Traffic Jams in the Rain

Traffic Jams in the Rain. Social media has become a collision course of sorts on the super-highway of virtual personalities. The drive is often scenic, pleasant and appealing, but the road is often layered with flashing red lights, warning signs and unsuspecting potholes. As with any road traveled, we must be prepared to encounter stops and starts, twists and turns and occasional blowouts.

In my last post, The Geography of a Woman, I unintentionally collided with some fellow Active Rainers. The post was intended to be funny and light-hearted. However, the last line in the post was interpreted as a disparaging remark toward men and it offended some. While I considered the remark to be on the same page as a dumb blonde joke (and I've received many), I didn't take into consideration how it might offend others. I explained my point of view to the offended and offered to delete the post, but instead opted to take a private poll by emailing commenters on the post for feedback. What happened next was unexpected.

Unfortunately, my follow-up email offended another Active Rain member, which prompted another apology from this Naked Blogger. It's not beyond me to pay penance for my naked remarks. It's easy to collide with personalities in the virtual world since so much of what's written in blogs, email and the like... can get lost or misconstrued in translation. When the receiver cannot hear the intonation in the author's voice, and/or cannot see the expression on their face, it's impossible to fully know if the author is serious, cynical, silly or perhaps all three.

While it's typically not my nature to offend others, I've certainly been guilty as charged on occasion. I usually try very hard to seek to understand and evaluate emotionally charged situations before I comment on them (thus the reason this post has been sitting in draft for a week). What's important when responding to others, is the ability to remain calm, courteous and respectful of opposing opinions. While we may not agree with one another, we should always strive for a Golden Rule response. It's just good social etiquette.

For those of you who chose to respond to my email poll, your input was valuable. For those who didn't, no worries. And for those I've offended... I'm truly sorry. I value and respect my colleagues, whether or not we collide on the super-highway of life, and I never want to jeopardize the relationships I've established along the virtual journey.

Lessons often come to us in the form of wrong turns and missed exits. Here's a few lessons this Naked Blogger is continuing to learn along the way...

• Social Lubrication is the road map to virtual travel.
• Seeking to Understand is a good way to alleviate traffic jams.
• Attitude can Make a Big Difference when you're stuck in traffic.
• Expect Collisions - they just happen!
• The 24-Hour Rule is a great way to cool off after colliding.
• AR Guidelines - Midnight reading after a long drive ;)