Week 1: Clear on Netiquette

 "Play Nice" by Nosha.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nosha/3353134665/
Creative Commons License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

      This week I was very clear on the concept of netiquette. As i've been a member of online forums for many years, I understand netiquette very well. Netiquette, or net etiquette, is a broad term which describes the do's and dont's of online behavior. If you thought behaving in person was enough, you're about to stumble into a whole new world where you'll need to "play nice".      
                 

 With a little help, behaving online is just as easy as behaving in person. After learning a few general rules, you should be on your way to behaving appropriately in the online workplace.

•  Never use CAPS when writing a message. Doing so may have your statement become interpreted as a demand or as shouting.
•  Be as brief as possible and read over what you typed before you submit it. No one wants to waste time reading a large message full of grammatical errors.
• Make sure your information is factual. Sending out something that isn't true will spark unwanted conversation. Citing your information will help people reference back to something very easily.
• Group items accordingly.  Scattered ideas will lead to confusion. Make sure to similar ideas together to convey your message more effectively.
• Don't be sarcastic or rude.  People may or may not take your sarcasm or rudeness literally. You may not mean to be rude or hurt their feelings, but it does happen frequently.

      If you live, eat and sleep with these few rules of netiquette in mind, you'll be surfing the web with ease in no time. Netiquette is essential in the online workplace and in business in general because you may convey a different message that you originally intended if you use caps, sarcasm, or post opinionated, non-factual information. It is essential to follow these rules while at work, on a discussion forum, or when you are just surfing the web.

     A link that I found particularly interesting was a Facebook page that outlines the do's and dont's of net etiquette by Alexandra Samuels. She outlines 25 rules of netiquette that everyone should follow.

The link to that list is :

 http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=165752193483755&comments

The original Netiquette rules ever written can be found here:  https://groups.google.com/group/net.announce.newusers/msg/9359675b6cafe3be?dmode=source&hl=en&pli=1

I found both links very helpful with my understanding of netiquette, and I will refer to these on a weekly basis if needed, as you should too.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post. I'll catch you next week!  :)