Netiquette

It’s interesting to see how things have changed over time when there are articles on the Internet about “Netiquette.” Although the Internet can be used for amazing things, there are many people who use it for the wrong purpose. Reasons may include retaliation, being power hungry, or being determined to defame someone’s good name. In “The Core Rules of Netiquette” by Virginia Shea, ten rules are written on how to have proper etiquette while online.
The first rule is to “Remember the Human.” This is an important rule and talks about how people forget that they are communicating with a real person rather than a computer screen. A good example that was given by the author was that of road rage. People tend to get upset at others while driving a car, which they would never do if they were face-to-face. For some reason, people tend to forget that if they post something online, they’re not the only ones reading it. Because publications on the Internet are open to anyone, people need to be careful what they say so they don’t ruin their or someone else’s reputation.
Another important rule is to “Adhere to the Same Standards of Behavior Online That You Follow in Real Life.” In this rule, Shea talks about how everyone should be ethical while posting information online whether it’s on a blog or an email. If Internet users followed this rule, most of the garbage that is online would be deleted. It’s sad to think that most people don’t act the way they do online in real life. Everyone just needs to remember to “do unto others as you’d have others do unto you.”
The last word of advice is to always use appropriate greetings and grammar when writing emails. You could possibly offend the person you’re writing if you do not write the email correctly. For the most part, emails sent to friends can be written in a casual manner, but if they are written to a person of authority they should be written professionally. It’s important to make sure that you learn how to write professional emails because they are required in many careers and often in everyday life.
Overall, it’s best to be professional while posting anything on the Internet as to not offend anyone. This will keep the experience of browsing and using the Internet positive and people will continue to leave positive feedback. If everyone remembers to be kind while online, the whole atmosphere of the Internet will change and users will find it to be beneficial.