NETETIQUTTE

SHWETA MENGHANI NEHA ARORA MEGHANA RASTOGI ANJALI CHESTER

Netiquette
"Netiquette" is network etiquette, the do's and don'ts of online communication. Netiquette covers both common courtesy online and the informal "rules of the road" of cyberspace.

Introduction
Netiquette - Internet + etiquette
Internet - worldwide network of computer computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange [syn: cyberspace] Etiquette - The forms required by good breeding, or prescribed by authority, to be observed in social or official life; Netiquette - A set of rules for behaving properly online

When do these rules apply?

Anytime you are
Chatting online Using email Posting to a discussion Blogging Playing online games

RULES OF NETIQUETTE
1. Remember the Human 2.Adhere to Real Life Standards 3. Know where you are in Cyberspace 4. Respect Others Copyright 5.Respect other Peoples Time and Bandwidth 6.Share expert Knowledge

Cont
7. Help keep Flame Wars under control 8. Make yourself look good Online 9. Use subject field when composing E-mails 10. Respect other peoples Privacy 11. Dont abuse your Power 12. Be forgiving

1. REMEMBER THE HUMAN

The golden rule: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings.

Electronic communication lacks the facial expression, gestures and tone of voice to convey your meaning. Its easy to misinterpret meaning of words.

Would you say it to the person's face?

If the answer is no, rewrite and reread. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you'd feel as comfortable saying these words to the live person as you do sending them through cyberspace. Remember, when you communicate through cyberspace your words are written. Chances are they're stored somewhere. They can come back and haunt you. You don't have to be engaged in criminal activity to want to be careful. Any message you send

could be saved or forwarded by its recipient. You have no control over where it goes.

 Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life.

2. Adhere to real-life standards of behavior

Be ethical.
If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult the code you follow in real life. If you use shareware, pay for it. Paying for shareware encourages more people to write shareware. The few dollars probably won't mean much to you, but they benefit all of cyberspace in the long run. Breaking the law is bad Netiquette. If you're tempted to do something that's illegal, chances are it's also bad Netiquette.

Adhere to real-life standards of behavior cont

3. Know where you are in cyberspace

Netiquette varies from domain to domain. What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another.

Netiquette is different in different places, so it's important to know where you are.
Lurk before you leap When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate.

4. Respect Others' Copyrights

There are wonderful things online,information for everyone on just about any topic! However, these things have copyrights and licenses. Copying the works of someone else without permission or saying it is your own will not only ruin your online reputation, but could land you with hefty fines and lawsuits!

5. Respect other people's time and bandwidth

Bandwidth is the information-carrying capacity of the wires and channels that connect everyone in cyberspace. It also refers to the storage capacity of a host system. If you accidentally post the same note to the same newsgroup five times, you are wasting both time (of the people who check each copy) and bandwidth (by sending repetitive information over the wires and requiring it to be stored somewhere). You are not the center of cyberspace. Dont expect instant responses to all your questions, and don't assume that all readers will agree with -- or care about -- your passionate arguments.

Ensure your message is worth the time it takes to open it.

Before you copy people on your messages, ask yourself whether they really need to know. If the answer is no, don't waste their time. If the answer is maybe, think twice before you hit the send key.

Respect other people's time and bandwidth cont

6. Share expert knowledge

The strength of cyberspace is in its numbers. The Internet itself was founded and grew because academics wanted to share information. Don't be afraid to share what you know. If you ask a question and anticipate a lot of answers, its customary to request replies by email instead of to the group. Share the results of your questions with others, so everyone benefits from the experts who took the time to write to you.
If youre an expert, or you've researched a topic that you think would be of interest to others, write it up and post it. Sharing your knowledge is fun. And it makes the world a better place.

7. Help keep flame wars under control

"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion.
Netiquette does not forbid flaming. Flaming is a long-standing network tradition (and Netiquette never messes with tradition). Netiquette does forbid the perpetuation of flame wars that can dominate the tone and destroy the camaraderie of a discussion group. While flame wars can initially be amusing, theyre an unfair monopolization of bandwidth.

8. Make yourself look good online

Take advantage of your anonymity. You won't be judged by color, weight, age or dress sense. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. So spelling and grammar do count. Know what you're talking about and make sense. Pay attention to the content of your writing. Ensure your notes are clear and logical.
Be pleasant and polite. Avoid offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation. If you must swear, think up creative alternatives.

Make yourself look good online cont

9. Use Subject Field While Composing E-mails

When replying to emails, particularly if they are long and detailed, it is courteous to not quote the entire message in reply, but to quote only what is necessary. This saves on bandwidth. Sometimes email threads can get very large! However there are many instances, especially in a work environment when entire emails are used in replies, and entire email discussion threads are kept. This are maintained as a record of a work discussion, and often takes the place of normal paper correspondence

10. Respect other people's privacy

Youd never snoop through your colleagues' desk drawers, so naturally you wouldn't read their email either. Failing to respect other people's privacy is not just bad Netiquette. It could also cost you your job.

11. Don't abuse your power

Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are wizards in MUDs (multi-user dungeons), experts in every office, and system administrators in every system. Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them. For example, sys admins should never read private email.

12. Be forgiving of other peoples mistakes

Everyone was a newbie once. When someone makes a mistake -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. If you inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably in private by email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt.

NETIQUETTE TIPS
When typing never write in all capital letters. That is shouting. People dont like it when you shout at them in person. And they sure dont like when you shout at them on the net!

Dont plagiarize. Someone spent a long time coming up with their content. When you borrow something from someone, give them the credit. Site their name or their site. Give the site when you have gotten your information.
Use proper quotes and always use the whole quote. Dont take quotes out of context and dont be selective about which part of the quote you want to use.

 Dont gossip and keep personal information personal. Dont tell stories that you dont know for a fact to be true. And often, just because its true, doesnt mean that it needs to be repeated

Dont steal those photographs off the web even if they are a perfect fit for what you need. Chances are they are copyrighted and someone spent a long time putting that together. Get permission and give credit where credit is due.

 Watch your language. Whether a person is sending an email, chatting in a chat room or speaking in a forum, it is important to be courteous and respectful of others online. Be patient with internet newbies. Know that they are just learning like you did once upon a time.

No spamming. Remember that spam is unwanted electronic messages or sending the same electronic message over and over. This can get you in a lot of trouble on some sites and as a general rule it just irritates everyone else.

 If you are using a header (such as in an email) make sure your content really pertains to the header. Just stay on topic and the problem is solved.

Humor and Internet Etiquette - Take care when using humor online. Not all people share the same sense of humor. Some readers may take your witty comment all too seriously.

 Use appropriate intensifiers to help convey meaning:

Avoid "flaming" (online "screaming") or sentences typed in all caps. Use asterisks surrounding words to indicate italics used for emphasis (*at last*). Use words in brackets, such as (grin), to show a state of mind. Use common acronyms (e.g., LOL for "laugh out loud").

Avoid overuse of emoticons. Moderate use of smileys can be used to express your emotions online, but they really lose their cuteness when overused and tend to irritate people.

Always remember its great to ride the wave of the Internet Just use your head while surfing!