Redeem your 
Hello Ms. Netiquette,
First let me say that I love to read the letters from people and the answers you give. What is proper etiquette for entering a room and saying “Merry Christmas?” There are so many different religions, cultures and “feelings” now I am not sure what to say. What is politically correct or proper? Thank you for your time and consideration and look forward to more of your “educational” advice!
Sincerely,
Christian in Washington
| Dear Christian,General etiquette dictates that we simply use the term “Happy Holidays” to express good wishes for the holiday season. It removes all specific religions from the greeting while at the same time recognizing that people may have religious holidays they may be celebrating.
That said, if someone comes into a room and says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” it is perfectly acceptable to return the greeting even if you do not celebrate that particular holiday. You are wishing someone else joy in his or her celebration. |
Ms. Netiquette,
If two people are in a room, and they are the only people in the room, what is the standard for conversation? If, say, the conversation between the two adults becomes explicit, and no one else is witnessing the conversation, is there a violation of Terms of Service? Please be aware that if a third person comes in the room, the first two adults always go into private chat so as to avoid offending anyone.
Wondering
| Dear Wondering,Ah, you are just begging old Nettie to wax philosophical, aren’t you? If a tree falls in the woods but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Indeed it does. They’ve proven this by using tape recorders. And indeed, the same proves true on Pogo. If you are in a game room and you are all by yourself and you start spamming the chat area, you are still violating the Terms of Service even though nobody is there to witness it. You won’t get in trouble, of course, because there is nobody there to report you either, but you are still in violation of the Terms of Service. In the case you mention above, it’s the same thing. If you know that the words you are using are in violation of Pogo’s Terms of Service, then it goes to figure that you are indeed violating the Terms of Service. Will you get in trouble? Only if someone is present and decides to report you. So the bottom line is: yes, you are violating the Terms of Service, but no, you probably won’t ever get in trouble. |
Hi Nettie,
I just wanted to check out what happened to me recently.
I was playing for a badge and made the comment “I swear this game will be the end of me” and I was immediately knocked right out of the game, out of Pogo and off the net.. right back to my desk top! Was this a coincidence? I’ve never ever had this happen before. Or were the words “I swear” enough to boot me out ??
Thank you for any info on this…
Still Troubled
| Dear Still Troubled,I assure you it was a coincidence. Perhaps a cosmic coincidence, but it was a coincidence nonetheless. Some people say there are no coincidences. It’s probably best not to discuss this with those particular people. |
Have an etiquette question for Ms. Netiquette? Email msnetiquette@pogo.com
