Netiquette

Netiquette
As the world becomes more technologically advanced, increasing numbers of

people are using online forms of communication such as blogs, wikis, forums,
chat rooms and social networking sites to share information and expertise
with each other. However, it is important to take extra care when you are
interacting electronically, as you don't have the extra benefits of body
language or vocal intonation to help you get your point across. Most people
will get to know you (and form opinions of you) by what you write and how
well you write it. These tips will enable you to participate in online
communities effectively.
Firs tly, remember you are talking to real people s o the normal rules of s ocial
interaction apply.
Don't as s ume that others will interpret your mes s age in the s ame way you do. It
is difficult to convey s ubtle meaning, es pecially humour or sarcasm, in online
communications . Cons ider rewording your mes s age if you think there is a
chance others will mis unders tand and/or be offended by it. You can als o us e
emoticons (or ‘s mileys ’) to help s ignal your emotions and avoid
mis unders tanding. See using the button at the top of this page for s ome of
the mos t commonly us ed emoticons .
Always us e proper s pelling, capitalis ation, punctuation and grammar and avoid
writing in all capitals – this is the online equivalent of SHOUTING! it is als o harder
to read.
Send your mes s ages to the right place: direct pers onal exchanges to a us er's
mailbox (e.g. email) not to a public forum and don't make contributions
containing pers onal comments about other us ers and their views in public
forums .
Don't copy/forward private mes s ages to another pers on without the author's
explicit permis s ion. This is a breach of confidentiality.
Don't pres ent your opinions as facts . Always acknowledge other peoples '
© 2 0 2 1 E m e r a l d Wo r k s
opinions , even when you dis agree, and provide clear, thoughtful s upport for your
views .
Res pect the rights of other us ers to participate in ways which are free from
haras s ment and intimidation and don't us e the remotenes s of the recipients as
an excus e to communicate in an anti-s ocial manner. Flaming (comments
intended to abus e or ins ult) and pers onal abus e are entirely inappropriate. Avoid
getting involved in flame wars by neither pos ting nor res ponding to incendiary
topics .
Lurk before you pos t. Lurking is when you regularly read mes s age boards ,
blogs , wikis or forums but do not contribute. Lurking will ens ure that you are
vis iting the mos t appropriate community and will give you a better idea of the
kind of topics people pos t about, making it les s likely that you will ups et anyone
when you do contribute
Check for exis ting topics /pos ts before s tarting new threads , by s canning through
pos ts or us ing the 'Search' function.
Quote relevant messages when res ponding to make it eas ier for readers to
locate the original pos t/topic/mes s age you are referring to.
Ens ure that any contributions made further the aims of the forum/community and
are appropriate to the dis cus s ion.
Don't 'flood': flooding occurs when a us er pos ts the s ame mes s age over and
over on a thread and is very irritating to other us ers .
Check the rules. Mos t online communities have 'hous e rules ' s o s earch for
'Rules ', 'FAQs ' or 'Help' to find out what is permitted and what is not. If you are
the creator or adminis trator you will need to create thes e rules for your s ite.
Don't contribute illegal/offensive material. The law relating to written
communication applies equally to online communication – this includes
copyright, obscenity, fraud, discrimination and defamation. You s hould
therefore avoid s ending inappropriate mes s ages as you could be breaking the
law. The Webs ite Law s ite has s ome excellent guidance and links where you can
find further information and clarification on legal is s ues relating to online
communication.
Above all, think before you write – the internet is an immediate medium making
communication quick and eas y: as s oon as you pos t s omething it will be there
for all to s ee – and it may be difficult to delete or amend.
Image Credit: Flickr webtreats (acces s ed 02 June 2014).
© 2 0 2 1 E m e r a l d Wo r k s

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Netiquette

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, increasing numbers of

Image Credit: Flickr webtreats (acces s ed 02 June 2014).

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