Netiquette

Last updated on June 26, 1996
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The term Netiquette has been coined as a catch-all for what have become generally accepted rules of common courtesy and good comportment on the Internet. Everyone professes to know what good Netiquette is. Books have been written on the subject and entire Internet sites have been devoted to its expostulation. Even though there are no Internet police (yet), a few basic rules of behavior should keep you out of trouble in cyberspace.

Basic Rules of Good Email Practice

  1. Above all - remember the Golden Rule and practice it diligently.

  2. Read your email at least once a day and be prompt in answering messages that require a response.

  3. If you're answering a question include the portion of the email message that contained the question to help remind the sender what the original question was.

  4. Don't flame - write and send an incendiary email message when you're angry or upset. You'll only regret it tomorrow.

  5. Remember that email may not be as private as you think and that your messages can come back to haunt you:

    • Generally, a permanent record of your email is being made and stored at your Internet service provider - even of messages you've deleted.
    • Your email can be placed under subpœna if necessary.
    • Once sent an email message can't be retracted.
    • Any email message you write can be forwarded by the original recipient to someone for whose eyes it was not intended - this is not under your control.

  6. Make it a policy not to become unnecessarily irritated or offended by anything you read that comes to you from someone you don't really know and make a concerted effort not to be irritating or offensive in what you write to people you don't really know.

    • Read all email through rose-colored glasses - remember, you probably weren't meant to be offended by what you read.

    • Remember that there is a difference between being terse and being rude - the line is blurry and everyone sees it differently, so err on the right side.

    • Address all email messages to people you don't know well with a personal greeting and close them cordially and personally.

    • Consider your audience before you write and, above all, write nothing in an email message to anyone you wouldn't want your own granny to see.

    • Make liberal use of commonly accepted emoticons -

      :)
      		a happy face :>
      		a very happy face
      :(
      		an unhappy face :<
      		a very unhappy face
      ;)
      		a wry wink ;>
      		a very wry wink
      :0
      		a surprised face :|
      		a bored face

      in place of body English to show your intent or your emotions.

    • Write plainly and to the point - don't be telegraphic, chatty, cryptic, cute, or sarcastic, etc. Sarcasm and humor are difficult to convey via email and often get misinterpreted by people who don't know you - but emoticons help.

  7. Don't YELL - typing in all uppercase letters is considered YELLING and will identify you instantly as a newbie. There are times when it's appropriate to yell for EMPHASIS. But you can express

    *emphasis* <<emphasis>> _emphasis_ >emphasis<

    in these other ways, too.

  8. Forward email infrequently, but, if you must, don't forward whole email messages to others, especially whole groups of others.

  9. For Heaven's sake, don't believe everything you read in your email. Keep a few grains of salt handy at all times.

  10. Be a good steward of the shared Internet resource - don't waste Internet bandwidth with silly and pointless messages.

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