Incorporated Netiquette

So, you’re about to teach online, you’re opening yourself and your learners up to cyberspace and communicating with each other and, possibly, the world online. How on earth can you make sure it doesn’t end in a disastrous failure with people insulting and attacking (flaming) each other, getting the wrong message, wasting time and generally messing it all up???

Well, there are many many different ways you can set rules, or guidelines, or frameworks, or the tone, or constraints or… you can even argue that you, well, shouldn’t… people should be allowed to express themselves how they want, according to the authentic context and circumstances.

But like it or not, confused by the range or not, I’d argue that it’s still a good idea. When I walk into a courtroom, I know that a certain behaviour’s fitting, same in my workplace (although that can vary pretty drastically :o), same when I visit my folks. When I first lived in

Japan

, I had no idea, I desperately wanted to know how my behaviour suited where I was, I suffered from cultural blindness, felt unsure and made plenty of errors I wouldn’t like to repeat! And that’s the same on the web. Especially if you’ve never really communicated online before. When you visit a website, join an email group, enter a discussion board you don’t know what the parameters and possibilities are. And this has two effects: a. you don’t feel comfortable b. you run the risk of making others feel uncomfortable.

So, it’s good to have something there. Something to introduce the culture and context of the ‘community’ area (i.e. an area where communication other than one-way communication, takes place). And hey, for want of a better word that might as well be called ‘Netiquette’.

So, this is a quick overview of the kind of netiquette used by different organizations and people, the context in which it’s used and finally a few different kinds of netiquette you could use in your online course.

Netiquette Overviews

EBay

Slashdot

ITEC

“Netiquette”

Deakin

Netiquette Suggestions

Simple & Open

To be added to…

eBay is a community where we encourage open and honest communication between all of our members. We believe in the following five basic values.

We believe people are basically good.
We believe everyone has something to contribute.
We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
We encourage you to treat others the way that you want to be treated.

eBay is committed to these values. And we believe that our community members should also honor these values -- whether buying, selling, or chatting. We hope these community values will help you better understand the eBay community.”

Slashdot moderate comments with a score the lower the score the more pointless the comment, the higher, the more likely people will want to read it:

“The goal is that each reader will be able to read Slashdot at a level that they find appropriate. The impatient can read nothing at all but the original stories. Some will only want to read the highest rated of comments, some will want to eliminate anonymous posts, and others will want to read every last drip of data, from the First Posts! to the spam. The system we've created here will make that happen. Or at least, it sure will try...

On the whole, we think the moderation system works really well, but often people disagree. Their disagreement usually stems from different expectations. They see a bunch of moderations countering each other. They see a comment moderated blatantly wrong. A 'Troll' flagged 'Off topic' (or vice versa) and feel that the system is flawed.

Of course it is flawed! It's built upon the efforts of diverse human beings volunteering their time to help! Some humans are selfish and destructive. Others work hard and fair. It's my opinion that the sum of all their efforts is pretty damn good.

Read Slashdot at a threshold of 3 and behold the quality of the comments you read. Certainly you aren't reading a wild and freewheeling discussion anymore, but you are reading many valid points from many intelligent people. I am actually pretty amazed.”

Netiquette refers to “Network Etiquette”. It is the way one should behave when sending email, posting to bulletin boards (also known as a Discussion Forum) and chatting on-line. Here are some basic rules to help you get the most out of your on-line learning.

ALL CAPS IMPLIES THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING - Please do not do it (unless you are trying to shout!)

Watch your “tone” - it’s written, not verbal communication. It can be very easy to misinterpret someone’s meaning on-line.

Check your spelling. On-line does not equal poor English (contrary to what most people seem to believe)

Never “say” anything that you would not want posted on the wall of a face to face classroom, because it could be!

Remember there is a real live person at the other end reading your posts and email. Treat them with respect.

Foul language, insults and harassment are not tolerated (just as it would not be tolerated in a face to face classroom).

Don’t flame others (a flame is a series of angry responses to someone’s comments).

When we meet people face to face we usually have a (relatively) clear sense of what is appropriate in the way we act and communicate. Meeting people over the Internet similarly requires a certain level of awareness. On the Internet we cannot read body language such as smiles, nods of the head or looks of disapproval, and we can’t hear the tone of another person’s tone. A quip made with a grin in a face to face situation may come across entirely different in an email message or bulletin board post. Sarcasm, in particular, comes across poorly in Internet communication.

For example: Think of a simple question such as, “Are you serious?” In a friendly situation this could be sincere. In a loud and aggressive tone, it could mean something quite different, perhaps “Have you lost your mind?” When using electronic communications, it may be difficult for others to know what you really intended to convey.

They can be helpful to clarify a comment where the tone could be ambiguous. For example:

This reading was a challenge :(
really means: I didn’t enjoy it very much. It was a hard read!

This reading was a challenge :)
really means: I enjoyed reading it despite the difficulty!

Don’t start a new thread if the topic you are addressing is already covered under and existing thread (a thread is a ‘subject’ covered on the board). This helps to keep the discussion organized. Go to the existing thread and add your comments or questions there.

If responding to a specific comment, quote the relevant part of the comment in your response.

Keep to the assigned topic or course theme. Don’t waste other people’s time with irrelevant discussions.

Most bulletin boards have very limited formatting features. If your response is beyond three or four sentences long, bread it into paragraphs; otherwise it will be very difficult to read.

After you write your comments, use the “preview” feature to see how it reads and looks. This is important! This is the only chance you will have to edit your message. Once submitted you cannot change what you have written.

Check in frequently, thinks may develop rapidly on a bulletin board. It is very easy to fall behind and feel overwhelmed by the number of posts you have to catch-up on!”

Limited only by it’s publication (online, 1997) which means that IM, weblogs etc. aren’t really covered and, of course, the rules are always changing!

To get along in any given society, we're told, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." But what do you do when Rome is both invisible and divided into dozens of different ethnic neighborhoods, each with its own customs? This Rome, of course, is cyberspace -- the mass consensual hallucination in which humans all over the planet meet, converse, and exchange information.

When you send email to your boss, you're in cyberspace. You're in cyberspace when you log into CompuServe or Prodigy, or when you post an article to USENET news. You're in cyberspace when you download a nifty utility or an addictive game from a public server or bulletin board…”

The Deakin Student Charter states that it is the right of students ‘to be treated

federal legislation and University policy’ and that it is the responsibility of

on page 37 of the Postgraduate Studies Handbook. It is also on the University’s

online environment is great for ‘networking’ and getting to know one another,

but obviously the rules of common courtesy or ‘netiquette’ apply here as they

Vigorous debate about issues is a hallmark of university life and is encouraged.

after they are made and that they may discourage participation in the discussion

Netiquette

[clear and simple]

Thanks for taking the time to look at our thoughts on Netiquette. These are here to inform and guide everyone through this course (from students to administrators to teachers) so now you’re here please do take the opportunity to have a quick read.

Basically,

Be as considerate of other people as you would be talking to them face-to-face

Communicate with others as you would like them to communicate with you

Bear in mind that this is a very different medium to face-to face… you might need to adjust how you say something or add elements like emoticons (eg. :o), :o/ etc. )to develop on what you are saying

Try to avoid making any online faux pas (eg. TYPING IN CAPS, sending irrelevant messages to lots of people (“I agree!”), forwarding hoax or irrelevant emails etc.)

Just be your nice normal self J

Click here for a more detailed overview of netiquette or here for a more concise one.

If you have any specific questions, the best person to ask is your lecturer.

If you have any suggestions or comments on this form please email:

jfarmer [at] Deakin [dot] edu [dot] au