What does Netiquette mean?
The world of the Internet has its own rules for behavior, especially in Communications & Content. Like in the 'Real World' where we breathe, live, eat & carry out our personal & professional obligations, which requires a certain kind of behavior on the part of every individual, the Web World, too, has its own rules of etiquette called Netiquette.
And, like in the 'Real World', these rules are not laid down or clearly spelled out. But by & large, the Society have deemed them to be correct and acceptable. Similarly, from the days the Internet went commercial, the Web Community expects a certain kind of behavior from all the participants.
Thus, netiquette is a set of guidelines on ways to help participants communicate with others on the Internet. The Wikipedia, for example, has explained netiquette (short for "network etiquette" or "Internet etiquette") as a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums.
However, like I have said at the start of this report, like in the 'Real World', the concept of netiquette & its application remain in a state of flux, and vary from geographical community to community. It would hence be correct to say that the rules of netiquette have not been 100% acceptable by all the participants of the Web World, more so because of its constantly changing nature.
But there are a set of common rules for all across sections. These are to be followed irrespective of the community you hail from or you 'Real World' likes & dislikes. The e-mail for example is one such. One must avoid spam. The other is to avoid typing in all caps or grossly enlarging script for emphasis, which is considered to be the equivalent of shouting or yelling.
Here are some more rules of netiquette:
* All e-mails you receive must be replied to as quickly as possible
* Be moderate in your replies
* If you want to criticize, prove it. Give clear and precise explanations
* One has to be polite at all times and never ever use cuss words
* Avoid grammatical errors especially in spellings
* Always make it a point to read the Frequently Asked Questions on the subject that interests you, before asking a question. Saves times too.
* Do not send a "TEST" e-mail or SMS to someone
* Be courteous while pointing out other Netizens' mistakes. Having good manners yourself does not give you license to correct everyone else. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public.
* Help the newcomers on the Internet
* Research before asking
* Remember emotion
* If you want to emphasize a word, use stars or underlines sparingly
* Use smileys sparingly to signal emotions like smiles, winks, sadness, & so on
Because of the ever-changing nature of the Internet & its constituents, there is more than a chance that the above will be shored up in the days to come, so one needs to keep a close watch on Internet netiquette.
