Marco polo is a fun, easy way to connect with people from all around the world. Taking the guess work out of deciphering the intonation behind a text message; Marco Polo video messaging app allows you to leave a short video message for your friends and you can go back and listen to their responses when it fits in to your busy life. To make the most of this fantastic connection tool, we have a few etiquette tips for you when participating in a group chat …
Don’t Hold Your Face Too Close to the Camera
One of the greatest advantages to using Marco Polo is being able to see people’s facial expressions as they talk. Holding your device too close to your face gets you all up close and personal but not in a good way. Position your device back far enough so that your whole noggin fits comfortably in the middle of the screen.
If you are in a situation where it is better that you not be seen, then please use a photo while talking or do a voice polo.
Keep Your Polos brief
Most of us are busy and only have so much time to listen to Marco Polo. It’s a lot easier for everyone to keep up if you keep your polos to under 60 seconds. If you’re having trouble, take a moment to organise your thoughts before hitting the start button. Another way to avoid overly long polos is to break up your message into multiple polos, one for each topic you wish to talk about. People watching can lose focus when a polo is longer than a full minute. *Note: This etiquette rule does not necessarily apply when you are sending personal polos to individuals.
Limit Yourself to No More than 3 Polos in a Row
We want to hear from everyone. If you have sent three messages in a row, then wait for someone else to take a turn to say something, before you send another message. Reach out if you are finding you are having trouble waiting and we can help you find more groups. Sometimes you just need to share the love with another group for a while to let everyone else catch up for a bit.
Try to Stay on Topic
This is very much a group conversation. Imagine yourself sitting in a room with all of the people in the group. How would it feel if everyone is talking about their pets and suddenly someone shouts “I like reading mystery novels!”? It really wouldn’t make a lot of sense and it could be very jarring to the group (squirrel). Of course we want you to introduce new topics and feel free to change the topic, but do it in a natural way. A good rule of thumb is to be sure that you have acknowledged what has been talked about in the 2-3 polos previous to yours.
Be Kind
Everyone is at different points in our journey and we are here for love and support. We have all been torn down by others and by ourselves at different points in our lives. Our aim is to keep Latter Day Connections free from negativity. If you are concerned about something going on in a group, then please either approach that person individually to discuss respectfully, or reach out to one of the founders and we will be happy to look into the issue. Backbiting is uncalled for and assumptions only lead to more hurt. If you are unsure of the intention behind a comment, assume no offense was meant. Treating each other with kindness and respect is the best etiquette and at the very core of our campfire rules.
You Don’t Have to Listen to All of the Messages
We heartily encouraged a life outside of Polo-Land, so we understand that you wont be spending hours each day listening to polos. Think of it as a room of your friends that you leave and renter. You don’t have to know everything that was said in order to jump back in to the conversation. If you get behind in the group, simply mark all of the polos as watched, then listen to about the last 10 so you are up to speed and jump back into the conversation. It’s okay to skip ahead. If you do like to listen to all the polos, you can leave a ‘bubble’ as you go to comment on specific polos. This way you can be involved in the conversation as you go instead of trying to remember everything you wanted to say for when you do catch up.
Marco Polo provides the opportunity to connect with other people in a way that feels more lively, personal and connected than messages or text. With our etiquette tips, you are all set to go, so get polo-ing and have fun!
