Finally, Debrett’s has published the etiquette guide we need
What a relief that Debrett’s has finally published a guide to online etiquette. Correctly addressing a marchioness or passing the port in the right direction are child’s play compared to the potential pitfalls of cyberspace.
I’m already struggling. If I send a text to my 17-year-old with fewer than two kisses, she will storm in demanding to know why I am angry at her. More than three and I’ll be open to accusations of being needy. Or drunk.
Somebody – Debrett’s, maybe – will have to break the news to her generation that professional life demands entirely kiss-free correspondence. But that’s not strictly true, is it? If only.
Just cast your mind back to that time your female – or, indeed, male – boss suddenly signed off with an “x” and you froze.
Was it a mistake? An abuse of power? An intimation of your imminent promotion? Most traumatic of all, were you supposed to respond with an “x” back or not?
After a ridiculous amount of deliberation, you replied with an “x” even though it felt a little uncomfortable, but hey, if this was the dawning of a new age, who were you to question the rules of engagement?
So you hit “send”. And, after hours of trepidation, received a response – this time with no “x”. And you were so mortified, you took a month’s sick leave for mental health reasons just to avoid having to reply.
Which is another way of saying thank you, Debrett’s, for helping us mind our online manners.