Netiquette Issues Review

We have mentioned some netiquette issues earlier but let's pull them all together in one place and take another look.

Since all we have is words, we have to be very thoughtful when composing professional email messages. The body language and voice inflections that are such an important part of face-to-face or phone conversations are missing in email and must be compensated for with clear, concise writing. If you think an email message might be a misunderstood, arrange a meeting or call the person.

Keep in mind that most professional email is archived and may be reviewed by the institution providing the email service. It is virtually impossible to retract or delete an email message once it has been sent across the network. Thoughtfully review the message before you click the send button.

You probably noticed that there are some text formatting options available on the screen. Deciding whether or not to use these options is a matter of personal choice. However, keep in mind that there is a big difference between personal and professional email.
Most would agree that the focus of professional email should be on the text, not the formatting.

As an educator, you will also want to pay very close attention to spelling and grammar. Using cute little emoticons and commonly used txt shortcuts may reflect negatively on your professionalism in some circles and are best kept for personal email.

Virginia Shea's book, Netiquette, has been considered the definitive guideline on the topic of network etiquette for over a decade. She has generously made it available on the web. Take a few minutes to review her "Core Rules of Netiquette". The link below will open in a new browser window or tab. Close the window or tab when you are finished to return to this page.

Core Rules of Netiquette

Next: Email Safety and Privacy Issues