Notes and news, insights and inspiration from the autonomous collective mind of GS.

There’s an official social media definition of eavesdropping, and it is perfectly acceptable – even encouraged – in the context of tweeting: http://www.tourismkeys.ca/blog/2009/08/eavesdropping-keyword-leads-twitter/

The dictionary definition of eavesdropping refers to the audible kind. But I am going to address the etiquette of eavesdropping* as it relates to social media in terms of scanning other people’s screens when in close proximity, like at a concert, on a bus or train, or at a ball game.

No matter what generation pool we swim in, I like to think we’ve all been taught that eavesdropping isn’t polite. Recently, someone at GS confessed to overseeing a stranger’s tweet at a concert – and felt really guilty about it (even though getting busted resulted in a connection with a client that led to work for GS … weird, but true).

My nickname at the office is “Third Eye,” so it may seem I take visual scanning to a finer art. Some may view me as being way up there in the saddle, but I will admit it is still considered rude to visually intrude on on-screen personal conversations, photos, etc. unless you’re invited to do so. Even though a lot of people have lost their inhibitions about sharing nowadays, it should still be on their terms.

*Now to climb off my high horse before I fall off, I thought it would be fun to coin some creative terms for overseeing tweets or on-screen social media messages akin to eavesdropping. Here are a couple of mine:

• Eyedropping
• Bird dropping
• Social scanning
• Swooping
• Flyby
• Spyby
• Pecking
• Soaring

Got any to share?