Think before you publish

You could have said it better: You could very easily offend someone, but you can risk the impact of what you say by making sure that you are crystal clear. Think before you are sarcastic, it may upset someone.

Who will read it: You never know who will read something published on the internet or sent via email. An email may be forwarded and blogs and the internet are usually open to everyone. Your employer could read something you didn’t intent or friends and colleagues may discover your latest rant.

You are angry: getting something off your chest feels really good, but it may do more harm than good. Sometimes the best way to win an argument is to walk away, sleep on it and come back to it a later date. Don’t reply in anger, you may just regret it.

There’s no point: Angry emails are invigorating to write, but sometimes just ranting about something or someone rarely achieves anything. Make sure your communication has a point and stick to it.

Don’t drink and type: Firing off a few emails when you have a shandy or three is always dangerous. You may not say something in the right way and what may seem fine when you’ve had a few, may not be in the cold light of day. Wait until the morning and see if it still feels right then.

Check the address: How many stories have we heard about where someone has typed a very personal email and sent it to the wrong person. Always double check who you are sending your communication to. Sending a fake resignation to your friend may be funny, but what if you send it to your boss by mistake ?

Forever means forever: Even if you think that you’ve deleted and email, blog or online rant, it may still linger around. People can copy things or they may be cached in search engines. Once you’ve published something, you have no control where it may end up or be copied to.