versatility, instant messaging has become such an integral part of society
that “IM Lingo” has infiltrated verbal communication, with nearly 50 percent of
respondents using phrases like “LOL,” or laughing out loud, in everyday
conversation.   

Changes in the way we communicate also raise questions around online
etiquette, more commonly called “netiquette.”  This recent survey captured
surprising information on thoughts around etiquette and honesty. 

“I’m sorry…so sorry”: When asked what they would do if they accidentally
sent a snarky or sassy IM to the wrong person, an overwhelming 88 percent of respondents
aged 50 or older would be honest and
apologize.  However, 39 percent of young adults would just play it off with a silly emoticon, an animated smiley face.

To
Type or Not To Type?: General rules of etiquette dictate that there
are certain conversations that should be had in person, or at the very least
over the phone.  Yet, a startling one out of every ten respondents thinks
it is acceptable to communicate the death of a loved one via an instant
message. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) consider it appropriate to use
IM to RSVP, while more than half (55 percent) say it is perfectly ok to thank someone
via IM.

“In today’s Web-centric world, it is perfectly acceptable to RSVP
to an event via electronic communication, especially since many invitations are
issued that way," advises Margo Howard, advice and etiquette expert, daughter of
legendary columnist Ann Landers.  “Instant messaging is a great way to
communicate in a fast-paced world, but there are still instances when it’s
more fitting to pick up the phone, send a handwritten note, or have a
face-to-face conversation, i.e., breaking up. The barriers, however, are
falling.  When my mother died I received several hundred e-mails of
condolence, which were no less appreciated than the handwritten variety. When
speed is a necessity, nothing beats IM or e-mail."

Other interesting results from the Yahoo! survey reflect the changes in
personal and professional relationships and communication.

The recent survey also set out to find if and how the rise of
electronic communication has changed the way people communicate with loved
ones.

Relationships

The recent survey also set out to find if and how the rise of
electronic communication has changed the way people communicate with loved
ones.

 Cheat
or Chat?: 37 percent of women surveyed think that any kind of
flirting – even over IM – is considered cheating.  Noticeably fewer men
(only 30 percent) agree.

 Breaking
Up Is Hard To Do: Instant messaging is taking the place of some
difficult conversations, with 16 percent of young adults saying that they have
broken-up with someone by sending their significant other an instant message!

Workplace Communication

For many, it’s hard to remember a time when electronic communication
was not the main component of life in the workplace.

 Pen
and Paper are Passé: Nearly half (49 percent) of all respondents
cannot remember the last time they sent a handwritten letter for business
purposes.

 My
People Won’t Call Your People: More than half (59 percent) of respondents
say they pick up the phone less because email and IM are so much more
convenient. 

 Chronic
Multi-taskers: 75 percent of young adult respondents admit to using
IM because they can multitask while only 46 percent of those aged 31-50 use
instant messaging to have more
than one conversation at a time.

About Yahoo! Messenger

As one of the most popular instant messaging services on the Internet,
Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com) makes it easier than ever for
people to express themselves, interact and manage relationships with friends
and family.  Yahoo! Messenger has a unique and proven history of
innovation in instant messaging as the first to offer Webcam functionality, the
first to introduce an interactive and shared experience with IMVironments®, and
the first to introduce animated emoticons. Yahoo! Messenger continues to the
lead the marketplace by integrating with leading Yahoo! services including
games, music, photos and search, and providing the greatest choice for
consumers to stay connected to one another through text IM, PC-based calling,
e-mail, video and mobile text messaging.