What is Internet Netiquette? A Guide to Online Principles and Etiquette

Online Principles And Etiquette, A combination of networking words  and etiquette and defined as a set of rules for acceptable online behavior. Similarly, online ethics focuses on the acceptable use of online resources in an online social environment.

Online Principles And Etiquette. Both phrases are frequently interchanged and are often combined with the concept of a ’netizen’ which itself is a contraction of the words internet and citizen and refers to both a person who uses the internet to participate in society, and an individual who has accepted the responsibility of using the internet in productive and socially responsible ways.

What Does A Positive Web Etiquette Look Like?

What Is Internet Netiquette? Underlying this overall concept of socially responsible internet use are a few core pillars, though the details underneath each pillar are still subject to debate. Online Principles And Etiquette.

For Society:

1. Recognizing that the internet is an extension of society. 
2. The internet isn’t a new world in which anything goes, but rather, a new dimension of the world around us.
3. Applying the same standards online as we do in public. In simple terms, this means that the values society has in place against hate speech and bigotry, child exploitation, and child pornography, copyright violations and other forms of theft, remain intact. Values around courtesy, kindness, openness, and treating others with the same respect we wish to receive should also be adhered to.

• Refusing to empower abuse and harassment while online. Accepting that the laws which are currently in place to protect the rights and dignity of citizens apply online and that where needed, laws are updated to reflect these rights in the extended environment. Theft, harassment, and bullying while online is still theft, harassment, and bullying, period.
• Acknowledging cultural differences. Even when national boundaries no longer apply, cultural respect and tolerance should remain. This requires finding a way to accept that the social values and norms of some netizens will not be the social values and norms of all netizens.

For Businesses:

For companies, being a good netizen, applying online ethics, and using netiquette include:

1. Respecting rights of privacy for offline employees. Information possessed by citizens in their offline interactions should be respected.
2. Maintaining transparency in information policies. By taking action so that consumers can easily and quickly understand how that company is using their information and protecting them from harm, companies can provide users with a clear means of ownership and self-determination as to what is, and isn’t shared about them, which strengthens the consumer relationship.

Online Principles And Etiquette, Most internet users automatically apply the same responsible respectful behavior online as they do in every other environment and by nature apply netiquette an online ethics, and are good netizens.

Online Principles And Etiquette, The minority that fails to apply societal values in some or any environment- including the internet- are quickly identified as exceptions to be dealt with on a social, or illegal level. 

When you choose to partner with technology companies, especially for something as important as internet security, it’s imperative you ensure that the partner shares your understanding of what it means to act ethically online.

Netiquette, or network etiquette, is concerned with the “proper” way to communicate in an online environment. Consider the following “rules,” adapted for The Core Rules of Netiquette, whenever you communicate in the virtual world.

1: Remember the Human

When communicating electronically, whether through email, instant message, discussion post, text, or some other method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before you press “send” or “submit,” ask yourself, “Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it? Online Principles And Etiquette.

2: Adhere to the standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Online Principles And Etiquette, While it can be argued that standards of behavior may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should not be lower. You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit “cyberspace.” Would you behave rudely to someone face-to-face? Neither should you behave this way in the virtual world.

3: Know where you are in cyberspace

“Netiquette varies from domain to domain.Depending on where you are in the virtual world, the same written communication can be acceptable in one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in another. What you text to a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a classmate or colleague.

4: Respect other people’s time and bandwidth

Online Principles And Etiquette, Electronic communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives and don’t have time to read or respond to enormous emails or discussion posts. As a virtual world communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the time spent reading your words isn’t wasted.

Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or superfluous graphics or attachments that may take forever to download.

5: Make yourself look Positive online

Online Principles And Etiquette, One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a clown outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in mind:

1. Always check for spelling and grammar errors
2. Know what you’re talking about and state it clearly
3. Be pleasant and polite

6: Share expert knowledge

Online Principles And Etiquette, The Internet offers its users many benefits, one is the ease in which information can be shared or accessed and in fact, this “information sharing” capability is one of the reasons the Internet was founded. So in the spirit of the Internet’s “founding fathers,” share what you know! When you post a question and receive intelligent answers, share the results with others.

Are you an expert at something? Post resources and references about your subject matter. Recently expanded your knowledge about a subject that might be of interest to others? Share that as well.

7: Help keep flame wars under control

What is meant by “flame wars?” “Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. As an example, think of the kinds of passionate comments you might read on a sports blog.

Online Principles And Etiquette, While is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication, when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don’t feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction. Online Principles And Etiquette.

8: Respect other people’s privacy

Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email, you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be handled with care. Perhaps someone is sharing some medical news about a loved one or discussing a situation at work.

What do you think would happen if this information “got into the wrong hands? Online Principles And Etiquette, Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual communication. Online Principles And Etiquette.

9: Don’t abuse your power

Just like in FTF situations, there are people in cyberspace who have more “power” than others. They have more expertise in technology or they have years of experience in a particular skill or subject matter. Maybe it’s you who posses all of this knowledge and power! Just remember: knowing more than others do or having more power than others may have does not give you the right to take advantage of anyone. Online Principles And Etiquette.

10: Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes

What Is Internet Netiquette? Not everyone has the same amount of experience working in the virtual world. And not everyone knows the rules of netiquette. At some point, you will see a stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter misspelled words, when this happens, practice kindness and forgiveness as you would hope someone would do if you had committed the same offense. If it’s a minor “offense,” you might want to let it slide. If you feel compelled to respond to a mistake, do so in a private email rather than a public forum. Online Principles And Etiquette.