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- Feb 9, 2004
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- 17,078
This information below is very useful in proper communication on the Internet. This will help you avoid misunderstanding, confusion and other annoyances that occassionally get in the way. I've researched the net for a well laid out guideline and provided it below to you.
Humans in cyberspace
It is sometimes easy to forget that on the net you are not just talking to computers, you are communicating with real people, people who have feelings just like you, and you need to respect their rights just as you would in any other area of your life.
The problem with electronic communication is that you don't have the opportunity you have in face to face contact to use expression, gesture, or tone of voice to express the way you feel, since all you have is text on a computer screen. This means that you have to be even more careful to express yourself carefully so that you aren't misinterpreted. In recognition of this difficulty the net has developed a list of symbols, called emoticons and acronyms, which you can you use in your text as a way of making it clear that you are being funny or serious or ironic.
Because you are dealing with text on a computer screen, it can be tempting to behave in ways you wouldn't in face to face communication. But imagine how you would feel if you opened your e-mail and found an unpleasant, personally offensive message. You would be as hurt as if someone had yelled at you.
If you wouldn't do it in real life, don't do it in cyberspace
This is called nethics, or ethics on the net. Don't think that just because you are in cyberspace all bets are off. If it's inappropriate or illegal in real life, it's inappropriate or illegal in cyberspace. No exceptions. It might seem that your chances of being caught behaving unethically on the net are less than they are in real life, however this doesn't provide an excuse for lowering your standards of behaviour, and I wouldn't be too sure that you won't get caught.
Some of the laws on the net, particularly in regards to electronic publishing and electronic copyright are still being argued out in the courts, but by assuming that the laws stand as they do in the print media (see SOFWeb's Copyright Statement) and by behaving as ethically as you would in real life, you can protect yourself and your school. This means that you don't plagiarize someone else's work, you respect their right to intellectual property. Where it is appropriate to use someone else's work (for instance if you want to quote from it) you acknowledge your source by referencing it properly.
Looking good and making sense
For most of us there aren't too many ways of making yourself look silly in front of hundreds of people, but sending a badly spelled, grammatically incorrect, thoughtlessly put together e-mail message is one. E-mail can be a spontaneous form of communication, and to some extent the form of the message will depend on where you are sending it. It probably won't matter if a quick note to a friend has a spelling mistake or two, but if you are involved in a project with other schools your message represents not only you, but your school, and you will want to make sure that your message looks good and contains accurate, worthwhile information.
But spelling and grammar are not the only important things. In cyberspace your only method of communication is by writing, and you may never meet any of the people you are communicating with face to face. So like it or not, you will be judged by the quality of your writing. You don't have to be literary, but you do have to be clear and intelligible.
Quick ring the fire brigade, I've been flamed!
Flaming is personal attacks on other citizens of cyberspace via e-mail. A flame is the kind of message which attacks not just your opinion, but your personality, your looks, your personal habits and your dog's behaviour. In other words flaming has a lot to do with emotional responses, and nothing to do with reasonable disagreement.
This doesn't mean that you can't disagree with people, it would be a very dull discussion if everybody agreed, in fact there would be no point in the discussion at all. But the golden rule is that if you disagree with someone you disagree with the content of their message, you don't descend into personal comments.
There are people who try and start flame wars by posting flame bait, comments which are designed to start a fire or fan the flames. Well, I suppose it's something to do, but really, they should get out more and stop wasting everyone's time.
If you read something that really makes you angry, resist the temptation to fire off an emotional response. Take a deep breath, go for a walk, put the message away until tomorrow. Keep in mind that no-one ever changed their mind because some called them a rude name.
If a discussion you are involved in turns into a flame war, you might want to think about how you can douse the flames. Sometimes the best way is simply not to get involved, if nobody replies the flamer has nothing to burn. Flames are not only unkind they are a waste of time and bandwidth. If nothing else, avoid fanning the fire.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should
If you are in a position of power with respect to a computer or computer network behave responsibly.
Here are the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics from the Computer Ethics Institute.
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.
We all make mistakes
Everyone was a network newbie once. And not everyone has had the benefit of reading this book. So when someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else.
If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better. And never be arrogant or self-righteous about it. Just as it's a law of nature that spelling flames always contain spelling errors, notes pointing out Netiquette violations are often examples of poor Netiquette.
Smile!
Smilies (emoticons) are a great way to express your emotions, in an animated way. Throw an emoticon here and there to give some spice to expressing your emotions. They can easily deter misunderstandings and make your posts look rather colorful
Humans in cyberspace
It is sometimes easy to forget that on the net you are not just talking to computers, you are communicating with real people, people who have feelings just like you, and you need to respect their rights just as you would in any other area of your life.
The problem with electronic communication is that you don't have the opportunity you have in face to face contact to use expression, gesture, or tone of voice to express the way you feel, since all you have is text on a computer screen. This means that you have to be even more careful to express yourself carefully so that you aren't misinterpreted. In recognition of this difficulty the net has developed a list of symbols, called emoticons and acronyms, which you can you use in your text as a way of making it clear that you are being funny or serious or ironic.
Because you are dealing with text on a computer screen, it can be tempting to behave in ways you wouldn't in face to face communication. But imagine how you would feel if you opened your e-mail and found an unpleasant, personally offensive message. You would be as hurt as if someone had yelled at you.
If you wouldn't do it in real life, don't do it in cyberspace
This is called nethics, or ethics on the net. Don't think that just because you are in cyberspace all bets are off. If it's inappropriate or illegal in real life, it's inappropriate or illegal in cyberspace. No exceptions. It might seem that your chances of being caught behaving unethically on the net are less than they are in real life, however this doesn't provide an excuse for lowering your standards of behaviour, and I wouldn't be too sure that you won't get caught.
Some of the laws on the net, particularly in regards to electronic publishing and electronic copyright are still being argued out in the courts, but by assuming that the laws stand as they do in the print media (see SOFWeb's Copyright Statement) and by behaving as ethically as you would in real life, you can protect yourself and your school. This means that you don't plagiarize someone else's work, you respect their right to intellectual property. Where it is appropriate to use someone else's work (for instance if you want to quote from it) you acknowledge your source by referencing it properly.
Looking good and making sense
For most of us there aren't too many ways of making yourself look silly in front of hundreds of people, but sending a badly spelled, grammatically incorrect, thoughtlessly put together e-mail message is one. E-mail can be a spontaneous form of communication, and to some extent the form of the message will depend on where you are sending it. It probably won't matter if a quick note to a friend has a spelling mistake or two, but if you are involved in a project with other schools your message represents not only you, but your school, and you will want to make sure that your message looks good and contains accurate, worthwhile information.
But spelling and grammar are not the only important things. In cyberspace your only method of communication is by writing, and you may never meet any of the people you are communicating with face to face. So like it or not, you will be judged by the quality of your writing. You don't have to be literary, but you do have to be clear and intelligible.
Quick ring the fire brigade, I've been flamed!
Flaming is personal attacks on other citizens of cyberspace via e-mail. A flame is the kind of message which attacks not just your opinion, but your personality, your looks, your personal habits and your dog's behaviour. In other words flaming has a lot to do with emotional responses, and nothing to do with reasonable disagreement.
This doesn't mean that you can't disagree with people, it would be a very dull discussion if everybody agreed, in fact there would be no point in the discussion at all. But the golden rule is that if you disagree with someone you disagree with the content of their message, you don't descend into personal comments.
There are people who try and start flame wars by posting flame bait, comments which are designed to start a fire or fan the flames. Well, I suppose it's something to do, but really, they should get out more and stop wasting everyone's time.
If you read something that really makes you angry, resist the temptation to fire off an emotional response. Take a deep breath, go for a walk, put the message away until tomorrow. Keep in mind that no-one ever changed their mind because some called them a rude name.
If a discussion you are involved in turns into a flame war, you might want to think about how you can douse the flames. Sometimes the best way is simply not to get involved, if nobody replies the flamer has nothing to burn. Flames are not only unkind they are a waste of time and bandwidth. If nothing else, avoid fanning the fire.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should
If you are in a position of power with respect to a computer or computer network behave responsibly.
Here are the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics from the Computer Ethics Institute.
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write.
10. Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect.
We all make mistakes
Everyone was a network newbie once. And not everyone has had the benefit of reading this book. So when someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else.
If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better. And never be arrogant or self-righteous about it. Just as it's a law of nature that spelling flames always contain spelling errors, notes pointing out Netiquette violations are often examples of poor Netiquette.
Smile!
Smilies (emoticons) are a great way to express your emotions, in an animated way. Throw an emoticon here and there to give some spice to expressing your emotions. They can easily deter misunderstandings and make your posts look rather colorful
