[Sigia-l] IAtiquette: how much do you challenge your client?

[Lada Gorlenko]

DT> These are two different worlds -- virtual and real, and we
DT> should be ready to accept different behaviors from same people, and
DT> start molding our perception differently. In my opinion, these two
DT> distinctive behaviors are not going to be merged in one, ever, and it
DT> is waste of time to bridge these gaps.

Donna, thanks for you reply.

The worlds are different only up to a point. The question about
Netiquette vs. treating clients is the questions I face every day,
working for a Big Global Magnate. I never meet half of my clients in
person -- they can be anywhere in the world. Drawing on whiteboards
for stakeholders over coffee is wishful thinking. The clients are very
real chaps footing very real bills -- yet they are virtual. I cannot
afford different behaviours. I have to be as personal with them as I
would be face-to-face to establish as working relationship as I could
have had if they were sitting across the table. I face the need to
defend my professional opinion by means of plain text; just like we do
it here. And IA/HCD/UX is, perhaps, the toughest subject in business
to defend online, especially with outsiders. 

I know, some may advise me to stick to the clients in the
neighbourhood or move to downtown Manhattan. Neither is an option.
The option is to learn whatever needs to be learned. So, I guess, my
questions still stands, revised:

How do you challenge/personalise opinion/fight back when working
with clients you never meet in person?

Lada