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From a very young, we are taught to behave properly and have good manners. So most people are familiar with the term etiquette and what role it plays in our daily life.
But now, in this digital world, a need has arisen for a set of specific online etiquette guidelines that apply to cyber behavior. And that is known as ‘Netiquette’.
Netiquette is made up of the words net and etiquette. It describes the rules to have respectful and appropriate communication on the internet. These are not legal rules, but recommended rules.
Here are seven basic rules of which everyone should be aware.
Respect People’s Privacy
Treat others’ privacy the same way you want yours to be handled. Do not simply forward information that has been sent to you without obtaining permission from the original sender.
Also, when forwarding the email to more than one person, use BCC (blind carbon copy) rather than CC (carbon copy). This helps to protect the privacy of email recipients who do not like their email addresses being passed on to people they do not know themselves.
When uploading photos or videos online that include other people apply the same respect for privacy. Remember that if you tag people on social media, others can access these photos, unless the people in them have adjusted their privacy settings.
Last but not least, do not sign up for newsletters, forums, or the like with someone else's name or email address.
Be Accurate and Factual
The internet is a place full of information and knowledge which are coming from different sources. That’s why it’s good to cite the source and be careful when providing information.
Many people share fake news without checking it. Research says that Facebook users alone engage with some form of misinformation around 70 million times each month.
If you don’t have an idea about information, you should ask people who would know or the best idea is to search on google or any rightful website. You should fact-check everything you read and possibly include sources when giving advice or information to others.
Use Respectful Language and Be Careful With Your Tone
Written text is easily misread and misunderstood. You should be careful with capitalization. Writing in all-caps can be viewed as yelling and will be treated as impolite.
Similarly, a joke and sarcasm can oftentimes be perceived as rude remarks. By this, your point can also get lost in translation. So be careful. Reading text aloud before sending it can also make a difference. Using any sort of verbal abuse online or strong language can also get you banned from your social groups.
Apart from texting, you should be more careful in online classes that use audio or video forms. Because this is where the rules of general etiquette apply more.
Respect the Time and Bandwidth of Others
Around the world, information can be sent to different people in a matter of seconds and without much effort. Still, the bandwidth, and the information capacity of wires and channels are limited. So it’s important to respect people’s time, and keep your online communication brief and to the point.
Who wants to waste time unnecessarily on an email whose main message is present at the end of the email. That is simply annoying and consumes a lot of time. Also, consider who needs to be on the list of recipients.
You should also keep in your mind that your communications, whether they’re in the form of emails or online posts, take up space in storage systems. Bombarding mailing lists with large or unnecessary files is not looked upon favorably.
Pay Attention to Grammar and Punctuation
Resorting to proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation can make the message more professional. If you don’t do so, it can become very frustrating for readers and can distract the goal of the message. If it’s easy to read and comprehensible, you can save precious time for others too.
Always remember to use the appropriate salutation and parting formula when you are composing emails. If you are weak in grammar and spelling, don't be discouraged. Use spelling aids for that. Save shortcuts and less than stellar grammar for your friends.
Forgive Other’s Mistakes
Remember that not everyone will know these rules before posting or maybe some can be beginners who are making these mistakes. So try to be understanding of others when they struggle with written communication.
If mistakes are minor, then it is best not to react to them at all. But in the event of a major error, for example, a wrong quote, messages written only in capital letters, or missing grammar and punctuation, then it is best to inform the person in a private message.
Know Where You Are in Cyberspace
Netiquette is seen differently in different places on the internet. You should know where you’re writing and your audience because online forums and domains all have their own rules.
What’s good for one group may not be for another. It can go against the mentality or rules of another. You need to get an idea of how other people in this area of cyberspace communicate with each other and adapt to them.
For example, if you mistakenly post about your meat-lovers blog and all of the ways you marinate chicken, and you’re communicating in a vegan chat group, you may receive comments from offended group members.
Conclusion
Apart from these rules, there are many more netiquettes everyone especially students should know as we are living in an online world. This area is also very vast and technology is changing from time to time which adds more rules to the list.
Good Netiquette can show your personality and can help you in the future also on a professional basis. So everyone should follow these guidelines.
Written by - Vipasha
Edited by - Kritika Sharma
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