[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[pct-l] Admin Note: Netiquette



There have been some comments about how rude and overbearing PCT-L can be. 
While some people may find it that way, especially when compared to the 
comraderie of the face to face trail community, I think you will find PCT-L 
to be pretty friendly when compared to other online forums. Email is known 
for this kind of problem.

Here are some good rules, written for another list, that I suggest all 
follow. Please read and remember them.

===========================================================

The Eight Commandments of Netiquette

1. Thou Shalt Remember the Human
The first commandment is the most important and determines all of the 
others. While
electronic communication is a wonderful tool, the most important part of 
the equation
is always the people. Every message that you type should recognize the 
importance
of the other members of your community. If you are replying to another person's
thoughts you should first validate that the person and their words are an 
important
part of the community, before putting forth your own ideas.

2. Thou Shalt Not Type Anything That You Would Not Say in Person.
Following directly from point 1, above, it is all too easy to hide behind 
your keyboard
and send messages that are inflammatory or derogatory, when you would not have
spoken such harsh words to the recipient in person.

The tone of electronic messages is an easily overlooked factor. Your 
message may
sound harmless when you type it, since you know what the tone and 
inflection is.
Remember that your audience's only view of your message is a series of 
words on a
screen; careful selection of wording and the addition of appropriate 
emoticons and
emphasis are essential to making sure that your audience will hear the 
message that
you intend.

Emoticons are small symbols which add indications of facial expressions to your
messages. Common emoticons are:
the smiley face to indicate humor or good news :-)
the frowning face to indicate sad news :-(
the winking smiley which indicates a joke or a pun ;-)
the pouting face which indicates, well.. pouting :-P

In addition to emoticons, asterisks can be used to indicate which words are
*important* in a sentence. You can type a word in all capital letters, as a 
means of
emphasis, but if used for more than one or two words, it is called 
'Shouting' which is
considered to be VERY RUDE.

With any form of style and tone, a little goes a long way. More than one or two
emoticons in a message may be excessive. Do use them wherever you feel
someone may misinterpret your intention. :-)

Of course, swearing and making comments, which will incite anger (being 
'flamebait')
are with a few exceptions, always bad form.

There are electronic discussion groups where people purposely gather to 
exchange
personal insults with other people on the Internet. Go Figure!


3. Thou Shalt Compose Messages That People Want to Read.
A little speel cheking and using your goodest grammar go a long way in 
electronic
communication. Remember that your message represents your ideas and to
a larger extent yourself to the audience; sloppy messages reflect on the 
author.

Always ask yourself if you are using the most appropriate forum for your
message. If you want to communicate with one of your classmates on a topic
that concerns only the two of you, consider sending a private email to that
person only.

Speaking of sending messages that people want to read, sending bulk email to a
wide audience or posting to inappropriate groups in the hopes of reaching a 
small
number of interested parties is considered very poor Netiquette. Always 
remember
that your message is using computer resources and the time and effort of 
the people
you've sent it to.


4. Thou Shalt Act by the Same Rules Which Govern the Rest of Your Life.
Lying, cheating and stealing are probably not part of your everyday life. The
anonymity of electronic communication can encourage people to put away their
personal sense of ethics. Reading other people's email, pretending to be 
something
or someone that you are not and using your work or school Internet account for
personal economic gain are common places where Internet users are known to put
away their personal ethics.


5. Thou Shalt Lurk Before You Leap.
Although these commandments will get you a long way in communicating in an
appropriate manner, each electronic group will have subtle nuances. You 
should lurk
for a week or two before participating in an established electronic 
conversation or
else risk standing out as a 'newbie' and inciting the wrath of the group. 
Remember
that an electronic group can easily have tens of thousands of people in it. 
That's a lot
of wrath!

Another important aspect of lurking is locating and reading the 'FAQ' for 
any given
group. This will ensure that you understand the common issues and group 
dynamics
before participating.


6. Thou Shalt Build Learning Communities.
All too often, Internet users become focused on what they can 'get' from 
the Internet
rather than what they can give. Sharing information, breaking up a flame 
war and
encouraging participation from new members are all ways of helping to build and
maintain learning communities.


7. Thou Shalt Consider All Messages to be Part of Your Portfolio
An extension of not saying anything that you wouldn't say in person, is not 
saying
anything that you wouldn't want a potential employer to know, five years 
from now.
When you send a message off into cyberspace, you no longer control it. It 
may be
forwarded to people other than the intended recipient or even archived in a
database. If you are feeling the need to leap into a flame war, stop and 
think if you
would want a potential employer to use your comments as a representation of
yourself five years from now. If the answer is no, the message probably 
isn't worth
sending.


8. Thou Shalt Forgive Transgressions.
As an effective, proactive, well adjusted member of an electronic learning
community, you should encourage Netiquette among other members by setting a
good example and pointing out errors in a private and friendly manner for 
the goal of
helping the other person to avoid the wrath of less generous group members.
As you become a seasoned 'Net user, you should remember that we have all been
the 'newbie' in the group at some point. Fostering appropriate 
participation from all of
your electronic community can add richness to our learning community.