What is Netiquette?:
Simply stated, it's internet etiquette -- that is, the etiquette of cyberspace. And "etiquette" means "the forms required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be required in social or official life." In other words, Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online.
When you enter any new culture -- and cyberspace has its own culture -- you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people -- not just ASCII characters on a screen, but live human characters.
So, partly as a result of forgetting that people online are still real, and partly because they don't know the conventions, well-meaning cybernauts, especially new ones, make all kinds of mistakes.
Here are some general Netiquette rules:
·Rule: Remember the Human
Through electronic communication, the only visual you have is the computer screen. Face-to-face communication is rendered absent. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate your meaning; words, letters, and symbols are all that you have to work with. You must remember, that the receiver only has these simple forms of communication as well.
While communicating online -- whether it's to exchange en e-mail or respond to a discussion group posting -- it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own.
When communicating electronically with other people, remember that the person you are talking to is a real human being.
·
Rule: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
Just because you believe no one can see you doesn't mean that your actions go unnoticed. Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life.
Breaking the law is bad Netiquette
If you're tempted to do something that's illegal in cyberspace, chances are it's also bad Netiquette.
·
Rule: Know where you are in cyberspace
Netiquette varies from domain to domain
What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. For example, in most TV discussion groups, passing on idle gossip is perfectly permissible. But throwing around unsubstantiated rumors in a journalists' mailing list will make you very unpopular there.
And because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are.
Thus the next corollary: Lurk before you leap
When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate.
·
Rule: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
You are not the center of cyberspace
No one is pleased when it turns out not to be worth the trouble.
Before you copy people on your messages, ask yourself whether they really need to know
·
Rule: Make yourself look good online
Take advantage of your anonymity. You won't be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing.
Know what you're talking about and make sense
Make sure your notes are clear and logical. It's perfectly possible to write a paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense whatsoever.
·
Rule: Respect other people's privacy
Failing to respect other people's privacy is not just bad Netiquette. It could also cost you your job.
·
Rule: Don't abuse your power
Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are wizards in MUDs (multi-user dungeons), experts in every office, and system administrators in every system.
Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them. For example, sysadmins should never read private email.
·
Rule: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
When someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may just choose to say nothing.
If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better.
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/introduction.html By Virginia Shea
4 comments:
Familiar with netiquette rules, our class will probably follow the rules. For the individuals unfamiliar with online netiquette, there are no face-to-face social cues to inform them when something is inappropriate. What strategy should netiquette users employ to educate non-netiquette users of the rules (especially flaming, forgiving mistakes, respect privacy, and remember the human) so that it is as widely used as stopping at a red light?
Mistakes are something that everyone makes from time to time. If you do point out a mistake to someone when is it appropriate to actually confront that person and tell them face to face, rather by email? Do you do that if it’s a big mistake? Or if they make the mistake more than once?
Wow, I learned so much from your lit review! I noticed that mentioned bad netiquette could possibly cose one his or her job. Do you have any specific examples of the consequences people have had for using bad netiquette? Is this something that is being stated and expected in business policies? Where is the line between forgiving someone their mistakes (or naivete), and actual punishment?
Do you think that elemantary schools should start teaching specific classes on netiquette, and how the internet world works? It is becoming such a large part of our lives, and it is only going to grow as we get older. Our children will grow up using this technology exclusively, and they might need outside help to learn how to use it.
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