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"Technology has simplified communications for most businesses, but the increased use of conference calls, video conferencing, and instant messaging has created a new list of off-putting behaviors that could land your business in an awkward situation. \n\nSEE ALSO: HOW TO: Handle an Employee\u2019s Controversial Online Behavior\nHere's a list of some pet peeves that would definitely make  Emily Post cringe, and how to avoid them.\nInstant Message\n1. Knock before entering. Most people know better than to barge into someone\u2019s office or cubicle. The same applies to using IM. Before launching into a conversation, send a polite \u201Cping\u201D asking if the person is available for a quick chat. If you are on the receiving end, learn to say no if you can\u2019t be interrupted and offer the person an alternative time to talk.\n2. Keep it short. IM works best for quick questions and updates. If the message is complicated, and takes more than a few sentences, pick up the phone or get out of your chair and walk down the hall to discuss.\n3. Hang the \u201CDo Not Disturb\u201D sign. If you are unavailable then simply set your status to invisible, away, or out to lunch.\nVideo Conferencing \n1. Video conferencing is more widely used in recent years in an effort to save on travel costs. It\u2019s best to always assume the microphones and the cameras are on. That means don't do or say anything you don't want on camera.\n2. Sit still, please. You may know someone who constantly fidgets. You may even have threatened to tie them to a chair during a videoconference. Simply put, excessive movements can be extremely distracting to others on the conference, so avoid rocking, pacing, or making dramatic gestures.3. Avoid bright, flashy, patterned clothing. Play it safe, wear neutral tones in solid patterns.\nSpeakerphone\n1. Don\u2019t place someone on speaker without first telling all parties involved in the call, and don\u2019t assume everyone knows who is on the call. An obvious solution is to use  a conferencing feature that prompts attendees to announce themselves when they arrive.\n2. Mute your phone if you dial in from a public area, or if you need to multi-task while on a call. There is nothing worse than feeling like the person on the other end of the line is not engaged.\n3. Refrain from having side conversations while participating on calls. It makes it difficult for those on the call to understand the dialogue if there is more than one conversation taking place in the conference room.\n4. Avoid loud snacks, smacking of gum, slamming of office drawers, crying babies, barking dogs or basically any noise that will be magnified and hinder communication with other participants.\n5. Don\u2019t shout into the speakerphone. Today\u2019s high-definition phones are particularly sensitive and you may come across louder than you intend. And, if you decide to move the phone around the room, keep in mind that the audience on the other side will hear it.\nSmartphone\n1. Don't use your speakerphone. If you assumed that using the speakerphone on a cell phone was something that only happens on reality TV, think again. It seems to be a growing trend among many cell phone users \u2014 and an annoyance for anyone standing close by. While it\u2019s fine that you can work from just about anywhere now, don\u2019t make everyone else part of your work day.\n2. Be careful what you say in public. For starters, you never know who might be listening when you happen to be discussing confidential information about, say, customers. It's a bad idea all around and most of the time the people near you don't want to hear it. Believe it or not, some people are at Starbucks for the coffee.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, AVAVA"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/05/28/bad-tech-etiquette-work/>