4 of 20

Write now Article Tools

For reasons of safety and to ensure honorable exchange, online etiquette is a necessity. Every person online becomes the persona they choose to present. So, the cyberworld is one that inevitably encourages fantasy and deception.

Following are some guidelines to help make the online experience a sound one.

SAFETY
Because this is an environment that can easily become smoke and mirrors, it is important to use common sense safety practices. Do not give out important personal information like social security numbers, home addresses, banking information, passwords or credit card numbers. This information becomes vulnerable to hackers especially if the connection happens over an unsecured network. When you make credit card purchases over the Internet be sure that you are making your transaction over a secure server. Secure servers usually have [https://] in the web address rather than the normal [http://].

COURTESY
Be kind to those with whom you exchange messages. Read and re-read messages to eliminate sarcasm or wording that could be taken out of context.

In matters of serious business, remain very courteous and professional and make sure you present error-free text. Also, be sure to respond to messages in a timely fashion. A long response time makes a message sender take you less seriously.

Do not take the email address that you may see in the carbon copy field and add them to any personal email list. This constitutes spam. It violates the privacy of others and compromises the integrity of the person who sent the original email.

Keep chain letters and frivolous jokes to a minimum. Send them only to people close to you whom you know appreciate receiving them. Sending these kind of messages randomly and frequently will make recipients delete any incoming message with your name on it.

BREVITY
If you are a member of listservs, try not to clog list traffic with long messages. If you can respond to a topic in fifty words or less, you should make that your goal. The same consideration should be given to the number of emails you send on a list. If the list has a significant number of members, this habit can be overwhelming to them all.

HONESTY
Do not misrepresent yourself online. This includes not uploading pictures of others and representing them as yourself and not using other people's art or words without permission. It is safe practice to not give away too much personal information online, but it is also best to be honest about what you are giving away. Once you begin to participate in online communities and create an Internet presence, your online identities can be googled. You don't want a Google search to turn up a mound of lies.

LANGUAGE
Make yourself familiar with the common language of the Internet, but don't assume that everyone you have an online exchange with knows the same languge. Avoid Internet abbreviations that have become commonplace for you and your circle of friends. It is also important to remember things like not putting all the letters of your correspondence in all caps. It signifies yelling and might offend the reader. The online world has its own culture like any other environment.

Learn more about this author, Cherryl Floyd-Miller.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Basic online communication tips?
We want to hear your view. Write now!