THE NETIQUETTE

AND THE
COMPUTER
ETHICS
Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
• Discuss the importance of being a responsible
netizen by following the rules of common
courtesy online and the informal “rules of the
road” of cyberspace.
• Discuss the difference between privacy and
security.
• Explain various risks to internet privacy.
 What is Netiquette?
• Netiquette is a made-up word from the words net and etiquette.
Netiquette thus describes the rules of conduct for respectful and
appropriate communication on the internet.
• Netiquette is often referred to as etiquette for the internet. These are
not legally binding rules, but recommended rules of etiquette.
Netiquette is mostly used for dealing with unknown people on the
internet. The rules of netiquette very depending on the platform and
its participants . Generally, it is up to the operator of a website or
communication app to specify the type and scope of netiquette. It is also
their responsibility to monitor compliance with these basic rules and to
penalize violations of them.
 What is Netiquette?
• Netiquette, or network etiquette, is concerned with the "proper" way
to communicate in an online environment. Consider the following
"rules," adapted from Virginia Shea's the Core Rules of Netiquette,
whenever you communicate in the virtual world.

• Netiquette is a set of rules and guidelines for appropriate behavior

when communicating online. Being respectful, avoiding flaming,
and observing people’s privacy are just a few of the unwritten
netiquette rules helping to maintain a positive online environment
and efficient communication. Learn about internet etiquette, more
effective communication, and good relationships online.
REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE
• AVOID SLANG, ACRONYMS, AND TEXT TALK –
Communicating effectively in college and business
environments requires the use of correct terminology, spelling,
and grammar that can easily be understood. For example, use
“your” instead of “ur”.
REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE
• AVOID “SCREAMING” IN TYPED MESSAGES – Typing an entire
message using all capital letters is known as “screaming”. It is
distracting and generally frowned upon in professional environments.
It is better to draw emphasis to selected words or phrases by: using
italic or bold text; using a different color for text or background color;
or denoting emphasis using special characters (Example:
**Important**).
• PROOFREAD YOUR MESSAGES BEFORE SENDING THEM – Proofreading
your messages before you send them is a best practice for effective and
efficient communication. Strive to make your communications concise
and free of any:
• Spelling and grammar errors
• Confusing terms or phrases that could be misunderstood
• Errors of omission, such as missing content or recipients
• Errors in accuracy of information
EXERCISE GOOD JUDGMENT WHEN SHARING INFORMATION WITH
OTHERS ONLINE – E-mail and chat messages that you send or receive are
considered private and should not be forwarded or copied to others
without gaining the consent of all involved participants. In general,
messages posted to discussion boards and social media sites can be read
by the public. You may never know who might read or share what you
post. It is a good practice to always ask a post’s author for permission
before sharing a post with other parties.
• To protect your privacy and safety, do not share online any
sensitive personal information such as:
• - Your home address or phone number
• - Personal conversations
• - Social plans, such as vacations
• - Financial information
• - Usernames, passwords, or hints
• - Anything personal that you would not want shared by others over
the Internet
• If the material you share with others online came from another
source, make every effort to gain permission from the original
author or copyright holder. Copying someone else's work and
passing it off as your own is plagiarism. It damages your reputation
and could subject you to serious academic and legal consequences.
• RESPECT DIVERSITY IN VIEWPOINTS - Be constructive and
respectful when sharing opinions, beliefs, and criticisms, or
responding to those of others in the conversation.
• When sharing a viewpoint that differs from someone else’s, it is a
best practice to first acknowledge the other person by briefly
restating what he or she said, but in your own words. This lets the
person know that you are listening and trying to understand them.
•
•
• When presenting an opinion or criticism, it is helpful to use
phrases that identify to whose point of view you are referring. If
the opinion is yours, you can begin with the phrase “In my
experience” or “In my opinion”. If it is a viewpoint of someone else,
make sure you identify that in your message (Example:
“According to Eric Ericson,” or “The president believes”).
Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
a) Rule 1: Remember the Human When communicating electronically,
whether through email, instant message, discussion post, text, or
some other method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you
would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are
read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before
you press "send" or "submit," ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if
someone else had written it?"
b) Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you
follow in real life While it can be argued that standards of behavior
may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should not be lower.
You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of
society whenever you inhabit "cyberspace." Would you behave rudely
to someone face-to face? On most occasions, no. Neither should you
behave this way in the virtual world.
c) Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace "Netiquette varies from
domain to domain." (Shea, 1994) Depending on where you are in the
virtual world, the same written communication can be acceptable in
one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in another. What
you text to a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a classmate
or colleague. Can you think of another example?
d) Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth Electronic
communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond.
Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don't have
time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. As a
virtual world communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that
the time spent reading your words isn't wasted. Make your written
communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or
superfluous graphics or attachments that may take forever to
download.
e) Rule 5: Make yourself look good online writing.colostate.edu One of
the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment
associated with your physical appearance, sound of your voice, or the
clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke
in a clown outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your
writing, so keep the following tips in mind: Always check for spelling
and grammar errors Know what you're talking about and state it clearly
Be pleasant and polite
f) Rule 6: Share expert knowledge The Internet offers its users many
benefits; one is the ease in which information can be shared or
accessed and in fact, this "information sharing" capability is one of the
reasons the Internet was founded. So, in the spirit of the Internet's
"founding fathers," share what you know! When you post a question
and receive intelligent answers, share the results with others. Are you
an expert at something? Post resources and references about your
subject matter. Recently expanded your knowledge about a subject
that might be of interest to others? Share that as well.
• Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control What is meant by "flaming" and
"flame wars?" "Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held
opinion without holding back any emotion." (Shea, 1994). As an example, think of
the kinds of passionate comments you might read on a sports blog. While
"flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication, "flame wars,"
when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be
controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the
flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive
direction.
• Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy Depending on what you are reading in the
virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email,
you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be
handled with care. Perhaps someone is sharing some medical news about a
loved one or discussing a situation at work. What do you think would happen if
this information "got into the wrong hands?" Embarrassment? Hurt feelings? Loss
of a job? Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect
the privacy of others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to
discuss or not to discuss virtual communication.
• i) Rule 9: Don't abuse your power Just like in face-to-face situations,
there are people in cyberspace who have more "power" than others.
They have more expertise in technology or they have years of
experience in a particular skill or subject matter. Maybe it's you who
possesses all of this knowledge and power! Just remember: knowing
more than others do or having more power than others may have
does not give you the right to take advantage of anyone. Think of
Rule 1: Remember the human.

• j) Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes Not everyone has

the same amount of experience working in the virtual world. And not
everyone knows the rules of netiquette. At some point, you will see a
stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter
misspelled words; when this happens, practice kindness and
forgiveness as you would hope someone would do if you had
committed the same offense. If it's a minor "offense," you might want
to let it slide. If you feel compelled to respond to a mistake, do so in
a private email rather than a public forum.