N E T I Q U E T T E

Have you ever heard of Netiquette? That's what we looked at in this lesson. Think technology related!  Yes you guessed correct!  Netiquette is etiquette on the internet. It is the do‘s and don’ts of online communication.

Here are the core rules:

   1) Remember the Human -   this simply encompasses practicing the golden rule “do unto others as you would have them do unto to you” .It is advised to be cautious when sending emails, making sure that messages are not offensive.

  2)    Adhere to the same standards of behaviour online that you follow in real life-act within the laws and ethical manners of society when you inhabit cyberspace

 

3)      Know where you are in cyberspace – this addresses context and formality. Be mindful of who you are communicating with and in what setting. Language appropriate for friends may be quite the opposite when talking to a lecturer or manager.

 

4)      Respect other people's time and bandwidth –considering that people lead busy lives; avoid excessive long texts with irrelevant attachment and graphics.

5)      Make yourself look good online –You will be judged by the quality of your writing so double check grammar, spelling and punctuation at all times before sending or posting information on the internet.

6)      Share expert knowledge –Post resources or references about a particular subject matter. Share what you know!

7)      Help keep flame wars under control –when people engage in heated and passionate discussions on the internet that turns into argument because of strongly held beliefs or opinions. “Flame wars , when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction.

8)      Respect other people’s privacy –handle private or personal information with care. Don’t spread information about persons' medical news etc because this can lead to hurt or embarrassment. Respect the privacy of others.

9)      Don’t abuse your power – Some persons are more knowledgeable about technology than others but that doesn’t give them the right to belittle others or use that power to take advantage of anyone.

10)   Be forgiving of other peoples mistakes - Not everyone has the same amount of experience working in the virtual world. And not everyone knows the rules of netiquette. At some point, you will see a stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter misspelled words; when this happens, practice kindness and forgiveness as you would hope someone would do if you had committed the same offense.

    The next time you enter the virtual world, don't forget your internet manners !!

Adapted from The Core Rules of Netiquette Shea, V. (1994). Core rules of netiquette. Netiquette (Online ed., pp. 32-45). San Francisco: Albion Books.