1.

NO YELLING, PLEASE

There’s a time and a place for everything—BUT IN MOST SITUATIONS TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS
INAPPROPRIATE. Most readers tend to perceive it as shouting and will have a hard time taking what
you say seriously, no matter how intelligent your response may be. If you have vision issues, there
are ways to adjust how text displays so you can still see without coming across as angry.

Be aware of how your comments might be read: Strong language, capital letters, and exclamation marks can be easily
misinterpreted online. In the real world we have the addition of body language, tone of voice and facial expressions to
help us understand what someone has said. We also have the opportunity to re-phrase what we say if we’re
misunderstood in the offline world. When you are online, these are missing. Think; if you were to receive this comment
how would you have felt?

2. Sarcasm can (and will) backfire

Sarcasm has been the source of plenty of misguided arguments online, as it can be incredibly difficult
to understand the commenter’s intent. What may seem like an obvious joke to you could come across
as off-putting or rude to those who don’t know you personally. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid
sarcasm altogether in an online classroom. Instead, lean toward being polite and direct in the way
you communicate to avoid these issues.

Be careful with humour and sarcasm. It’s always great to share jokes with others and it is important to be yourself
online and let your personality shine through. However, not everything is always clear online and sometimes people
might not realize you are joking. Often people rely on emojis or text speak, eg ‘lol’, to help show they are not being
serious, but it isn’t guaranteed other people will understand this. Reread what you have written and think; will everyone
get the joke?

Pick the right tone. Since we depend on the written word in online learning, it is especially important to choose the right
words to get your meaning across. For example, sarcasm is harder to detect when you read the words rather than
hearing them.

3. Don’t abuse the chat box

Chat boxes are incorporated into many online classes as a place for students to share ideas and ask
questions related to the lesson. It can be a helpful resource or a major distraction—it all depends on
how well students know their classroom netiquette.

“Rather than asking relevant questions or giving clear answers, students might use the chat box to
ask questions irrelevant to the discussion, or to talk about an unrelated topic,” says Erin Lynch, senior
educator at Test Innovators. The class chat box isn’t an instant messenger like you’d use with
friends. Treat it like the learning tool it’s meant to be and try not to distract your classmates with off-
topic discussions.

Brevity is best. Be as concise as possible when contributing to a discussion. Your points might me
missed if hidden in a flood of text.
Stick to the point. Contributions to a discussion should stick to the subject. Don’t waste others’ time
by going off on irrelevant tangents.

4. Attempt to find your own answer

If you’re confused or stuck on an assignment, your first instinct may be to immediately ask a question.
But before you ask, take the time to try to figure it out on your own.

For questions related to class structure, such as due dates or policies, refer to your syllabus and
course FAQ. Attempt to find the answers to any other questions on your own using a search engine.
If your questions remain unanswered after a bit of effort, feel free to bring them up with your
instructor.

5. Stop ... grammar time!

Always make an effort to use proper punctuation, spelling and grammar. Trying to decipher a string of
misspelled words with erratic punctuation frustrates the reader and distracts from the point of your
message.

On the other hand, it’s important to be reasonable about others’ grammar mistakes. Nobody likes the
grammar police and scolding a classmate because he or she used “your” instead of “you’re” isn’t
practicing proper netiquette.

6. Set a respectful tone

“An increasingly common netiquette faux pas is treating e-correspondence with faculty and staff as an
ongoing chat among friends,” says Alexey Timbul, online professor at the Academy of Art
University.

Every day may feel like casual Friday in an online classroom where you don’t see anyone in person,
but a certain level of formality is still expected in your communication with instructors. In addition to
proper punctuation and spelling, it’s good netiquette to use respectful greetings and signatures, full
sentences and even the same old “please” and “thank you” you use in real life.

Use Respectful Language

Name-calling, cursing, expressing deliberately offensive opinions—if you wouldn't do it to the face of
anyone who might conceivably see what you write, don't write it. This goes for any social media site,
forum, chat room, or email message, even if you think it can't be traced back to you. It can.

And it's not just what you say, but how you say it. Either take the trouble to use the shift key for capital
letters, or write in all lower case, but don't use caps lock. Text in all caps is generally perceived as
yelling. Please don't forget to say please and thank you as appropriate.

7. Respect others and their opinions. In online learning students from various backgrounds come
together to learn. It is important to respect their feelings and opinions though they may differ from
your own.

8. Submit files the right way(and on the right time)

You won’t be printing assignments and handing to them to your teacher in person, so knowing how to
properly submit your work online is key to your success as an online student. Online course
instructors often establish ground rules for file assignment submissions, like naming conventions that
help them keep things organized or acceptable file formats. Ignoring these instructions is a common
example of bad netiquette.

“Receiving work that does not adhere to the file format and naming protocol means a student is not
paying attention,” says Timbul. If you don’t follow instructions, you’re taking the risk that your
instructor won’t be able to find or open your assignment. Save yourself and your instructor a
headache and read their instructions carefully before submitting.
9. Read first

Take some time to read through each of the previous discussion post responses before writing your
own response. If the original post asked a specific question, there’s a good chance someone has
already answered it. Submitting an answer that is eerily similar to a classmate indicates to the
instructor that you haven’t paid attention to the conversation thus far.

Remember, discussions can move fairly quickly so it’s important to absorb all of the information
before crafting your reply. Building upon a classmate’s thought or attempting to add something new to
the conversation will show your instructor you’ve been paying attention.

10. Think before you type

A passing comment spoken in class can be forgotten a few minutes later, but what you share in an
online classroom is part of a permanent digital record. “Whether or not privacy settings are in place,
the internet has a tendency to house things forever, and what you say privately can easily become
public,” advises etiquette expert Devoreaux Walton.

Not only is it good practice to be guarded when it comes to personal information, you always want to
be just as respectful toward others as you would be if you were sitting in the same room together.
Zink says a good rule of thumb to follow is if you’re comfortable standing up in front of a classroom
and saying your message, then it’s most likely okay to share.

Think before you hit the send button. Think carefully about the content of your message before
contributing it. Once sent to the group there is no taking it back. Grammar and spelling errors reflect
on you and your audience might not be able to decode misspelled words or poorly constructed
sentences.

11. Be kind and professional

Online communication comes with a level of anonymity that doesn’t exist when you’re talking to
someone face-to-face. Sometimes this leads people to behave rudely when they disagree with one
another. Online students probably don’t have the complete anonymity that comes with using a screen
name, but you could still fall prey to treating someone poorly because of the distance between
screens. Make a point to be kind and respectful in your comments—even if you disagree with
someone.

“At the core, all of these mistakes come down to forgetting that an online classroom is still a
classroom,” Lynch says. “Good netiquette means conducting yourself in an online class with the
same respect, politeness and professionalism that you would exhibit in a real-life classroom.”

12. Be forgiving. The online world can be very different from the offline world so try to be
understanding of others when they struggle with online communication. If you see something online
that you don’t think is appropriate, you can use reporting tools to flag it to the site’s safety team.
Remember that not everyone will know these rules before posting or realize that they have upset
someone else.
Be forgiving. If someone states something that you find offensive, mention this directly to the
instructor. Remember that the person contributing to the discussion might be new to this form of
communication. What you find offensive may quite possibly have been unintended and can best be
cleared up by the instructor.
13. Share With Discretion

Avoid sending naked, sexy pictures, drunk pictures, drug use pictures or unedited home video. If you
would have a problem with your boss, your parents, or your kids seeing it now, or at any point in the
future, don't post it online.

The same goes for phone conversations in public places. Just because you can't see the person you
are talking to doesn't mean everyone around you can't see and hear you.

Avoid inappropriate material. Distribution of pornographic material will result in disciplinary action.

14. Don't Exclude Others

If you have an in-joke to share with one other person, or a small number of people in a larger online
group, send them a private message. Don't make everyone else feel left out by posting an obscure
comment to your Facebook status, forum, or Instagram story. 

The same goes for laughing at texted or emailed jokes when you are in the presence of others. If you
don't want to share the joke, save it for later.

15. Respect People's Privacy

Don't forward information sent to you without checking with the original sender first. Use BCC (blind
carbon copy) rather than CC (carbon copy) if you are sending something out to more than one
person. You might think that we are all friends online, but your friends may not want their names and
or email addresses publicized to people they do not even know.

The same goes for uploading photos or videos that include other people to public space or sending
them out to your own contacts. And remember, if you tag people on Facebook, others can access
pictures of those people, unless they have adjusted their privacy settings.

Finally, don't sign up for newsletters and other communications using someone else's email address. 

Consider others’ privacy. Ask for permission if you want to forward someone’s email messages to
third parties. Keep in mind that all private email mail is considered copyrighted by the original author.
Respect others' privacy by not sharing personal information, photos, or videos that another person
may not want published online.
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.

Practice makes perfect

You’ve just completed your crash course in netiquette guidelines, so go out there and post like the
well-mannered student you are! BE READY TO LEARN
By Ashley Brooks on 01/28/2019 of Rasmussen College

http://www.asumh.edu