WHAT IS NETIQUETTE?

• The term "netiquette" refers to the qualities of courtesy, politeness and consideration for others in what you say and do in your Internet communications, especially your use of email and newsgroup postings.

The Rules of Netiquette    (from   Following the Netiquette Rules)

• In general, messages should be short and to the point.
  
• Make sure that you use a meaningful subject line, so that your readers will have a clear idea of what the message contains.
  • Good example - "Subject: My feedback on the Taylor article."
  • Poor example - "Subject: Interesting Stuff."
• Use all caps sparingly.
  Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish a title or heading. You might use *asterisks* around a word to make a stronger point. As discussed above, capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally seen as SHOUTING.
• Be professional and careful in what you say about others.
  Electronic messages are easily forwarded. Don't say anything you wouldn't want to see quoted in the newspaper!
• When reacting to someone else's message, address the ideas, not the person.
  Antagonistic messages are called "flames" and flaming someone is bad Netiquette.
• Be careful when using sarcasm and humor.
  Without face-to-face communications your joke may be viewed as criticism. "Emoticons" (tiny pictures made from ordinary ASCII characters that are meant to be looked at with your head tilted to the side) can be used to put a personal "face" on your messages. See NetLingo's Smileys and Emoticons for some great examples.
• Don't overuse acronymns.
  Acronyms can be used to abbreviate when possible; however, messages that are filled with acronyms can be confusing and annoying to the reader. Examples:
  • IMHO= in my humble/honest opinion
  • FYI = for your information
  • BTW = by the way
• Be careful not to get too personal too fast.
  Electronic communications environments can seem surprisingly intimate. In just a few exchanges, you might be tempted to share your life's story with someone you actually don't know very well!
• Be respectful of other, diverse opinions.
  Remember that the Internet (and the World Campus) brings people together from around the world. Don't assume that everyone shares the same views or background.
• Don't include any obscenities in your messages.
  You never know who you might offend! To get a certain point across, you might use a mixture of ASCII characters like "@#%$" instead.
• Don't forward messages without asking first.
  It is considered extremely rude to forward someone else's e-mail or bulletin board postings without permission.
• Don't send commercial advertisements.
• Don't forward "chain mail" electronically.
  
• Don't "attach" a file to a message if you can paste it into the body of the note instead.
  Since attaching files can cause compatibility problems, it is best to avoid doing so when possible. It will also save your recipient(s) an extra step or two, as your material will be readable within their e-mail system (versus having to open up another application, such as a word processor, to see what you have sent).
• Don't share copyrighted materials.
  Not everything on the Internet is "fair use." You are liable for any copyright infringement you make.

My Thoughts about Netiquette