People usually try to protect their personal information online but at times you may be exposed to private information and it should be handled with care. When communicating online, you should always state information clearly, check spelling and grammar, and always be polite.
In the virtual world, if you choose not to post pictures, you cannot be judged by your looks but instead will be judged by the quality of your written communications. You may also want to avoid adding any fancy graphics or attachments that may take a long time to download. You should always aim to not waste people's time when communicating with them online by making your communication to the point and meaningful. Most people lead busy lives and don't necessarily have time to read articles or respond to silly emails. For instance, you might email an inappropriate joke to a friend but not a colleague. What might be acceptable communication on one domain may be considered inappropriate on another. Netiquette rules can vary when you are in the virtual world. You should always try to act within the ethics and laws of society when online. Many people will argue that in the virtual world, standards of behavior are different but you should adhere to the standards of behavior that you would in real life. When online, a good rule to follow is to never write anything that you wouldn't want written about yourself. When communicating electronically it is important to remember that what you write will be read by real people who deserve to be communicated with in a respectful manner. There are some basic rules of netiquette which are outlined below. As more communication takes place online, it is important that people know the proper way to communicate in cyberspace.
Some of this material adapted from The Core Rules of Netiquette excerpted from the book Netiquette, by Virginia Shea.Netiquette is a term that refers to etiquette and rules for behaving properly online. The sharing of pornographic material is forbidden. Do not forward virus warnings, chain letters, jokes, etc. Ask permission prior to giving out a classmate’s email address or other information. Always write in complete sentences and check your grammar. For example, do not write using all capital letters (which is considered shouting) and do not use “IM” language or emoticons. Certain aspects of Internet communication are not appropriate in the online classroom. There’s no taking back a comment that has already been sent, so it is important to double-check all writing to make sure that it clearly conveys the exact intended message.
It is important to read all posts or comments of students and instructors within the course discussion before personally commenting to prevent repeating commentary or asking questions that have already been answered. Also, do not introduce new topics it may just confuse the readers. When writing, keep sentences focused and brief so that readers do not get lost in wordy paragraphs and miss the point of the statement.
Humor and sarcasm may easily be misinterpreted as well, so try to be as matter-of-fact and professional as possible. If a point must be stressed, review the statement to make sure that an outsider reading it would not be offended. Language can be easily misinterpreted in written communication.