Think Before You Click
There is a new commercial on television that shows two young colleagues in a cubicle at a company. The one worker sends an email to his friend and his friend sends a candid answer back. The emails obviously were of a personal or provocative nature and not meant for company-wide distribution. The first worker tells the second worker that in his reply that he must have hit the ‘reply-all’ bar. Then, in utter panic, the second worker is shown rushing around stealing or destroying the computers of other employees.
How many of us have sent an email, made a post or transmitted something electronically that we wish we had not done? That would be all of us! Thinking before you click and being a discreet online participant are good rules of internet engagement. It is easy to get caught up in a moment or to react in humor or anger and hurt someone deeply. Clicking wrongly can cost you your job or even get you arrested. It can destroy relationships or unknowingly create negative vibes that last for years.
Discretion and judgment are key components in communicating with others. Texting, posting and emailing have become so spontaneous and easy that we often fail to understand that we are ‘memorializing’ our snap communication for the ages. Having done lots of writing and posts to websites, I have come to appreciate how sensitive and permanent our words can become. I also know that if I am not totally sure about my words, I don’t transmit them.
Many things are better to be left unsaid and never written. Sometimes it means we have to suck it up when others criticize us unfairly or mock us. Having been in public life for many years, I have taken some really unfair shots. But using restraint is a good character quality and shows good moral toughness. Posting, blogging and clicking are easy to do so people can say some really mean and hurtful stuff when they hide behind their computer. But the right clicks done with care, thought and love can lift others up and give them courage to tackle their problems.
So, think before you click. Be a friend online; and if you are a critic, be accurate and fair with your clicks, making allowances for another person’s feelings. People bruise easily and life is tough enough already. Happy clicking!