Net Etiquette

In the past, the population of people using the Internet had "grown up" with the Internet, were technically minded, and understood the nature of the transport and the protocols. Today, the community of Internet users includes people who are new to the environment. These "Newbies" are unfamiliar with the culture and don't need to know about transport and protocols. In order to bring these new users into the Internet culture quickly, this Guide offers a minimum set of behaviors which organizations and individuals may take and adapt for their own use. Individuals should be aware that no matter who supplies their Internet access, be it an Internet Service Provider through a private account, or a student account at a University, or an account through a corporation, that those organizations have regulations about ownership of mail and files, about what is proper to post or send, and how to present yourself. Be sure to check with the local authority for specific guidelines.



Email Etiquette

Of all Internet activities, email is the most popular. Almost 88 percent of all Internet users in the U.S. use email. This information comes from a survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy (The UCLA Internet Report: Surveying the Digital Future. UCLA Center for Communication Policy. 2001). According to the same survey, approximately 90 percent of those who use the Internet at work use it to access business email.

There are two reasons I decided to write an article about email etiquette. The first one is the sheer number of people using email, especially those using it for business communications. Since you are reading this article which appears on the Web, there's a good chance you use email to communicate with others, including your boss, colleagues, clients, or prospective employers.

So, what's the second reason? Well, as the Career Planning Guide here on About, I receive a lot of email. A lot of it is well written. A lot of it isn't. Some messages go on and on and on, until finally the question is asked. Sometimes the length is necessary -- other times the writer could be more concise.

Some messages get right to the point ... a little too quickly. The writer wastes no time asking for what he or she needs without bothering to be polite. Some of my younger readers (I assume) use what I can only describe as some sort of shorthand, i.e. "Can U plz send info on careers?" This may be appropriate for communicating with your buddies through instant messaging, but not for writing to someone you've never met. Besides, being a little more specific might help me find the information faster.

Sometimes there are glaring errors, such as misspellings and very poor grammar. While this annoys me some, I can only imagine what a prospective employer would think when receiving a poorly written message. Because your correspondence says a lot about you, you should be aware of some basic email etiquette, sometimes known as netiquette.

Forum Etiquette

Below are a few guidelines for use of Moodle forums. Some definitions you may need:

• Post: Any message posted to the forum
• Subject: The title of a post
• Thread: A string of posts, all replies, or replies of replies, to an original post
• Topic: The subject of the original post that starts a thread - i.e. what the thread is about

Be nice

• No 'flaming' - in other words, avoid personal attacks, pettiness, abuse. Respect other users, and if you disagree with them, explain why.
• No 'trolling' - trolls are posts deliberately designed to provoke an angry response. That doesn't mean you can't be controversial, if you really mean it.
• No personal disputes - if it gets personal, take it offline.
• Don't be patronising or sarcastic. It comes across about ten times worse online.
• Avoid typing in ALL CAPS, which is considered shouting or yelling.
• Learn to let go - don't keep harping on about the same thing, or harking back to previous arguments. It is rarely productive to do so, and you always end up going round in circles.
• If someone else's post offends you, don't immediately fight back online. Consider whether they really meant to cause offence. It can be easy to sound rude without meaning to, especially if English is not your native language. However, if you really are troubled by the post, don't respond - take it to your lecturer instead.

Be effective

• Post in the most appropriate forum (and only in one forum).
• Stay on topic - try to focus on the original topic. In particular, don't change subject in the middle of an existing thread - just start a new topic.
• Conversely, don't start a new topic if your post relates to an existing one - reply to the existing thread instead. Make sure you reply to the appropriate post, not just the last post in the thread
• When starting a new topic, make the subject line clear and informative. It makes the topic easy to find.
• Make sure you're understood, even by non-native English speakers. Try to write full sentences, and avoid text-message abbreviations or slang.
• If asking a question, provide as much information as possible, what you've already considered, where you've already read etc.
• Read what's already there before posting. You may be repeating what others have already said or asked.

Chat Etiquette

Chat etiquette is not limited to just online games. I mean, it’s universal. Aside from in-game chat, there are IMs, private and public chat rooms, etc. In this day and age, chat is now a valid medium of communication. You use it everyday.

If you want to be respected, you have to respect everyone you chat with. It (respect) is not bought, it is earned. This is especially true in chat since the written word carries “no tone”.

Allow me to share with you some few pointers and tips on chat etiquette.

More after the jump, amigo!

GM T’s CHAT ETIQUETTE TIPS AND NOTES

• No Tone - like I said, chat has “no tone” (not unless you’re using voice, of course). You have to be careful with the manner in which you use your words. Pay attention to how you construct your sentence and be wary of your punctuation.
• Don’t shout - ALL CAPS IS SHOUTING. Got that? Don’t do it. It’s impolite.
• Always be polite - Don’t be an @$$! Remember to say “thank you” and “Please”. That goes a long way.
• Don’t be sarcastic - never comment just for the sake of commenting. Respect each others’ opinion. If you have to explain something, do so in a polite and professional way.
• Think before you hit enter - put yourself in the shoes of the one who will receive it. If you wouldn’t want to read such trash. Don’t send it.
• If they don’t want to chat, don’t force them - players (and of course, people) do things differently and on separate times. I mean, they MAY be busy. So if they don’t answer. Don’t force the issue. They may be AFK (Away From Keyboard) for all we know.

If you need to remember one rule, it is this - R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That’s all there is.

So, next time you chat or are in a chat room, whether it’s inside an MMORPG, just respect the person and you won’t get in trouble.