Internet Etiquette (Netiquette)

Oscar Sodani is a founder of Help2Go and owner of Help2Go Networks, an IT consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area. Oscar holds the CISSP certification as well as industry certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and Novell.

When you live in a society, you live by a certain set of rules. These rules exist to make the world a better place. Don't shoot people. Don't yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Don't rip pages out of a library book. You get the idea.
The Internet has rules, too.

Why they aren't as enforceable as your state or local laws, these rules DO exist to make the Internet a better place for all. If you don't abide by these standards set by the Internet community, you can quickly be ostracized by your online peers.

In this article, you will learn:

• How to practice proper network etiquette (netiquette)

The Comeback of the Online Society

When the Internet was just a bunch of computers strung together like so many tin cans, the professors, scientists, and military personnel that used this "online community" quickly learned to be civil and (gasp!) helpful to each other. New users (called newbies) could count on the Internet experts to guide them through the Internet world.

When businesses started to get on the Internet, politeness quickly took a back seat. Corporations blatantly spammed e-mail users, the newsgroups became filled with ranting lunatics, and most web sites were just out to get your money. Online communities started to die off at an alarming rate.

About a year ago, the state of the Internet dramatically took a turn for the better. Normal people were being introduced to the Internet in droves, and businesses discovered they could draw more flies with honey. Corporate web sites started being helpful, offering information rather than just out for cash.

At the same time, Internet companies devised new and better ways to combat the problems of SPAM and the number of raving lunatics that took over chat rooms and Usenet. People started to help each other out again, and sites like Help2Go have blossomed as a result.

Rules are good for you!

Since the early days of the Internet, online users followed a set of principles and standard called netiquette. Netiquette is short for network etiquette, and has been passed on by experts to newbies for years. Failure to adhere to basic netiquette is a good way to make enemies online.

Netiquette is most important when communicating with others. Whether you use e-mail, chat rooms, newsgroups, or instant messages, you should always practice proper netiquette.

1) Communicate Clearly and Politely

When you are speaking to someone in person, they can use visual or audio cues to understand what you mean. The tone of your voice communicates sarcasm, anger, or glee, and the expressions on your face do the same.

When you are communicating online, you do so with the written word. Many of these emotions do not carry well through the written word, unless you are an excellent writer. Different people can extract different meanings from the same paragraph. Make sure that you are clear in your meaning as well as your tone. Consider using emoticons to further the communication.

2) Be Brief

If you tend to write long treatises every time you post a message, chances are that your communications will be ignored. Nobody has the time to spend an hour reading your 25-page open letter about the evils of television (they may even consider you to be the Unabomber or similar lunatic). Keep your communications reasonably short -- respect the time of other people.

3) Keep to the Topic

If you are communicating in a chat room, newsgroup, or listserv that is dedicated to the topic of business marketing, it is not a good idea to start a conversation about the New York Yankees. People that are participating in the discussion are there for a reason -- again, you must respect their time.

4) DON'T SCREAM

WHEN YOU TYPE A MESSAGE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE SCREAMING. IN ADDITION, IT IS MUCH HARDER TO READ. Type everything in lowercase letters or mixed case if you want your communiqués to be read and accepted.

5) Don't get into a FLAME war

Any message written to infuriate the recipient is referred to as a flame. Flames often contain obscenities and put-downs, and are not recognized as civilized conversation. The term is also used as a verb: if I send nasty e-mails to a colleague, then I have flamed him. It is a very bad faux-pas to flame someone, so if you are feeling angry at someone, the best thing to do is to turn off your computer for awhile. You should never put your anger into writing.

If you are on the receiving end of a flame -- do not respond. Ignore it. If you respond in kind with another flame, then what started out as a conversation turns into a flame war (a nasty argument). Public flame wars in chat rooms or on listserves will only get the rest of the participants angry at you. Avoid this at all costs. Your delete key is always available to you to get rid of flames that are sent your way.

6) Watch what you say

Internet e-mail is NOT private. Messages, unless they are encrypted, can be read by any number of unintended recipients. Never say anything in an e-mail that you might regret later.

The Justice department was successful in subpoenaing e-mail sent by Bill Gates to his employees. Maybe someday, the e-mail YOU send will end up as court evidence (most companies keep backups of all e-mail messages). Or worse, an unintended recipient can forward your message to the New York Times, the president of your company, or your mother-in-law! Don't put it in writing unless you are comfortable with what you are saying.

7) Use the subject line

The subject line is there for a reason. Especially in high-volume e-mail lists or newsgroups, the subject is very important for a reader to discern whether the message is of interest. Make the subject brief, yet descriptive.

8) Lurk before you post

Finally, when participating in a discussion, it is polite to learn about the discussion guidelines before posting a question. For instance, when joining an e-mail listserv or newsgroup, you should read the messages for a few days before posting. Reading several days worth of messages without posting is called lurking, and it is an excellent way for you to get a feel for the discussion being had.

If you have a question to ask, first find out if there is a related discussion archive or FAQ. A discussion archive is a compilation of all messages in the group. An answer for your question probably lies within that archive. Another good resource is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for the listserv/newsgroup. This is simply a web page that has basic questions and answers related to the discussion.

Utopia

By adhering to these simple rules of common politeness, Internet users have fostered a utopian community based on mutual learning and help. By practicing proper netiquette, you too can become a fruitful member of this community. When the time comes, you will be the Internet expert, passing these rules of decency to a new Internet user.

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