Is there an etiquette involved in online communication?

Clarity in messages
Give all messages that you post a clear and descriptive title to help people find specific messages and follow discussions more easily. Avoid using vague or ambiguous titles such as ‘News’, ‘Hi’ ‘Latest work’ etc.

In your messages, try to avoid lengthy postings with lots of big words – keep it simple and to the point.

Remember the human
When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expression, gestures and tone of voice to communicate your meaning - apart from using emoticons.

When you're holding a conversation online - whether it's an e-mail exchange or a response to a discussion group posting –always consider how the other person may read your words. If you’re angry or annoyed, avoid writing a message until you have settled down a little. Always re-read your words before hitting the “send” button just to make sure they will be clearly understood and not cause any upset for other people.

Be ethical
When you communicate through cyberspace your words are written, and chances are they are stored somewhere where you have no control over them and cannot change them later. In other words, they can come back to haunt you! If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult your professional code of ethics.

Never openly insult another person in an online communication, and be aware of the way you use humour online – not everyone will have your sense of humour and it can be easily to unintentionally offend. Always aim to be pleasant and polite.

Lurk before you leap
When you enter an online chat or a discussion group that's new to you, take a look around - spend a while “listening” to the chat or reading the archives. It’s just like the face-to-face world, you wouldn’t usually run into a room full of strangers and start talking to everyone straight away.

Try to get a sense of how the people who are already there act, and what the “feel” of the online space is like – are people friendly? Is the language used casual? When you’re ready, go ahead and participate – but be sure to introduce yourself.

Respect other people's time
People seem to have less time than ever before and have a lot of information to absorb. When you send e-mail or post to a discussion group, you're taking up other people’s time in reading your words.

It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted – people will soon start avoiding your messages if they think that there’s going to be nothing worth reading.

Be clear, make sense

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?!? Why is it, then, that so many people write long messages in discussion forums – and the reader is left unclear and confused as to what the point of the message is.

Make sure your notes are clear and logical, and try to keep the length of your messages to a minimum. You don’t want to come across as a “know-it-all”, but you do need to demonstrate that you know what you are talking about.

Share expert knowledge
When you post a question to a discussion group, you could request replies by e-mail instead of to the group. When you get all those responses, write up a summary and post it to the discussion board. That way, everyone benefits from the experts who took the time to write to you. Also, you can post some resource lists, helpful websites and bibliographies of books and articles that relate to your topic.

Use lots of open questions to provoke thought and encourage discussion. Avoid cutting people out of the discussion if they’re not “experts” – everyone has to start somewhere.

No flaming!

"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotions. Flames can be very entertaining, both to write and to read, but netiquette does forbid the perpetuation of flame wars. A flame war occurs when you have a series of angry or insulting messages, most of them from two or three people directed toward each other, that can dominate the tone and destroy the camaraderie of a discussion group.

It's unfair to the other members of the group and it also can get boring very quickly to people who aren't involved in them. Worst of all, someone could end up getting upset or offended. Encourage your learners to contact you privately if they have an issue with another person in the group, or to deal with interpersonal conflicts outside of the online environment.

Be forgiving
When someone makes a mistake, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't make it okay for you to correct everyone else. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferable by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; and avoid shattering their self-esteem and confidence.

Remember to include a suggestion in your feedback as to how the person could have avoided making the mistake. That way, it is a learning opportunity rather than a criticism.

Chatiquette

Last but not least, another term – chatiquette. This relates to netiquette, but applies to situations when you are using a live chat room in your online environment. Chats can be fast-paced and spontaneous, so it’s important to have established rules or guidelines before you start. Here are some ideas:

  • Respect the viewpoint of all participants.
  • No shouting (ALL CAPS); no profanity, inappropriate language, putdowns or insults.
  • Try to be brief. If you have more than a couple of sentences to input, type a sentence, end it with "..." to let others know more is on the way.
  • Stay on topic, don’t bring up irrelevant points or start social conversations.