Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange
Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [online-interaction]

Questions related to interacting with others online, including via chatroom, social media, audio/video chat, or any other method of communicating online. Can also be used for long-distance-relationships, or just friends you have met online.

Online interactions usually happen between people that live far apart, even between different continents. Communication can be in real-time (voice/video chat, instant messaging) or it could be delayed (email, forum posts).

Whether it be interacting with one person specifically over the internet, or interacting with a large group of people online, online interactions can involve communicating via text, voice, or even video chat.

Other tags to consider using include location tags such as to indicate where the participants are from, and tags such as to denote the nature of your relationship.

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How to politely notify in an online conversation that I am a woman?

Context I am a woman and I sometimes post things online, on Stack Exchange for instance. Usually, my posts are very neutral and do not provide any hint of my gender. It seems that most people assume that I am a man since they refer to me by writing…
Trabool
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How to let tech support subtly know that I am proficient without showing off?

I manage a couple of small websites for friends and family as their admin, ranging from installing wordpress to full-stack web development. In this position I often have to contact the support of hosting companies or domain providers because some…
Wolter
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10 answers

How to approach discussion with wife about a possible "emotional affair"

Background: My wife and I have been together for about 8 years now (married for 6) and we have two gorgeous children. My wife, unfortunately, has been suffering from mild depression for quite a while, long before we even met so probably about 15…
Depressed_Hubby
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7 answers

How to politely handle support requests which lack some basic understanding?

So as a free software developer, I'm fond that there are users of my projects. However, from time to time, it happens that some people who are definitely not in the target audience for a piece of software attempt to use it and expect support. For…
Jonas Schäfer
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6 answers

Politely telling an incompetent software project volunteer they are too inexperienced

I am currently the project lead of an online volunteer run software project. I originally created this and work on it my in free time. There are also a few other people who took interest in this project and volunteered to help. I have never worked…
joe schmoe
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In an online conversation, is it okay to use "guys" to address everyone?

In an online group chat, sometimes I say "See ya later, guys!". Of course, not all of them are "guys". Some are "gals". But for efficiency (read: lazy), I usually just say "guys". I wonder if this is acceptable in an online culture, especially with…
Vylix
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How do I convince someone formalities between internet friends aren't necessary over a casual, informal text chat?

I have a friend of mine who absolutely refuses to begin conversations online by just asking me what they want, and instead insists on formalities that drive me crazy. We're online gaming friends, so it's not like we have a professional relationship.…
Baron
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How do I effectively get people to look past my age when considering my abilities, if they know how old I am?

This is something I run into sometimes, as I'm 15 years old currently and a moderator on an online community. Sometimes, people will doubt my abilities, especially online, when they become aware of my age (although people generally seem to think…
Mithical
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How to make a gift without seeming creepy?

This month I'm going to visit London, how Pokémon fans knows for a very limited time in London will open a Pokémon center and I'll be there in that period. I'm very happy for what was a lucky coincidence (I booked the flight before the announcement)…
Emiliano S.
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How can I ask a possible long-lost relative to prove his identity?

I found myself in a peculiar situation yesterday. I was contacted via Facebook by a person (let's call him Bob) who claimed that he was one of my mom's cousins and hadn't talked to her in over 40 years. He asked that I try to confirm that we were in…
HDE 226868
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How to respond to an unfalsifiable accusation?

I recently shared a blog post I had written to a relevant subreddit. I've posted to this subreddit a few times and got good responses. My most recent post had a response on it when I checked it in the morning (I usually post just before I go to…
Rhys
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How can I contact a long-lost friend I tracked down on the internet without being creepy?

Background About 15 years ago I used to frequent a particular online forum and had made many friends there. I still have contacts for most of these friends. One friend in particular though, despite being us being very close, was never allowed to…
user30288
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How do I indicate sarcasm/irony online?

On the Internet, you don't have important visual and auditory cues from a person like tone of voice or facial expressions. Body language, therefore, is non-existent - yet this can be very important in conversations. The people in the conversation…
HDE 226868
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How can I tactfully discuss the intentions of an online acquaintance before meeting?

I recently accepted the friend request of a guy on Facebook. We shared a couple mutual friends, so I assumed we had met at a college party somewhere in the last few years. As it turns out, we haven't ever met, but have continued to chat with each…
Jess K.
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How to refuse politely to play with someone as a streamer

I'm a new (game) streamer, I don't have a massive audience, and I find myself in quite a challenge. Often when I play, some viewers will ask if they can play with me (or us if I'm already playing with friends). The reason I do not want to play with…
Gil Sand
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