After all, capital letters on the internet mean shouting and are generally considered impolite. Good netiquette is characterized by respect, politeness and professionalism.Ī tip: You should generally refrain from writing messages or individual words entirely in capital letters – even if you want to give these sections more expression. Remain friendly and respectful, even if you disagree. Make sure that you show your best side online.
Often this anonymity leads to a lower inhibition threshold for many users and they behave rudely online if, for example, you disagree with them. Present your best side onlineĬommunication on the internet comes with a certain anonymity that does not exist in real life when you are talking to someone face to face. Because the internet doesn't forget anything! A screenshot or a copy of your messages is quickly made and still exists even if you delete your messages afterward. You are not communicating with a machine, but with real people. Think of the person behind the computer when you compose your messages. Remember that you can be prosecuted for insulting people online. Respect the opinions of your chat counterparts and express constructive criticism. Refrain from insulting, provoking, threatening or insulting others. When communicating online, remember the rules of etiquette that you follow in your everyday life. Stick to the rules of conduct online that you follow in real life Netiquette is therefore important to avoid adverse consequences.īelow you will find 20 general recommendations for conduct on the internet that you should follow when communicating online. As in the real world, rules of etiquette are necessary on the internet. When communicating on the internet, you should always remember that you are communicating with people and not simply with computers or smartphones. It is also their responsibility to monitor compliance with these basic rules and to penalize violations of them. Generally, it is up to the operator of a website or communication app to specify the type and scope of netiquette. The rules of netiquette very depending on the platform and its participants. Netiquette is mostly used for dealing with unknown people on the internet. These are not legally binding rules, but recommended rules of etiquette. Netiquette is often referred to as etiquette for the internet. Netiquette thus describes the rules of conduct for respectful and appropriate communication on the internet.
Nsure everything is right before you hit ‘send’.Netiquette is a made-up word from the words net and etiquette. In this way it will be understood and will achieve the desired results. Make sure your message is accurate, brief and clear as well as attractively presented. Read through your message carefully and improve clarity and understanding. Tapping away at the keyboard as you think, it is easy to allow sentences to become too long. Idy up long sentences to eliminate waffle. Use numbers, bullets or sub-headings if possible – this will add to the clarity of your message. Remember to paragraph just the same as in other business documents. The shorter your messages, the more likely they will be read and understood. Give your messages a clear and specific subject heading that will get noticed. People are most likely to read important looking emails first. (Try to avoid the overused ‘Regards’ and horribly abbreviated things like Tx and Tnks & Rgs!) Similarly, replace “Yours sincerely” with “Best wishes” or some other informal closing. Replace formal salutations like “Dear Leslie” with “Hi Leslie” or even just “Leslie”. And also … NEVER RESORT TO EXCESSIVE is OK in emails. Get your email addresses right first time.Įven though you want to get noticed, please do not use capitals in email messages – this is like shouting – it is rude and will usually be counter-productive. It’s common courtesy to respond to a message as quickly as you can – even if you have to say that a detailed response will be sent later.Ĭorrectly addressed email messages are received within seconds, but it can take a while to receive an error message letting you know that an incorrectly addressed message wasn’t delivered. Here are my tips for better netiquette: N All your emotions and subtleties have to be incorporated into what you write, so misunderstandings are easy to create. In email we have netiquette – a set of rules for email that have evolved from experience. In personal relationships the conventions of behaviour are called etiquette.