GeekSugar

Do You Still Receive Chain Email Forwards?

GeekSugar — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:07:32 -0700

There was a time in my life where I really wanted to help that terminally ill child whose family was reaching out to me vial email forward, or grew seriously concerned about the risks of my deodorant giving me cancer. I call that time 1999, when chain email forwards were coming at me in all directions, namely from my friends, who also sent me email questionnaires about different aspects of their life, which were interesting the first 50 times I received them.

Now, my friends have realized how annoying and scam-worthy these forwards all were (though the questionnaire people moved on to MySpace bulletins). But that doesn't put me in the clear; it seems as some of my (let's say, older) relatives have finally "figured out" email, a certain email forwarding abuse has come with this newfound skill. So, I sort through them, scanning for anything new under the forward sun. Occasionally, if it's someone who won't be offended, I'll reply with the Snopes article disproving the forward they just sent. Hey, they have to learn too.

So tell me - are you still getting email forwards?

Source

How To Master Email Etiquette

GeekSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:04:37 -0700

We all have those moments when we need to send a few quick replies to emails but don't have the time to write eloquent, grammar perfect emails. Here are a few tips and tricks I've learned along the way which will hopefully help you improve your email writing skills.

Double check the recipient field - I can't stress enough how important it is to make sure you have the correct name in the 'To' box. With autocomplete of email addresses it can be an easy mistake to enter the wrong name. Nothing like sending a personal email to your boss which was supposed to go to your best friend.

Be careful with abbreviations - The use of abbreviations like BTW, LOL, OMG are acceptable for some informal emails. Try not to use them in professional emails- try to break the habit!

For more tips, read more

Avoid using generic subject lines - Try to create a subject title which summarizes your email. Be concise and accurate and try to stay away from Hey, Hi and What's up.

Stay on topic - Instead of writing a novel, try to stick to the point and avoid using fancy formatting.

End the email with an amicable note - When I say this I don't mean writing love always or forever yours (unless it is your hubby of course) but what I do mean is cater to your audience. Usually best wishes, kind regards, thanks etc can do just fine.

Refrain from sending huge attachments - Receiving attachments that are 1MB or bigger in size can be such a drag. Not only does it fill up your inbox, but it takes forever to download - not to mention you can hardly see the image! Make sure all your attachments are a reasonable size before sending them.

Online Etiquette: Acceptable Instant Messenger Behavior

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:00:33 -0700

I got a cheap laugh out of the instructional How to Behave in an Internet Forum video last week, but soon realized there's never been any real etiquette on this wild Internet.

I've put together a list of tips for acceptable instant messenger behavior that addresses some of my biggest pet peeves. This one goes out to all you iChat, AIM, Yahoo messenger and Gchat regulars.

Start with a "Hello" or some sort of greeting: I am on iChat all day long for work and readily available to anyone who IMs me, but I still think you should say "hey!" to someone before you start asking them a question. Call me old fashioned, but it's like starting an email with "Can you please do this for me" instead of a nice greeting.

There are more rules, trust me! Just read more!

Try not to trail off: It's always awkward when you are engaged in a conversation with someone on iChat and they suddenly stop responding to you. If you're chatting with someone and busy, just let them know with a simple "BRB" or "one sec." It will calm their insecurities that you are ignoring them.

Use your away message: Sure, you may have set your chatting preferences to make it look like you are always online to keep your boss happy, but that doesn't mean your friends know it. If you leave the computer or don't want to talk to people, put up an away message. If you use AIM for work be courteous to your co-workers by letting them know when you are in a meeting, grabbing lunch or at the gym. That way you won't return to your desk and have 16 unopened windows.
Back at your computer? Change your away message!: When you return from being away change your away message back to available. You don't want your boss thinking you took a six hour lunch break or your boyfriend thinking you spent four hours at the dentist. People might start to worry about you.
Be smart about screen name exchanges: Don't give your screen name to someone unless you want them to know it. And IM you. Often.
Don't want to be bugged? Go Invisible: Most chatting services allow you to set your online status to invisible. If you do, you will have to initiate contact with friends online but you won't have people bothering you when you're busy.
Some things are best said in an email or (gasp!) in person: If you have a lot of important stuff to say (particularly if it's for work or an important project) put it in an email. It's much easier to have all the information in one place for future reference than to go back and forth and try and make sense of a chat chain.
Let people know when you're signing off: Okay, so this one isn't as important, but if you have been chatting with someone for a while and are getting offline let them know! A simple "TTYL" (as in, Talk to You Later) will do the trick. You wouldn't just hang up on someone on a phone call, would you?

Geeky Girl We Love: Peggy of BuzzFeed

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:35:58 -0700

As much as I like to think I know what the buzz is on the net everyday, it's virtually impossible to always know what's hot and what's not. That's why I rely on BuzzFeed, a NY-based site that posts 10 "Buzz Detected" topics per day, so you don't get bombarded with content.

With a clean, fresh layout and categories ranging from science and celebrity to food and tech, you're guaranteed to find the most talked about stories on the net at any given moment. Have you read up on the Stephen Colbert Backlash, did you know James Lipton used to be a pimp and have you ever considered adding scrabble fashion to your wardrobe? Buzzfeed claims they use "technology and human editors to find the hottest buzz" on hot topics and they aren't kidding.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of the site's "professional trend detectors," senior editor Peggy Wang. Peggy has been working in the tech industry for the past five years is the total tech-savvy geek chic package so I had to put her on the spot and test out her geek cred. To check out the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: Tell us a bit about yourself...
Peggy: When I started working at BuzzFeed, it was almost a total 180 degree career change for me, moving from computer programming to creating content. Basically, I went from being a code monkey to a "tastemaker," which is awesome because now I get to incorporate my obsession with pop culture, music, fashion, etc. At BuzzFeed, I've always had the opportunity to delve back into the back end, but honestly, it's been a year and I haven't quite had the desire yet!

Geeksugar: With so much content on the Internet, how do you determine what is Buzzfeed worthy?
Peggy: Usually, I'll just spot something I think is interesting either in my RSS reader or in our trend detector, and then I do some research to see if the "buzz" is thought-provoking in some way, especially if bloggers seem to have vehement opinions or even just something clever or funny to say. Also, if I hear about some obscure movie or band or website that is getting some attention from respected resources (early adopters, if you will), then there's a good chance it could take off.

Geeksugar: What is your main goal for Buzzfeed? What are you hoping readers get when they visit?
Peggy: Well, I really love that the trends we choose to cover are a hodgepodge of interesting things that you might have a conversation about at a party. When I was a computer programmer, I didn't have time to read a lot of blogs or newspapers or magazines, and I always felt a little out of the loop and a step behind. So basically, I would hope that BuzzFeed helps our readers feel less awkward at parties. Also, we help make good things popular by giving bloggers ideas to write about. Truly "good" things don't need marketing dollars and huge advertising campaigns to gain steam - word of mouth is so much more powerful. If you've got a friend with great taste who recommends something to you, that means a lot more than seeing some flashy ad. That's why I think having human editors is so important. We use lots of technology to find features on BuzzFeed but in the end everything is written in a human voice by an editor with good taste.

Geeksugar: What are some popular tech and/or gadget trends on Buzzfeed?
Peggy: One of my favorite tech trends we did is The Mullet Strategy because it's a concept that we coined, and bloggers responded by writing about it and sending us their posts to link to. Some other popular ones were Hand-Drawn Video Games, Lifecasting, and Lolsecretz.

Geeksugar: Other than the iPhone, what gadget has created a lot of buzz on Buzzfeed?
Peggy: The Verizon Voyager is doing really well. And, um, stylish sex toys got lots of clicks.

Geeksugar: What websites do you love visiting and why?
Peggy: I love gossip sites that are clever and funny, like Best Week Ever and Jossip. The blogs for Wired and Vice Magazine always have really interesting posts. As far as personal blogs go, I love Momus' blog and this girl Jessica Hopper's blog (she's a writer for the Chicago Tribune, and I love her taste in music and writing style). I'm also addicted to eBay. And the Sugar sites are all interesting and really well designed.

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Peggy: I have about 300 blog feeds that I read every day, but they get backed up pretty quickly. They are organized by category and I have a very methodical procedure for going through them. But sometimes if I'm feeling impractical, I'll spend a bunch of time going through my fashion feeds because I need an outfit idea for an event, or my food feeds because I want to make dinner that night. Two birds, one stone! Also, the BuzzFeed trend detector automatically "reads" and filters about 50,000 sites for me so I can see what is bubbling to the top. And I get dozens of tips and suggested links from BuzzFeed readers. All this information comes together in what we call the "BuzzFeed Terminal." It is like our own Bloomberg Terminal for web buzz and all the editors use it to find stuff and publish features.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you spend online a day?
Peggy: I'd say between 8 and 10. It's hard staying away from the internet before bed, but I try to keep an active social life to keep me away from the computer.

Geeksugar: Are you a PC or Mac user?
Peggy: I'm pretty exclusively a Mac user.

Geeksugar: Which do you prefer and why? BlackBerry, iPhone, neither.
Peggy: I was an iPhone pessimist at first, jaded by all the hype. Then, my friend Scott had one at this wedding I went to, and he was able to surf the internet during all the boring parts. Needless to say, I was jealous of his iPhone, even though he looked like kind of a tool. It's probably not the best etiquette to write an email while your friends are exchanging vows, but that's just the sort of power you've got in the palm of your hand with the iPhone. I personally use the LG enV, because I like having a QWERTY keypad for texting. Honestly, I don't really get enough email to justify having a BlackBerry. I wish I got more email. More people should write me.

GeekSugar's Online Wedding Registry Guide

GeekSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:07:08 -0700

One of the most exciting and aggravating things about planning your wedding is putting together a great registry that suits your wants and needs with the needs of your guests, who are often scattered around different parts of the globe.

I've read it's considered poor etiquette to include details of your chosen gift registries with your invitations, but as a sensible, smart woman I refuse to listen to that advice. Shopping for a wedding gift shouldn't be hard for guests - it should be a gesture of love for the couple.

So go ahead and make it easier for your guests by speaking up and letting them know what you need and where they can get it. That way, you can present them with options in different price ranges and locations. Most guests will get you a gift, so helping them get the right gift - even if that means sending out an extra note - is worth it. Also, my advice is to embrace the fact that you are getting hitched in the age of the internet and register for everything online. For my guide to setting up your online registry, read more

Even grandma and grandma would prefer to go online and have a gift sent directly to you over going to the store, sifting through their in-store registry and having to lug a heavy gift around. If you make the move and register online your guests will have the option of getting the registry at the store as well, but they won't be limited to in-store shopping. This means better gifts for you, less time and energy spent for all.

Sign Up For Traditional Registries Online In One Place
The most traditional registry spots are Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Restoration Hardware Fortunoff, Gump's, REI, Target, JCPenney, Barneys New York and Dean & DeLuca. You can actually create a registry at all these stores via the Wedding Channel.com website.

Register Based On Your Lifestyle
Macy’s Wedding & Gift Registry has created an “instant” registry bank for different types of couples and it's surprisingly perceptive and vast. You can just click on personality types like "Jet-Setters," "True Romantics," "Happy Hipsters" etc and get a look at kitchenware and gadgetry that will likely fit your interests. You can check it out at TheKnot.com.

Looking For a More Unique Registry?
You can go online to GreatHoneymoon.com and to sign up for a program where your guests contribute towards part of your honeymoon. There are other options out there, just search "Honeymoon registry" on Google.

Don't Forget Practical Gifts
Stores like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond are becoming increasingly popular registry spots for modern couples that often have most of the furniture and kitchenware they need by the time they get married, but could use a few sprucing up the house items. The stores are great for smaller gifts like DVDs, towels, electronics and even camping gear for outdoorsy couples.

For All You Geeky Couples Out There
Don't even think I forgot about you, you big geek. Amazon.com seems to one of the best spots for gifts of all kinds. You can register for the regular housewares and high-end electronics in the same place. You can also ask for gift cards from stores like Apple and Best Buy.

The Best Gift You Can Give
If you really don't need gifts consider passing your guests' generosity to someone in need. JustGive.org is a great nonprofit organization that offers an online Charity Wedding Registry. Couples can choose from any of the 850,000 charities in the U.S., add personal information about themselves and their wedding, send an email to friends and family notifying them of their registry, and access password-protected reports that detail who has donated to what charity on their registry so they can send out timely "Thank You" cards.

Still need help? Check out Fabsugar's look at WeddingChannel.com.

Source

Do You Think Emoticons Carry Cultural Baggage?

GeekSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 04:01:35 -0700

A recent study used the hypothesis that facial cues in different parts of the face are interpreted differently based on an individual’s cultural background. The researchers confirmed this, with a study that found emoticons - as in the text-turned funny faces used in text messages, e-mail and instant messenger to replicate emotions and attitudes - are in fact interpreted differently depending on cultural factors.

Arstechnica notes the study found a culture's interpretation of facial expressions is dependent upon a combination of the culture's emotional openness and the challenge of controlling certain facial muscles. Here's more:

Given that the eyes are more difficult to control than the mouth when people express emotions, we predicted that individuals in cultures where emotional subduction is the norm (such as Japan) would focus more strongly on the eyes than the mouth when interpreting others’ emotions. By contrast, we predicted that people in cultures where overt emotional expression is the norm (such as the US) would tend to interpret emotions based on the position of the mouth, because it is the most expressive part of the face.

I have never been a huge fan of emoticons, mostly because I think our texting etiquette and habits are in fact lessening our writing abilities. I do, however, agree that emoticons are less universal than we might have thought, and that what looks like "money mouth" or "frown" to me might look like something else entirely to someone down the street or across the globe.