ActProper

Description
Designed to make the world a better place, Act Proper is a wiki designed to help inform people about how to behave and act in various scenarios that may be awkward or uncomfortable and may prevent others from being uncomfortable. This wiki offers guidance on everything from dining, to golf, to technology to the history of manners.

History
Like all good projects, this one culminated during the crossroads of 3 other projects: 1.) An insane desire to learn more about wikis and it's phenomenon as a culture changer. 2.) More international travel with work and me not wanting to make a fool out of myself as the 'Ugly American'. 3.) A conversation with an uncle who, after telling a story about unruly behavior, said 'Someone should build a website that explains to people how to behave in certain scenarios'.

Thus, Act Proper was born.

Ideally, this site will accomplish a number of things. As the world gets flatter and more people travel and interact on an international basis, your etiquette can be the difference between closing a deal and looking like a fool. Between being a sophisticated globetrotter and an 'Ugly American'. I hope that people find Act Proper to be a site where they can learn about other cultures and how to act accordingly should they ever be in a situation in which it is polite to bow, impolite to belch or just plain insulting to use first names.

Second, and selfishly, I'm excited to see how this wiki takes hold in society. I want people to add content, remove inappropriate content, tell me where I could make it better or make it better themselves. Nothing would make me happier than to see this site evolve into something that lives on its own and supports itself.

Finally, I grew up in a house in which manners were the most important thing. Please, thank you, yes sir, no ma'am, speak when spoken to, look people in the eye and keep your elbows off the table. To this day, I'm a push over for nice manners. I believe that as society gets faster and people become busier, the pleasantry of etiquette gets pushed to the wayside. Fortunately, a simple please or thank you can mean all the difference in the world. In the end, I hope that this site encourages people to be nicer to one another and, in return, makes the world a much better place to live.

I dedicate Act Proper to my wife who tells me that she fell in love with me because of my manners.

Thank you for visiting and contributing, Scott Founder, Act Proper The Manners & Etiquette Wiki