Netiquette
(Network Etiquette)-Netiquette is "cyberspeak" for etiquette on-line and in e-mail: manners, civility, and shared rules.
The rules of netiquette apply to everyone who uses the internet or any kind of network to communicate to any other person in the world. Here are some very simple rules to follow that will help you to converse more smoothly with you fellow computer users.
- Remember the human: treat other people in cyberspace the way you would like to be treated.
- Think before you post: If what you intend to post has no bearing on the conversation, do not post it! You never know who might be reading what you write, now or in the future.
- Limit Abbreviations: Try to limit the amount of abbreviations that you use, such as "u" for "you"and "ne1" for "anyone". This will help make sure everyone understands the message.
- Do not assume, in your writing, that the other person will immediately know what you are talking about. Assume that they do not and give a little background information.
- Respect other people's privacy: do not go through their e-mail, instant message, etc.
- Yelling: Writing something in all CAPS is equivalent to yelling at somebody. Try to avoid this.
- An emoticon is a text representation of an emotion. For example, :) is equivalent to a smile. Do not overuse emoticons, but they can be useful to avoid having a statement be misinterpreted.
- Flaming is when someone attacks or insults another person, expressing a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. Do not get involved in a flaming war. This happens when flaming is directed back and forth between two or more people. If this becomes a problem, most networks, chat rooms, etc., will eventually take action and punish the offenders, usually with suspensions for a set period of time. A user who repeatedly posts rude or inflammatory remarks for the purpose of disrupting the discussion is often referred to as a troll.
- Chain Letters: A chain letter is something that is sent, promising something (ex: money) for you, or for someone else, if you send out the letter to other people. If you do not do this, the email frequently threatens something terrible will happen to you. Do not respond to this type of letter. Forward a copy to your system administrator and ask that action be taken against the sender.
- Subject: Do not leave the subject field of an e-mail blank. Your e-mail provider may send it to BULK, or JUNK instead of the inbox of the receiver, or your anti-virus software may think that it is a virus of some kind. A subject also allows the receiver to tell what the email is about at a glance.
- NEVER give out personal information of any kind via email, chat, or instant message. Phishing refers to the tactic used by criminals in which they will send a legitimate sounding email to your address and ask for information to verify an account. A reputable company, such as a bank, will not ask for usernames, account numbers or passwords through e-mail.
