Netiquette

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Netiquette

One of the most common concerns people voice about this medium is the challenge of being limited to the written word. However, there are limitations in all mediums. I am sure we have all said something we wished we could take back? In this medium, we have the benefit of thinking before we "speak" (post) and committing ourselves to a statement that is incorrect - or insensitive.

Just as our society has rules of conduct which govern our interactions with one another in the face-to-face (f2f) environment, so, too, does the virtual community have rules of conduct for our electronic interactions. You are, no doubt, familiar with the word etiquette – in the online environment, we use the term netiquette.

There are a number of things each of us can do to enhance and improve our communications, whether they are f2f or virtual. In addition to the content of the message itself, effective communicators are attentive to tone of voice and body language (visual cues) in f2f interactions. We need to also be attentive to those areas in our virtual interactions. The fact that we are not in a f2f environment does not eliminate the need for us to be mindful of the tone of our messages ("Respond to me as soon as possible" sets a different tone than does "Please respond to me as soon as possible.") as well as their visual appearance ("PLEASE CALL ME" is viewed differently than "Please call me.")

Other recommendations include

• Do your best to stay on topic. While discussion is encouraged in our classrooms, rambling and off-topic conversations are not conducive to a quality learning experience.

• Use appropriate subject lines. As a conversation evolves, the subject may change and it is helpful if the subject line is changed to reflect the topic addressed in the message. I am terrible about this, so I will be working on this skill as well! ;-)

• Maintain professional and respectful dialogue at all times. Just as you should not drive when you are angry, you should not send e-mail responses when you are mad at someone. Go ahead and type a response, but do not mail it until the next day. Chances are that when you come back later to read your response, you will be glad that you did not send it.

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