Netiquette: respecting others online

• Netiquette


  Respecting others online
• As children, we quickly learn many rules about how to interact with other people. Some of these rules are common sense, such as 'don't interrupt a speaker' and 'say please and thank you, and are necessary if we are to reduce the likelihood of arguments or causing offence.
• Thanking, acknowledging and supporting people

  • People can't see you nod, smile or frown as you read their messages. If they get no response, they may feel ignored and be discouraged from contributing further. Why not send a short reply to keep the conversation going? This can make a big difference in a small group setting such as a tutor group forum. However, do bear in mind that in a large, busy forum, too many messages like this could be a nuisance.
• Acknowledging before differing


  • Before you disagree with someone, try to summarise the other person's point in your own words. Then they know you are trying to understand them and will be more likely to take your view seriously. Otherwise, you risk talking at each other rather than with each other. You should also recognise that other people are entitled to their point of view, even if you consider them to be entirely wrong.
• Making your perspective clear


  • Try to speak personally. That means avoiding statements like 'This is the way it is' or 'it is a fact that'. These sound dogmatic and leave no room for anyone else's perspective. Why not start by saying 'I think' or 'I feel'? If you are presenting someone else's views, then say so, perhaps by using a quotation and acknowledgement.
• Emoticons


  Small digital images used in electronic communications to represent ideas and emotions
• Emojis are commonly used in electronic communications, such as text messages and emails, to represent ideas and emotions. Incidentally, the word emoji comes from the Japanese term for 'picture characters' so, although the word is similar to 'emoticon, this is a coincidence.
• The systems upon which many forums are based only support plain text, so you can't always rely on emojis or fonts and colours to add meaning. Even if you are using a forum that allows so-called rich text, it's possible that other users will be picking up messages as plain-text emails or as text-message alerts on their mobile phones and will not see your formatting. AND DON'T WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS-IT WILL COME OVER AS SHOUTING!
• Avoiding rash responses


  • If you read something that offends or upsets you, it is very tempting to dash off a reply immediately. However, messages written in the heat of the moment can often cause offence themselves. It's much better to save your message as a draft and take a break or sleep on it. That gives you a chance to come back to your message when you're feeling calmer and ask yourself how would I feel if someone sent that message to me?". If you decide it will make things worse, then make sure you edit it before you send it.
• Considering your audience


  • The best advice is to try to be aware of your audience before you post. The internet is a global phenomenon: people from widely differing cultures and backgrounds may read what you write online, and what you find funny may be offensive to them. It may take time to work out what sort of 'audience' can be found in a particular forum; some are very permissive and allow almost any sort of behaviour, while most (like those at The Open University) will not tolerate bad behaviour or abuse.
• Moderators are forum participants responsible for keeping order. They may have capabilities within the forum greater than those of other participants, for example, they can sometimes add new participants and suspend people who are abusive. They also work to keep the discussions friendly and relevant to the forum. A forum with a moderator is said to be moderated. All Open University forums are moderated, and your tutor group forum will be moderated by your tutor. Forums without moderators are unmoderated and are generally places where newcomers should tread very carefully. Moderators tend to introduce themselves early on in forum discussions, so it's usually clear whether a forum is moderated or not.
• Other advice for using forums


  • Keep to the subject, and pick the right forum for your contribution. Before you write a message, check any rules about what is and is not considered acceptable in the forum. Many discussion forums have rules, aside from netiquette, about things such as links to commercial sites. Take a little time to use the forum's search facilities to see if your question or topic has already been discussed or covered in a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) - if it has, you should at least scan the existing messages to see if your points have been addressed. Don't feel you have to post immediately. Take your time to see what is being discussed and get a feel for the group you're joining. This very sensible behaviour has the unfortunate name of lurking, but is quite acceptable online. If you want to post, many discussion groups have a forum devoted to new users where they can introduce themselves to other readers. These are always good places to get started. Try to keep your messages short and to the point. People don't want to read long rambling messages, especially if they can't work out what response you're looking for. Write a concise subject line (1-10) for your message - people often won't spend time reading messages unless the subject line looks relevant. Keep to one subject/topic of discussion per message. If you want to cover another subject, do it in another message. When replying to a message, quoting part of that earlier message can be helpful so that readers can easily see what you are referring to. Add your response after the quoted material, not before. And keep your quotation short and to the point, otherwise the resulting messages will get longer and longer. If you've asked a question and it is answered, thank the person who responded. It's not only polite, it also shows that the discussion has come to an end. If you've reached a point where you disagree with someone and neither of you is going to change your opinion, realise the conversation is over, agree to disagree, and move on.