Modern Etiquette #165 - potentially pissing on your chips

I've joined a lot more groups on Flickr, the photo sharing website, over the past six months. I've realised that joining the groups (cycling in edinburgh / location drawing) is a good way to either find out about events or develop techniques, in the case of drawing. I find it positive and educational.

When I joined the group 'Edinburgh' I felt, out of courtesy, that I should check if posting drawings was considered appropriate. It has always seemed natural to upload drawings despite Flickr being a photo sharing device. Some people felt that photo's shouldn't be added - which is cool. Today came a barrage of opinion which alarmed me.

Conceiving prose, the consideration required in writing a letter in ink, finding an envelope, a stamp, traveling to a post office and finally, when you're just at the point of posting the letter, asking yourself again if what you've written is what you want to be read is the sequence we used to talk about when digital writing started to get sloppy.

I learned my lesson - at a young age - by sending a hastily written email to the wrong person. I had my foot on the gas pedal and the endless super highway rolled into the distance. Since that day I slowed down dramatically, always checking and rechecking mails. Even informal ones. In some cases, I don't fill in the recipient name until I am happy with the structure of the text. Just as you wouldn't write the address on an envelope before you've written the letter.

The alarm that was going off in my head was due to people throwing down text, insulting others, writing really badly. All because they are invisible: People angry at the world and using virtual users as a punch bag. You see it in the streets as well - disgruntled road users honking, swearing and shouting at others as they press on, late, to their meeting.

But what if you turn up to the meeting and the woman you were screaming at is the client?

Bring back pen and ink.