Internet Etiquette (Netiquette)

Have you ever received an email that was in all capital letters and hard to read?  Well, if you have you are not practicing proper internet etiquette or as it is called Netiquette. When you send an email in all caps it is like you are shouting at the person.  Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online, or simply the etiquette of cyberspace.  People online often forget that the people they are talking to are still.  The internet society has come up with 10 rules or guidelines for cybernauts to follow to minimize mistakes.

The rules are as follows:

1.      Remember the human

2.      Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in life.

3.      Know where you are in cyberspace.

4.      Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.

5.      Make yourself look good online

6.      Share expert knowledge

7.      Help keep flame wars under control

8.      Respect other people’s privacy.

9.      Don’t abuse your power

10.    Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes.

Remember the human means do unto others as you would have them do unto you. All you see when communicating online is a computer screen and written words.  When communicating online it is easy to forget that you are talking to a person with feelings just like you. (Shea)  Networks bring people in the world together who would otherwise never meet.  When you send an email online, you never know where it will go.  Ask yourself this question before you send something:  Would I say this to the person’s face if they were standing in front of me.

You should adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.  Many people feel that getting caught online is slime to none, but they are forgetting that there is a real person on the other side.  Breaking the law is bad netiquette. (Shea)  You should do your best to act within the laws of society and cyberspace. You should always take a look around when you enter a new domain in cyberspace.  Netiquette varies for one domain to the next.  Rule no. 3 states you should always know where you are in cyberspace. (Shea)

You should always respect other people’s time and bandwidth.  Bandwidth refers to the storage capacity of a host system. (Shea)  You waste time when you post the same message five times on the same board.  Everyone needs to know that they are not the center of cyberspace.  You also need to remember that many people will not respond to your questions.  You should ask yourself whether they really need to know before you copy people on your message. (Shea)

Discussion groups let you reach out to people in other parts of the world.  Hence, Rule no. 5 states you need to make yourself look good online.  Communicating online means you will not be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, hair, weight, age, or clothing. (Shea)  You can be judged by the quality of writing that you send out.  You should always know what you are talking about and make sense at what you are saying.  Always be pleasant and polite and do not use offensive language.

You should always share expert knowledge according to Rule no. 6.  Ask questions online because there are a lot of knowledgeable people reading what you post and can probably give you the answer or lead you in the right direction.  The Internet was founded because people wanted to share their knowledge with the world.  You should share the results of your questions with other online so everyone benefits from it.  Who knows there might be someone out there with the same questions?  Sharing information makes the world a better place. (Shea)

Rule no. 7 is help keep flame wars under control.  Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. (Shea)  This kind of message makes people respond.  Netiquette does not forbid flaming but they do forbid people trying to destroy groups with flaming.  So the best thing to do is not flame at all.  You should respect other people’s privacy according to Rule no. 8.  You should not read other people’s mail without their permission.  Snooping around in other people’s email boxes could cost you the job you have and you could go to jail.  Having a high power job does not give you permission to read other people’s mail or go through their things.  Hence, Rule no. 9 is do not abuse your power.  The power you have can easily be taken away from you and given to someone else who will not abuse the power. 

Finally, Rule no. 10 is be forgiving of other people’s mistakes.  Everyone remembers being the new kid on the block by making mistakes and doing things the wrong way.  Be polite to people online who make mistakes.  Pointing out errors to people is not proper netiquette and besides you do not like people pointing out your mistakes either.     Always remember this saying: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Here are some rules for Email Etiquette:

·       Check mail daily (Shea)

·       Delete unwanted messages (Shea)

·       Keep messages to minimum (Shea)

·       Mail messages can be downloaded and saved for future references (Shea)

·       Never assume that your email can not be read by anyone except yourself. (Shea)

Just like you have the Ten Commandments in the bible, you have the Ten Commandments for computer ethics.  They are as follows:

·       Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write. (Rinaldi)

·       Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect. (Rinaldi)

Remember when you are online you should always use the same courtesy as you would extend to someone you are having a phone conversation with. (East coast Access)  Always treat people as you would want them to treat you whether you are online or not. 

Bibliography:

The Net:  User Guidelines and Netiquette by Arlene Rinaldi.   Web address:   http://www.fau.edu/netiquette/net/user.html

East Coast Access: Being polite on the Internet.   Web address:   http://www.eastcoast.co.za/faq/netiquette.htm

The Core Rules of Netiquette—Excerpted from Netiquette by Virginia Shea.   Web Address;   http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html