Unfortunately, these responses [see Examples from previous page] are sometimes too impersonal and lengthy enough to suggest they are not being manually typed.

• The QA&E recommends that the patron’s given name be used at the opening in a colloquial manner (“Hi there, Jacob” or “Thanks for your question, Jenny”).
• Frequent use of the patron’s name during the transaction is a key to building rapport with the patron and reminds patrons they are dealing with a human rather than some sort of artificial intelligence.

Building rapport between virtual librarians and patrons can be tricky. Writing cannot always convey tone, and simple typing mistakes can turn a friendly greeting (“Hello, Jason”) into an accidental curse (“Hell, Jason”). This can be jarring and get a transaction off to a bad start.

The QA&E has debated the use of standard emoticons in virtual reference. We generally view the emoticon in a favorable light but ask virtual staffers to avoid overuse. Similarly, we require that staffers always maintain a professional tone, avoiding "leetspeak, LOL, pwn, n00b" and other computer slang (see Urbandictionary.com). Many librarians do not understand this slang and would not use it. Others more familiar to online chat through outside experience are likelier to use it as a rapport-building tactic, especially when the patron is responding to them in this shorthand.

The QA&E's feeling is that just as one would not suddenly break out into urban slang at the reference desk, AskColorado staffers should generally maintain proper English, grammar and syntax online. Yet, staffers may decide to select a manner of communication which best matches that of their users. Thus, a librarian staffing an academic queue may communicate in a more formal way for the sake of credibility than, perhaps, a librarian staffing a public library queue where the communication style may be comparatively casual.