Geek Etiquette

Geek Etiquette: Random Acts of Kindness

By Tara in Geek Etiquette No Comments Tags: ,

It’s Monday, Summer is over, and a nasty cold has been spreading its way around the Seattle area. I think this calls for some random acts of kindness.

This week, go a bit out of your way to do something awesome for someone. It may be a small thing for you, but it can change that person’s week (and it’s great karma!). Here are some examples to get you started:

  • Call up that friend you haven’t talked to in forever.
  • Buy the coffee of the person behind you in line.
  • Is your friend sick? Bring them some soup and your favorite movie/tv show.
  • Bring your husband/roommate/kid/co-worker their favorite treat, just because.
  • Tweet about how awesome someone is to you.
  • Make a LinkedIn recommendation for your favorite co-worker.
  • Send an actual, real letter to a friend.

Let me know in the comments what you end up doing this week! Stay healthy, stay cozy, and go get yourself a pumpkin spice latte.

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YOLO

By Tara in Geek Etiquette No Comments Tags: , , ,

Well, I never thought I’d type that word into a Geeky Hostess post. Anyway, the newest Satire video takes a look at how adults would use the word “YOLO,” and features lil ol’ me! Take a look and share it with a teenager in your life–the hope is that if they hear enough adults use it, they’ll never say it again. ;-)

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Geek Etiquette: How To Approach A Geek

By Tara in Geek Etiquette 4 Comments Tags:

Photo by Darwin Yamamoto

There has been a lot of talk lately of women being harassed, insulted, and assaulted at conventions and other public gatherings. This is a terrible thing, and while it’s no excuse for their actions, some of the time the experiences can be attributed to the fact that the harasser didn’t know better or couldn’t read appropriate social cues. Let’s talk a bit about the right way to approach someone out in the wild. Hopefully it will make for a pleasant interaction for you both!

Focus on content, not physicality

Love that person’s geeky tee? Start a conversation by complimenting the shirt. Avoid the fleshy bits underneath the item of clothing you enjoy, and instead focus on the movie/game/world the shirt is from. Please, please avoid awful innuendos.

Do say: “Awesome shirt! Is that from shirt.woot?” or “Sweet Mario tee! What’s your fave game of his?”

Don’t say: “Damn, that shirt makes your rack look fiiiiine.”

Use your surroundings as an ice breaker

In line at a bar? Ask someone what the best drink to get there is. At a convention? Ask them what panel or game you should check out. By focusing the conversations on your surroundings, you’re creating a common ground and greatly reduce the risk of them thinking you’re harassing them.

Honesty (and a bit of tact) is the best policy

Think someone seems interesting and want to chat with them a bit more? Ask them for their contact information, or if they’re free for dinner or lunch. No gimmicks needed, just be honest. However, honesty doesn’t mean you should get rid of tact entirely and say whatever enters your mind. And please be prepared to:

Accept rejection gracefully

Sometimes the person  you’re talking to is just not interested in you. Sometimes they’re busy, tired, antisocial, talking with someone else, married or in a relationship, distracted, or just in a crummy mood.  If they don’t look you in the eye, turn their body away from you, and respond to your questions as quickly as possible, then give them some space. If they tell you they want to be left alone, leave them alone. It’s not always personal, and you don’t know what the person’s night/day/life has been like up to that point. Don’t assume the worst about yourself.

Let me know in the comments: What are your tips on approaching someone respectfully? What stories do you have of experiences that went well? Any that went horribly? What would you do to make that situation better?

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Geek Etiquette: Send a Letter!

By Tara in Geek Etiquette No Comments Tags: , , ,

Do you remember the last time you got a card or letter from a friend out of the blue? I can barely remember the last time I got a piece of physical mail that wasn’t junk. But those rare days that I see a hand-written envelope in my mailbox from a friend, I get so excited. It’s a delightful surprise that makes the recipient’s day!

This week’s Geek Etiquette post is just a simple challenge: Send someone something in the mail. Dig out your favorite stationary set or cards, find a stamp, and let someone know you’re thinking of them. It’ll cost you about 50 cents and a few minutes of your time, and will mean so much to them.

Need new cards? I’d recommend this set from Sad Shop on Fab.com. Looking for someone to write to? Let’s be pen pals.

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Geek Etiquette: Tech Help

By Tara in Geek Etiquette No Comments Tags: , , , ,

Most geeks have been there. Whether it’s a late-night call from a friend or a quick request while visiting relatives, we’ve had to provide technical assistance. Hey, a lot of us have even needed help ourselves! I’m great at solving problems in CSS to get a site working correctly, but can’t explain why an app on my phone or iPad will just freak out or stop on me. If I look at many electronics wrong, they’ll just shut off. So what do you do when you need technical help? Read this quick guide and feel free to casually post it on your social profiles. Next time your friends/family ask you for help, you just may be more willing to help them.

1. Troubleshoot

Before you ask for help, try a couple simple things.

  • Turn it off, and then on again. I’m pretty sure IT people are required to ask  you if your device is turned on when they begin. More often than you’d think, this may solve your problem. Make sure cords are plugged in, the item is charged, and the item has been properly restarted.
  • Google it. Someone else may have had this problem before, and either the official site for the product or a consumer forum may already have the solution layed out. Try a couple different phrases while searching before calling your friends for back-up.
  • Wait. When frustrated with technology, we can get flustered and not be able to see or think clearly. Take a step back and do something else for 10-15 minutes, and then come back to the problem.

Can’t find an easy solution or don’t have time to wait? Time to bring in the big guns.

2. Ask Nicely

Your friend/family member will be doing you a favor, so please be courteous and respectful of their time. Try not to wake them up or ask them when they’re too busy to help. If the problem can wait a couple days, ask them when a convenient time for them would be.

3. Help Them Help You

In order to assist, your friend/family member will need to know what happened. Try to state calmly what happened and what you saw. If there are any error codes or weird screens, take a picture or screen cap for them. Be nearby while they’re providing help and you may even learn what to do in case it happens again!

4. Pay Them Back

IT and technical roles often make a lot of money, and I’m guessing your friend/family member is assuming they’re helping you for free. Giving them money may look a bit tacky, so find another way to thank them for their time. Bake them their favorite cookies, buy dinner or a movie ticket next time you’re all out, or offer a service in exchange. Maybe you can help them sew their cosplay outfit, edit their novel, or teach them how to sing. Or heck, maybe you’re a Mac and they’re a PC and you can just trade tech services back and forth.

Overall, remain calm and grateful when asking for assistance with technical issues, and be ready to help when they need something in exchange!

Are you the go-to tech person among your friends/family? What additional tips would you suggest?

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Geek Etiquette: Twitter

By Tara in Geek Etiquette 3 Comments Tags: , ,

The Geeky Hostess is gonna help you get your manners on! Each Monday, we’ll focus on a topic of etiquette. We’ll take a look at the classic rules (using Emily Post as a guide), and then evaluate the rules for our daily lives, creating a guide to “Geek Etiquette.” Have an etiquette question or topic suggestion? Email tara@geekyhostess.com!


Twitter is an amazing social networking tool that can serve as a replacement to your RSS feed, a way of communicating with your friends, favorite companies, and celebrities at the same time, a promotional tool, and a way to spread news. (People have heard about earthquakes occurring before they felt it themselves, thanks to Twitter!) However, tweeting too much or tweeting incorrectly can get you unfollowed or blocked faster than you can tweet an apology. Here are some tips on how to be a mindful tweeter from myself and my followers!

  • “Be interesting but don’t take yourself too seriously.” -imkyleoneill

  • Keep an eye on your following to followers ratio. If you’re following thousands of people, it will be hard to keep up with your twitter feed, and people won’t think you’re interested in making genuine connections.

  • If you need to make any changes to a RT (to accommodate space, for instance), then it is a modified tweet (or MT). Please label it accordingly.

  • “People might actually be interested in what you have to say. Not what you RT. Too many people RT too many things.” -michaelrobles

  • “Having auto-tweet on whenever you like, comment or favorite a video on YouTube is extremely annoying. <3.” -Britt5091 (KristinaHorner said the same thing about Tumblr, and I feel the same way about blogs, Pinterest, and Facebook. Autotweeting is no fun for anyone! Be more authentic with your tweets.)

  • “Always keep your privacy settings in mind when you post, if you don’t want a future employer to see it, don’t post it!” -Alice_Wakefield (Same could be said about brands, friends, and anyone you may be talking about.)

  • See people on Twitter talking about something that seems a bit more private, or referencing an event you haven’t been invited to? Don’t assume the conversation is an open invitation. Respect their space, even if they’re not smart enough to take it offline.

  • “No more than 1-2 hashtags in a tweet. Sitting on the couch? Probably don’t need to hashtag couch.” -GeekyLyndsay

  • Want to become BFFs with a celebrity on Twitter? Treat them like a normal person! Tweet at them when their conversation or questions apply to you, and/or if you have something of substance to say. Don’t bombard them with tweets or get offended if they don’t respond to you.

  • shnoobles breaks it down for us: “people are reading what you’re saying! don’t be a jerk.”

What piece of twittiquette is this list missing? Let us know in the comments! On Twitter? Follow https://twitter.com/#!/GeekyHostess!

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Geek Etiquette: Holiday Thank-Yous

By Tara in Geek Etiquette 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

The Geeky Hostess is gonna help you get your manners on! Each Monday, we’ll focus on a topic of etiquette. We’ll take a look at the classic rules (using Emily Post as a guide), and then evaluate the rules for our daily lives, creating a guide to “Geek Etiquette.” Have an etiquette question or topic suggestion? Email tara@geekyhostess.com!

The holidays are over. Gifts have been given, parties have been attended, eggnog has been drunk. Your responsibilities are over, right? Not so much. Don’t forget to send thank-yous! Emily Post suggests the following for Holiday Thank Yous:

Write thank-you notes as soon as possible, preferably within two or three days. Try to acknowledge holiday gifts before New Year’s Day.

Tips:

- The sooner you write it, the easier it is

- Write the note as if you were speaking with the person

- Keep it short and sweet

- Personalize the note with the gift and giver

- Focus on the positive and don’t mention any dissatisfaction with the gift

If you’re reading this then you’ve already passed her deadline. I would personally extend the “Thank-You” deadline out to the first week of January. The holidays are a busy time, and a slightly later thank-you is better than none at all!

I believe holiday thank-you cards don’t need to be as formal as one from your birthday, wedding, etc. You usually exchange gifts with those who gave them to you, and may have already said thanks in person. If you don’t have time for paper thank-you cards to be mailed, a simple email will do. The email will also give you a chance to make some plans to see the gift giver sometime soon, if you’d like!

*One important geek tip: Try to keep the “thank-you”s off of Facebook, Twitter, or any other public platform. It may cause drama between the giver and those who didn’t receive a gift or party invite, and it prevents you from being more personal about the gift/giver. A private message is much more meaningful.

What are your thoughts? Do you send thank-yous for holiday gifts? Let me know in the comments!

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