Netiquette

Netiquette was a new term for me, but easy enough to figure out. Simply stated, it's network etiquette -- that is, the etiquette of cyberspace. In other words, Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online. I have been fortunate enough to have had little trouble in this area, but I do worry about Emails from time to time. When writing to parents, I don't want to overload them with words, but also need to find the balance so I don't come off sounding insensitive or harsh. Communication is so much more than the words we use, and without the added benefit of facial expressions and personal voice, you never know how your words are being interpreted. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people -- not just characters on a screen.

Luckily, if you've ever been in the position of offending, or being offended, your not alone. In fact, there is even a book written on the subject. The book Netiquette by Virginia Shea, covers the 10 core rules of netiquette. The chapter names alone give good advice for any cyber junkie. Click on the link for an online copy of the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html