WA System: PM Etiquette
Hi Folks,
I wanted to stop by and give you some pointers on how to send an awesome PM to someone that would increase the likelihood of a response.
1) Greet Them
It’s always great to read a ‘Hello, Greetings or Hi’ as it sets the mood for the message.. positive & polite.
2) Personality
Add some sort of personal element to your message such as who you are and where you’re from. Again, it sets the mood for the message.. positive & polite.
3) Patience
There are several reasons why people don’t get back to you right away and it’s important to have some patience with this.
For Example:
- Your time zone may not be my time zone
- WA messaging turned off
- Don’t work on weekends
4) Solution inside WA
Before sending someone a PM, ensure your answer isn’t already inside WA. There is a great search toolbar at the top of your dashboard that can help you out.
5) Signature
This is always nice to see at the end of a message as it closes up that positive & polite mood you started with.
Here’s a Sample message for your consideration.
***
Hi Jay,
Have you been watching the Olympics? It’s been very exciting and love watching Canada wind all those swimming medals!
Thanks for the last WA blog post you created, there is a question I have in which I wasn’t able to find the answer for.
What is ‘Fetch as Google’ mean?
I’d appreciate if you could point me in the right direction for this.
Many Thanks!
Jay
***
If someone sent me this message, I would be inclined to answer right away as soon as my office hours start.
What PM Etiquette tips do you have?
Let me know in the comments.
Recent Comments
49
I could also add that some has a huge following, busy websites and buzzing social media platforms, making it impossible to reply within record time. I agree, by using the search bar, one could save time that would otherwise be lost while waiting for a response.
I hope you aren't referring to me! I always try to be polite, but sometimes I'm frustrated. I'll work on it:)
So right, Jay, you are not the only one who is annoyed by this behaviour When you want to ask for help, ask nicely
You are absolutely right Jay - I get so many unsolicited PM's asking me for the magic wand and to almost do the work for them, without a please or thank you! Almost all of them haven't used the search bar or they are trying to get comments or feedback without going through the proper channels. This is a great reminder :)
Hi Jay, this sounds pretty good to me. I think some people just get caught up in the whole online thing and it messes with their expectations.
BTW rooting for the female Canadian diver. :-) but I don't see a medal for the 100m; Usain Bolt seems to be working his magic yet again.
We have a Canadian that will give Usain Bolt a run for his money.. lol
We shall see tonight!
Excellent post-Jay. Courtesy, common sense, good judgement usually works in all situations and if that fails...........how would YOU like to receive a Private Message will also work.
Thanks, Jay. As a newbie to this whole PM thing, this is valuable information.
Good fortune
Richard
I agree with you, but I am human after all, and sometimes my haste gets in the way of clear thinking. I will try to remember this in the future.
Thanks, Jay.
Barry
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Great post, and a polite reminder.