5 things you should do on WhatsApp and 4 practices you should avoid

Internet has opened a new channel of communication for everyone that changes the rules of the game forever. Social networks and messaging applications should come with an instruction manual, or education, so that people could know how to use them. And this is precisely what WhatsApp, the most popular messaging application in the world, used by millions of people every day, has thought.

This communication tool has included, in its FAQ section, a complete manual on how to use WhatsApp responsibly, and it is worth taking a detailed look at it.Surely we are breaking some other point in our daily conversations. A manual that, according to the brand itself, has been developed after multiple requests from users, who seemed somewhat disoriented when using the application in a fully responsible manner.

This is how a user should use WhatsApp

These are the five most important points that the messaging tool has included in its summary of good behaviors.

Private communication by design: It is the users themselves who must manage their own accounts to make responsible use of them, both for one-on-one communications as well as in groups of several people. The user is ultimately responsible for everything they say on WhatsApp and this is something they must take into account.

Get user permission: when you have a new contact in your phonebook with whom you don't have too much confidence, either from professionally or because you have met him recently, you have to wait for him to contact you first. It will always be better for the interested user himself to give her phone number if he is interested in being contacted. When you receive a phone number, try to communicate with that person in the way the person expects, explaining who you are and how you got their number, if the user didn't give it to you.

Respect the user's decisions: if a person wants you to stop sending them messages, delete them from your calendar and don't contact them again In contact with her, personal decisions must be respected. Also, always ask permission before adding someone to a group.If you add someone to a group and they leave, respect their decision and don't add them again.

Use group controls: WhatsApp recently added a new feature for group administrators. It is about being able to decide who in the group can send messages, limiting communication and unwanted messages in groups that are too large. For example, if it is an information group, establish that only administrators can post messages that are of interest to the rest of the members and this meeting space does not become a mixed bag.

Think twice if you really want to forward the message: now when someone shares a message they find that it appears with the label of 'forwarded'. This is aimed at trying to cut the faucet of hoaxes and false news a bit.When you come across a message that is alarming, sensational, or contains an offer that seems too good to be true…it most likely contains false information.

Things a WhatsApp user should avoid when using the application

WhatsApp has also listed, in its code of conduct, some attitudes that the user should avoid during their stay in said communication tool and are as follows.

Spam, Automated or Mass Messages: WhatsApp uses machine learning technology to detect and ban all user accounts that send massive and automated messages. Do not create, at any time, any group or account in an automated way or unauthorized by WhatsApp rules. And never, under any circumstances, contact users in a way that they do not want.

Do not use contact lists other than your own: Never give out personal phone numbers to third parties without their express permission or make use of illegally obtained data, such as the purchase of phone number lists, to send WhatsApp messages or create massive groups for commercial purposes.

Do not use mailing lists without control or moderation: Mailing lists are the right tool to send the same message to a list of people without them having to see your exposed phone number, as happens when they are included in a normal group. It is a widely used commercial technique since with it we will be able to communicate in a simple and practical way with a multitude of users at the same time. The frequent use, by an account, of the mailing lists can trigger a definitive block, if the messages are reported, several times, by different users.

Do not violate the app's Terms of Service: This may seem like a truism but it's important to remember. The WhatsApp Terms of Service are available to the user whenever he wants to consult them and not complying with everything that is said in them may lead to the definitive suspension of the account. The Terms of Service prohibit “posting falsehoods and engaging in illegal, threatening, intimidating, hateful, and racially or ethnically offensive behavior.” The Conditions and Terms of Service establish all the points that you must comply with in your contract with the application.