Netiquette

 Etiquette refers to the proper way people are supposed to conduct themselves in social situations. Different societies develop a set of formal and informal rules by which active participants in societies need to behave to be accepted by the group. These rules determine an individuals acceptance into the group and serve to classify people based upon adherence or non-adherence to perceived rules of the group.

Since the advent of the Internet, and especially the new Web 2.0 trend, computers serve as a new tool for people to socialize. The distributed nature of the Internet brings many disparate people together in this new social medium. As this develops, there is a new set of rules developing both inherently and purposefully. These new rules of online social interaction are called Netiquette. Netiquette is a term which describes the proper way people are supposed to socialize over the Internet.

Thought must be given to how someone wants to interact with people online. People can choose to have positive interactions online, just as in normal social situations.

The term "Flaming" someone refers to purposely starting a conflict with someone via online chatting or blogging. Webopedia.com defines flaming as "(n.) A searing e-mail or newsgroup message in which the writer attacks another participant in overly harsh, and often personal, terms. Flames are an unfortunate, but inevitable, element of unmoderated conferences." (Webopedia.com, 2008) Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence on the Internet. Flaming someone is a person criticizing someone which that person probably doesn't know. This negative interaction does nothing to further dialog and therefore should be avoided. It is certainly not solicited advice, constructive, nor is it a pleasant experience for the person receiving the criticism.

Spam is a major problem with Internet communications. Just as unsolicited sales phone calls are, more often than not, unwanted intrusions, spam is similarly an unwanted intrusion on someones personal space (in this case the inbox).

Brevity is important when discussing Netiquette because an unfortunate fact of the Internet age is people want to retrieve information quickly. Most people will not read long exhaustive diatribes people put down on a blog or email. Therefore, keep emails or blogs brief and to the point. Similar to in person discussions, it is unfair for one person dominate the dialogue. People will quickly become disinterested if they do not have a voice, the idea is to have many people contribute to the discussion.

Text messaging has brought about the new phenomena of Internet Slang. Beginning as a way to to save keystrokes when communicating online, it expanded to express bodily expressions using text, and has now grown to people communicating exclusively in shorthand. For younger people, it is still important to use formal English in Internet communications because children are still learning how to express themselves and need to be able to write properly. Unlearning the wrong way to write is much more difficult than learning the right way to write in the first place. When these students grow up, it is important they have the skills necessary to compete for jobs, one of the criteria would be to be able to communicate effectively in writing.

When emailing, chatting or blogging it is improper to use strange fonts, symbols, colors, emoticons or ALL CAPS! All of which may serve to turn off your reader to your message.

Internet Predators will be discussed later in this Wiki, but honesty is an important component of Netiquette. Some people say they are younger or older, skinnier or in better shape than they really are when on the Internet. Anonymity is an inherent component of the Internet, because of this some people use this to portray themselves as something they are not. At its most destructive, this dishonesty creates an opportunity for unsavory people to take advantage of the innocent.

Written correspondence should be business like because what goes on the Internet never really goes away. A typical hiring practice is to "Google" a persons name to see if there is anything unflattering public about a person. Companies try to protect themselves by checking the background of their newly hired employees. Therefore, it is important to protect your online identity. It is important o only post things which you would not be afraid to show your grandmother.

As with etiquette, Netiquette is something which is learned while participating in social situations. With a few ground rules, a young person can confidently engage in web discussions with confidence and not step on too many (figurative) toes in the process. Online dialog is still at its inception and all these new rules of Netiquette are still evolving.

Handouts for Students:


 * Good Messaging Manners - http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/act_sheets/CY00_Stdnt_G68_L11.pdf
 * Netiquette for Kids - http://www.bpl.org/kids/Netiquette.htm

References Webopedia.com. (2008). Computer Technology Terms Dictionary. Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/flame.html The CyberSmart Education Company. (2008). Lesson Plans and Activity Sheets. Retrieved on July 3, 2008 from http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/#68 The Boston Public Library. (2005). Netiquette for Kids. Retrieved on July 3, 2008 from http://www.bpl.org/kids/Netiquette.htm