The term netiquette refers to the etiquette of the Internet. Netiquette is based on good manners and common sense.. We expect other drivers to observe the rules of the road and the same is true as we travel through cyberspace.
Netiquette isn't something you learn overnight, so don't let your fear of not knowing cyber-protocol hold you back. Just think before you type something and make sure you know that the person receiving the communication won’t be offended.
Here are a few pointers to help you out:
Avoid using all capital letters. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING!
To personalise your messages, you can use smileys, also known as emoticons, expressions you create from the characters on your keyboard.
A few popular ones include:
| :-) |
Happy | :-D |
Laughing | |
| :-e |
Disappointed | :-@
|
Screaming | |
| :-( |
Sad | ;-)
|
Winking | |
| :-< |
Mad |
:-I
|
Indifferent | |
| :-o
|
Surprised |
Keep your communications to the point. Some people pay for Internet access by the hour. The longer it takes to read your messages, the more it may cost them. This is true whether you post messages to a newsgroup or a mailing list.
Keep in mind that anything you post to a newsgroup or type into a chat session is a public comment (unless otherwise stated) . You never know who's reading it, or who may copy it and spread it around.
If you're posting a message to a public bulletin board, forum, or newsgroup, stick to the topic. Don't make the mistake of indiscriminately posting advertisements to every newsgroup you can think of. This practice, referred to as spamming, will quickly lead to another unpleasant Internet practice known as flaming.
What is flaming? Sometimes you might offend
someone unintentionally.
Be prepared to receive some angry e-mail or be treated rudely in a public
discussion. This is called being flamed. If you attack back, you will spark
what is known as a flame war. To contain the heat, the best response usually
is no response at all.
If you post an ad to a newsgroup, or send it in an e-mail, clearly identify it in the subject line. That way people who aren't interested can delete it.
When sending an email to a mailing list, pay attention to where you are sending your messages. Most mailing lists have more than one address and it's easy to confuse the email address you use to send messages to the group, with the email address you send to the administrator. One sure way to get flamed (receive nasty messages from the group) is to send messages intended for the group's administration to the whole group. Double check your address before you hit the SEND button.
To keep messages short, there are some abbreviations you can use:
<BTW> means "by the way."
A <G> enclosed in brackets indicates grinning.
A good one to keep handy in case you're worried about offending someone is <IMHO> -- In My Humble Opinion.
One of our favourites is <ROTFL>, which stands for Rolling on the Floor Laughing.