I want to share this with newcomers - especially ones from outside the US. Please go back to the original post if you have comments.

I want to share this with newcomers - especially ones from outside the US. Please go back to the original post if you have comments.

Originally shared by Sarah Rios

The G+ Newbie Guide to Internet Etiquette
(mostly for G+, but can apply anywhere)

Based on a conversation that happened in one of my posts where both of us misunderstood each other (and, unfortunately, I think I was the one that got blocked), I offer you my guide to communicating with people in a non-offensive way. This is etiquette applies to locals and internationals, to newbies and hipsters. Be polite, yo.

Stay On Topic. Pick a post you like and make a comment related to that post. Do not start an entirely new conversation within the comments that isn't related to the original post. This rule is simple courtesy and shouldn't be broken unless you already know the person and are on personal speaking terms.

State Your Intention. This is very important if you are trying to talk to an American and you aren't from a country where the native language is English (or even if you're an American but you are new to the land of the internets). Unfortunately, we Americans are mostly assholes that think everyone is out to scam us out of our money or get in our pants, and it takes very little to make us suspicious. This is not your fault. We're paranoid. To do this successfully without throwing out red flags, follow these steps:

1) Make a new post and put their name in with a + sign.
2) Say "hi." Not hhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiii or heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy or any other greeting that looks like your keyboard is broken. Despite popular opinion, non-Americans are not the only violators of this rule.
3) If foreign: tell that person that you are from another country and you want to make new friends on G+. If you don't speak English very well, mention that you are practicing the language and apologize in advance for any misunderstandings.
4) Make sure you clearly state that you only want to make new friends. If you are looking for a date, sign out of G+ and seek out a dating site. G+ is not a dating site. I cannot emphasize this enough. This applies to all genders speaking to all genders.
5) Tell that person why you circled them and say thanks. Thank you for reading, thank you for being interesting, or just sign your post with a plain "thanks." Everyone likes politeness.
6) Do not ask personal questions. Even something as innocent as "where do you live?" can be taken the wrong way. This is where a lot of cultural misunderstandings happen. If the information is not available in the person's profile, then just assume they don't want you to know. Try to talk about something you liked on their posts or something you might have in common (for instance, if you are both writers, talk about your writing).

Do Not Advertise. Use your own profile for advertisements. Do not post them in other people's comments.

Do Not Arbitrarily Block People. This applies to my American friends that are flag and block crazy. Those of us that have been around on the internet for a while learned our etiquette the hard way and we forgot what it was like to be a newbie. Be more forgiving than normal to these people. If they appear to be spamming your posts give them fair warning before you block. So far I've only tried this twice and it has worked. We know it's not cool to ask for someone to circle you; they don't. Maybe those poor souls came from Facebook and they don't know any better. Tell them so they don't repeat this mistake. Also don't block blue heads just because their profile may be blank. Block them if they do something offensive. Don't block them for testing the waters of G+. I personally know people that haven't filled out profiles, made posts, or even put up a real picture of themselves, and they have no intention of spamming anyone. Lurkers are people, too!


Just remember that not everyone knows or follows the rules of American internet etiquette. (Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?)

Go, my little minions. Go forth and make friends. And be nice to each other.

If you have anything to correct or add to this list let me know. I'm going to perma-link it in my profile.