10 Best Practices in Online Communication

The following best practices apply to online discussion, e-mail, and other forms
of electronic communication, such as chat.
1. Use formatting wisely in e-mail and Discussion.
TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS EQUIVALENT TO SHOUTING.
Shouting at your readers makes them more likely to skim over what
you have to say, or ignore you altogether.
Use bold and italics sparingly in e-mail to indicate urgency; otherwise, you
dampen their visual impact. Consider surrounding words and phrases with
*asterisks* as an alternative means of providing emphasis.
2. Include identifying information on all e-mails.
A signature block should include your formal name, your institution, and
your contact information.
3. Pay attention to spelling and grammar.
The quality of your writing makes a certain impression on others. Therefore, lend
e-mails and discussion posts the same attention to detail you would devote to
any published work.
4. Keep your responses concise.
Edit out anything that is not directly applicable to your response. While it
is helpful to provide context for your reader by including the original e-mail in your
reply, you should avoid burying your response in layer-upon-layer of previous
correspondence.
5. Use the subject line.
For each e-mail and threaded discussion post, provide a clear subject line so that
recipients immediately know the point of your message.
6. Be professional, respectful, and thoughtful in all communication.
Laureate considers online courses to be a professional experience. As a result,
students are expected to practice professional standards in all communications.
7. Think "Global Community".
The Laureate Network is an international community. As such, you may be
communicating with people from different countries, cultures, and who speak
different languages. What may be acceptable in one culture may not be
acceptable in another. Please keep cultural judgments out of the language that

you use in the classroom.

8. Exercise humor in moderation.
Without the benefit of facial expressions, body language, and hearing tone of
voice, your joke may be viewed as criticism. Subtler forms of humor, such as
sarcasm and irony, are especially difficult to convey online.
9. Read your message carefully before sending it.
Your communications online via e-mail or in discussion areas are recorded and
archived. Because anything you say online can be easily forwarded, avoid
making statements you would not want to become public knowledge.
10. Do not solicit.
Soliciting is generally prohibited on university campuses, and online classrooms
are no exception.

2010 Laureate Education, Inc.