Our class uses technologies of the web for effective web communication. I ask you to be aware of protocols appropriate in this web learning environment. These protocols are called "netiquette." Understanding basics can help you to be more aware of web language. Electronically transmitted messages lack the vocal and nonverbal cues that are available in the face-to-face conversation. Read the FAQS ("frequently-asked-questions"). FAQs were created as a place where you can receive answers to common questions. So before you post a question, check the FAQs. Person-to-person contact is best for handling sensitive, complex issues.

Here are some suggestions for good netiquette:

• Always identify yourself in your communications i.e. first name or known identity like a nickname you use consistently.
• Keep your messages brief, concise and clearly stated. Just because you understand your thoughts, does not mean the reader has all of the same information, so don't assume your message was understood the way you intended.
• Your messages are not always private and may be shared with others without your consent. Keep this in mind whether you are in chat, a threaded discussion or sending e-mail.
• Protect your contacts and yourself by sending group emails by listing the e-mail recipients as a BCC (blind courtesy copy)
• Don't spam or send unauthorized emails.
• Be careful with humor, sarcasm and gestures as these may not be understood in the same manner they were meant and can cause harm or discomfort for others in the class.
• Be courteous in your responses and do not send messages in all caps. In Internet language this is shouting.

You may use emoticons - cues to your reader to help express your point. Here are a few to get you started:
:-) Happy
:-( Sad
;-) Winking
:-o Surprised
:-@ Screaming
:-I Indifferent
:-e Disappointed
:-< Mad
:-D Laughing

COMMUNICATION

General

DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! Occasional capitals are OK for emphasis, but typing in all caps is the Internet equivalent of shouting (plus messages in all caps are hard to read).
don't use all lowercase letters, either. it's viewed as mumbling.
Don't use text features like boldface, italics, underlining, or diacritical marks---many online systems won't display them
_Underscored Text_ indicates underline or italic.
*asterisks* are used in place of bold text.
Define terminology that may be unfamiliar to other people.
Be brief and to the point. People expect brevity and won't read lengthy messages. Plus, it's harder to read words on a computer monitor than on paper.
Don’t upload huge files that will slow down or disrupt the system for other users.
Don't have an only copy of important files. Computers crash and things get lost in cyberspace, so have backup copies of files and email messages.
Subject Lines

Keep subject lines short.
Make subject lines informative (e.g., don't title messages "FYI", "Important", or anything else that doesn't indicate the content of the message).
Make subject lines clear and unambiguous, and don't use misleading subject lines or titles. Clear subject lines aid in prioritizing, filing, cataloging, cross-referencing, and retrieval.
Keep your message focused. If a new topic is introduced it should be under a separate message with a new subject heading. Similarly, don't post replies dealing with multiple subjects in one message.

Quoting

Quote when you reply. It may not be apparent to everyone else who you're replying to or what you're replying about.
> Lines of text with brackets
> preceding them are used to denote a
> quote from a previous message.
Don't overquote:Don't quote long messages in their entirety---quote only the relevant portions of the message.

EMAIL

Be careful when addressing emails. One character out of place, or a ".com" suffix when the person's email really ends with ".edu", and your message won't be delivered
Keep your emails brief. People might cherish lengthy "snail mail" letters but are accustomed to short emails and are less likely to read long email messages.
Say hello at the start of your message and goodbye at the end.
Don't mark messages "Urgent" unless they really are.
Unless you are explicitly given permission, don't publicly post email sent to you in private.
Don't use "HTML" code in your message unless you are sure that the recipients' email programs can understand "HTML" correctly.
Recognize that instant delivery of email does not guarantee an instant response. Don't "dun" people for responses before an acceptable amount of time has elapsed.
If it is going to take considerable time to reply fully, try to acknowledge receipt of a message promptly and let the sender know that you will answer. However, it is not necessary to reply to every email message. Avoid trivial responses.
If you are sending information from another source, pay attention to whether the material is copyrighted (copyright laws apply to email, too). Cite sources.
If a message is particularly important, you might want to compose several drafts of it in a word processor and spell-check it.
To prevent losing long or important emails in the event of a technical problem, compose them in a word processor and cut and paste the finished product into your email program.
Don't leave your email account open when you leave your computer. Anyone could sit down at your keyboard and send out any libelous/ offensive/embarrassing message under your name.

"Spam"

Don’t "spam" (send unsolicited generic email).
Don't reply to spam, even to demand that they stop emailing you.
Don't open email chain letters, and don't forward them to other people.
If you're replying to an email that was sent to dozens or hundreds of people, make sure you're not replying to all those people!
Don't forward jokes, petitions for "good causes", or other similar material to multiple persons.
Don't advertise in places where advertising is not appropriate.
Never forward a rumor unless you know it to be true (especially rumors about viruses).
If you really must distribute a message to many people, don't paste all the names into the "CC" field of your email program (where people can see everyone else's email addresses). Always use "BCC" (blind carbon copy) instead.

Attachments

Don't send huge attachments
When you're replying to a message that has an attachment, don't include the attachment again.
If you're forwarding a message with an attachment, consider whether the attachment is really necessary.
Don't send attached files that lack filename extensions (that's because some computers won't be able to open them).
Don't send attached files that other people don't have the software to open.
If you're not sure whether your audience has the correct software to open an attachment, try converting it to an HTML document so it can be opened in a browser. If the document is large, you could post large the document on the Web in HTML format and email the URL instead of the file.
Refrain from adding too many attachments.

Flaming

Don't flame! Flaming refers to derogatory, abusive, threatening, sarcastic, rude, or otherwise mean-spirited messages directed at people.
Be cautious when using sarcasm and humor. Without facial expressions and tone of voice, they do not translate easily through email and may be perceived as flaming.
Don't post when you're angry. When you've calmed down, you'll wish you hadn't written that response and you probably won't be able to delete it.
Don't write anything that you won't want other people to be able to see for a long time (posts can be archived for years).
If a message provokes a negative emotional response, put it away for a while, then reread it and see if you're misinterpreting it. If you don't understand a particular item, ask the sender for clarification before replying to an incorrect conclusion.
Don't respond to people who are deliberately trying to get your goat. If the bully gets a flood of angry responses, the real conversation gets sidetracked and the bully wins.
Don't consider your messages to be secure. Remember, it's very easy for someone else to forward messages you thought were confidential. Think of email and bulletin board messages as postcards rather than letters.
Don't rant without warning. If you feel so passionate about something that you can't refrain from an emotional diatribe, at least bracket your rant with something like *WARNING: RANT*" and "*RANT COMPLETED*"
Apologize. If there's been a misunderstanding or miscommunication, you can often nip a flame war in the bud by a brief apology.

DISCUSSIONS

Lurk before you leap. Lurking is visiting without participating. While it's rude to make a habit of lurking, a little lurking can acquaint you with rules and procedures, help you get the "lay of the land", and prevent embarrassment.
Don't post non-informative messages on bulletin boards. Chat is more like a telephone, so saying "Me, too!" or "I don't know" is accepted. But on bulletin boards, people don't like to read postings that aren't substantive.

CHAT

Remember that chat rooms are "logged" (i.e., a record is kept of conversations).
Don’t disrupt the chat rooms by pasting large blocks of text into the input box (thus causing the screen to scroll faster than other users are able to type ) or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users' ability to engage in real time exchanges.
If you are having a conversation that is off the main topic, please move to another chat room.
If you are a fast typist, please pause occasionally to let slower typists contribute to the discussion.

last updated 1/8/02
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