Netiquette
Netiquette, or net etiquette, refers to etiquette on the Internet. Good
netiquette involves respecting others' privacy and not doing anything
online that will annoy or frustrate other people. Three areas where
good netiquette is highly stressed are e-mail, online chat, and
newsgroups. For example, people that spam other users with unwanted
e-mails or flood them with messages have very bad netiquette. You don't
want to be one of those people. If you're new to a newsgroup or online
chat room, it may help to observe how people communicate with each
other before jumping in.
Ten rules of Netiquette:
1.The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be
treated. This rule is an oldie but a goodie and can get you through just
about any situation, online or off!
2. No "Flaming":
Flaming is a form of verbal abuse when you intentionally attack or
disrespect somebody for whatever reason. Maybe you didn't agree with
something they said, but there's a nice way to share a different point
of view without name calling or attacking someone. Harassing or
insulting someone will not likely help you gain many online friends!
3. Respect Others' Copyrights: There are wonderful things
online, information for everyone on just about any topic! However, these
things have copyrights and licenses. Copying the works of someone else
without permission or saying it is your own will not only ruin your
online reputation, but could land you with hefty fines and lawsuits!
4. DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS: It hurts our eyes. It makes people
think you are shouting at them. It's okay to type in caps to accentuate a
word or two, but please don't do it all the time everywhere you go.
5. Don't Spam: As a blog owner, I get hundreds of spam messages
each day. Most of them aren't even legible, with things like "kjhgsawu"
typed in the comments and links to sites with adult or inappropriate
content. I don't appreciate it! Some spammers are getting really sneaky,
as they use the same generic post over and over again like "I really
like your blog" - if you own multiple blogs like I do though you can
quickly identify these types of spammers! There's a fine line between
spam and self-promotion, do it very carefully!
6. Be Honest:
Faking website statistics, pretending to be someone else, or trying to
cheat people online will not only hurt your reputation but can land you
in a lot of hot water. You know the line honesty is the best policy,
it's also one of the 10 best rules for netiquette.
7. Use
Proper Grammar & Spelling: If u rite liek this lol ppl might
start 2 get mad lol. :) We understand spelling isn't always easy and
typos and basic spelling mistakes will happen. But if it's distracting
from your message, it can be annoying. Using a browser such as Firefox 3
with built in spell check can be a life saver for bad spellers! Be
careful not to use too much web jargon, seeing lol used more than twice
in a sentence or two is probably unnecessary and does not promote good
internet etiquette.
8. Follow the Tos: Most sites have a
terms of service policy that also lists rules of netiquette. Read it and
abide by it! I am constantly reading discussions on my lot about people who have
had discussions deleted because what they posted did not meet the terms
of the website.
9. Keep it PG-13: I never write or say
anything I wouldn't let my kids read. It can really come back to haunt
you if you write something that's not appropriate - as a blog owner, it
could mean trouble with google
if you use them for adwords or like to be ranked in search engines
since they seem to penalize swearing/adult content sites.
10. Research
Your Facts/Cite Sources: I can't tell you how many times I read
something (often politically related) that is not even close to the
truth. There is so much information out there online, it can be very
difficult to distinguish what is true and not true. Before posting
something, forwarding emails, or going off on a tangent, make sure it is
factual and cite sources if possible to boost your credibility. Not
only will this help keep down on the hoaxes and insanity floating around
online, but it can help make you build a solid reputation online.
Do you know this ten rules of Netiquette?
