Email Netiquette

Email Netiquette

    Netiquette, or network etiquette, is the contemporary term for the proper way we communicate and interact with each other using email over the Internet.

    Today with concerns ranging from privacy, security and freedom of speech, to honesty and confidentiality it is even more important than ever to understand and observe general guidelines of netiquette.

    Misunderstandings can occur in almost any type of interaction. Immediate feedback of interpersonal cues and the ability to judge body language and tone of voice are completely absent from email communication. Without face-to-face communication, attempts at humor, irony, sarcasm, and wit can often misinterpreted.

    With e-mail you send a message and then wait for a response. The response may come in five minutes or the response may come in five days. It is not an interactive conversation.

The following guidelines are for email netiquette:

· Assume the good intentions and competence of the sender

· Avoid offensive language of any kind. Using email to harass others in a sexual, racial or other manner violates civil rights laws.

· Messages should be concise and to the point.

· Keep your paragraphs short and place blank spaces between each paragraph.

· Use good structure & layout.

· Do not capitalize whole words that are not titles.

· Capitalizing is generally interpreted as SHOUTING to your reader. This might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail.*

· Avoid overuse of the "highest priority" option.

· Separate opinion from facts while reading a message, so you can respond appropriately.

· Sending an email is like sending a postcard remember-everyone can read it

· If you have a strong emotion when composing or responding to an email, wait.

Think three times: before you write, after you write and before you send your message. Emails are public documents, despite the fact that you may send an email to someone privately.

* Flame: a verbal attack in electronic form.


Sites for additional information:
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/netiquet.htm

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