Online Netiquette Rules


Learner Description: This set of netiquette rules applies to online learners. However these rules can be applied to all internet users that post or respond to forums, then send emails on a regular basis or that interact with other people online.

What exactly is Netiquette?

Netiquette is defined as proper etiquette for online communications.It is also know as Internet Etiquette and it was developed as a set of rules for internet users to follow in order to have safe communication online. Netiquette became necessary when online communication in emails, forums and chatrooms lead to angry, hateful and inproper exchanges. By using netiquette and encouraging others to do the same you can help ensure that your online experience is a safe and pleasant one.

In the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea she provides ten rules to follow for proper netiquette, I will provide a little more information on some of the rules that I feel are most important. Those rules include:

  • Adhere to the same set of standards online as in real life
  • Make yourself look good online
  • Respect other people's privacy
  • Be forgiving to others mistakes

Adhere to the same set of standards online that you would in real life:

One of the dangers of the online world is that it allows us to be whoever we want to be without most people knowing who we really are, we can come across as older, younger, rich, famous. The online world allows us also to be brave, bold and brash, and tempts us at times to do things that we normally wouldn't do in real life, because we are under the impression that online we can get away with it. We might be rude, hateful and mean online which might be the exact opposite of how one might act under a normal interaction.

Just because a person is online doesn't mean that they should have any less standards of communication and interaction then they would under normal circumstances. Think about your responses, emails, and chats, are you saying or acting the way that is decent and proper, are you being polite and courteous? If not correct your standards to the way you would act in a normal everyday situation.

Make yourself look good online:

The online world allows us to interact with each other very quickly and easily in many different ways. Due to this fact we can sometimes become lackadaisical about our grammar and spelling. You want to come across as knowledgeable and grammatically correct in your postings, emails and chats. After all if you post something that lacks proper grammar or has a lot of spelling errors it is hard for anyone reading your posts to take you seriously.

Another thing to remember about the net, is that it is important to know what you are talking about. Don't be too hasty to post facts or information, unless you are positive that those facts and figures are correct. You will notice that you'll get a lot of attention to a post if you provide information that is not factual, this often can lead to you becoming offensive to those that are trying to correct you. So remember know what you are talking about before posting information.

Respect other's privacy:

Privacy is a major concern for anyone online today, if someone shares with you private information or you come across private information that is not your own, this means that it is not yours to share with the rest of the world. Remember the important lesson of “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.” The last thing you would want is someone posting private information about you or your life online for the world to see, so don't attempt to spread private information about others.

Often times private information can be considered as simple as a person's email address, before you post anything, especially if you know the person that the information is about then you should ask for permission first.

Be forgiving of other's mistakes:

Not everyone online may share the same set of Netiquette rules that you do. It is important to respect and be polite to those that make mistakes online. Although you make take the time to try to correct them for their mistakes, be sure to do so in a polite manner. People don't generally like to be corrected, if your attempt to correct a persons mistakes is responded to in a negative or angry fashion it may be best to turn the other check and avoid any potential conflict.

It is important to remember that humans are not perfect, and that we all make mistakes and not all mistakes need to be corrected or commented on, so be forgiving of those that are new to the online experience and that don't share the same set of standards or views that you do.