Article: Online conversations are becoming more and more an essential part of the daily experience including all forms of education. Your words represent who you are and your personal brand, so putting your best foot forward is important. If you don’t have the benefit of a face-to-face conversation, your image is formed by crafting online communication. Be mindful that the tone of your texts and emails can get lost. Conversations in e-form are one-dimensional and can be misunderstood. You don’t have the benefit of seeing a person face-to-face to observe the body language, voice tone, and emotion of a conversation.  Be polite in your choice of words. Refrain from using all capital letters throughout the text or email. This will be perceived as yelling. Use emoticons, a small facial icon portraying an emotion, to clarify the emotional intent of your comments and conversations. For example, always include a greeting such as, “Dear _____, I was excited to see your email today and thought I would reach out.”  Sign off of by saying, “Thank you for allowing me to explain my situation. I look forward to your reply. Respectfully submitted, _____.” If you have a question, quickly get to asking it. Depending on the recipient, you may only have a few seconds to hook the person’s attention. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Even if you need to express a conflict or dissatisfaction you can maintain a professional demeanor. For example, “Dear ____, It has come to my attention that there has been an error made by your company. I am contacting you today to resolve the matter and hope that the issue can be settled without taking further action.” Whether you spend an hour per day or per month online, everyone has an online reputation. The power of positive actions and the devastating consequences of an online fail can change your circumstances in a heartbeat. Each comment you make on social media is either the potential start of a conversation, or a response that can further the conversation. For example, you can say, “I understand why you are upset, and I need to tell you why I am too.”  Pause before you make any comments. Ask yourself, “Will this offend, belittle, or cause me problems in my future interaction?” Pause twice before you hit send. Remember you can’t get something back once you send it. The anonymous nature of online commenting carries a potential to unleash the mob mentality. If you start an online conversation on a social media site and someone doesn’t like the comment, a herd of haters may join you. Reasonable people can turn into irresponsible people because they believe no one will catch them or punish them. If someone says something to you, turn the other cheek. Positive comments will almost always elicit positive responses. Stick with those types of comments and every online conversation will be positive. Text messaging allows you to stay in touch with those you care about. Some age groups use it more than others, and some abuse texting to the point of causing health problems. Texting is a very useful tool in today’s conversations. When life is busy, you don’t always have the time to call or talk to someone you care about. If a person sends you a text, respond to them in a reasonable amount of time. The same common courtesies you would demonstrate in a face-to-face conversation need to be demonstrated in text conversations.  If you send a text and you do not get a response, don’t pout about it. Send a second text and ask if the person received it. If it bothers you that someone doesn’t respond to your text messages you can say, “Hi, can you do me a favor and at least respond with the letter “K” when I send you a text. At least that tells me you received it and I won’t have to worry about it.” If your grandparents are set up to e-mail and text, send them texts to let them know you love and care for them. Grandparents feel ignored at times and benefit from knowing that you are doing well. If they are capable and interested, they are never too old to learn something new.

What is a summary?
Create and respond to emails as if they represent you. Convey a proper tone in texts and emails. Begin and end online communications in a personable, professional manner. Be clear and to the point. Be friendly. Show discretion when having social media conversations. Make your point without being abrasive. Refrain from antagonizing the community. Don’t respond to conversations that will upset you or drag you further into negativity. Use texting to converse with others. Practice common courtesy when texting. Stay connected with family.