U N I T 7 L E A R N I N G M O D U L E 7

NETIZENSHIP
AND NETIQUETTE
IN ONLINE
COMMUNITIES
COURSE PACKET 2
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course packet 02,

learners should be able to

1. Define netizenship and netiquette;

2. Formulate a set of netiquette guidelines;

3. Create a campaign video to promote

netiquette.
 Digital advancement continues to reshape our world. Accessing the internet provides us
NOITCUDORTNI with a lot of advantages in different aspects of our daily activities. It helps us to have
easy and accessible communication, enhance the quality of education, and the
availability of information.

21st-century learners are digital natives or what we call the “Netizen”. They have grown
up with technology and are dependent on the internet. In the Philippines, based on
Datareportal.com, there were 73 million internet users last January 2020, which shows
that the internet is a modern necessity.

Due to the increasing demand for using the internet, it is very important to learn proper
behavior when interacting in the digital world. Because despite the advantages that we
get from the internet, there are still people who take advantage of the benefits that they
get.
An excerpt from Hauben (1995)’s article about it follows:

“Welcome to the 21st Century. You are a Netizen (a Net Citizen),

and you exist as a citizen of the world thanks to the global
connectivity that the Net makes possible. You consider
everyone as your compatriot. You physically live in one country
but you are in contact with much of the world via the global
computer network. Virtually you live next door to every other
single Netizen in the world. Geographical separation is replaced
by existence in the same virtual space.”
 WHAT IS
NETIZENSHIP?

Netizenship is a combined term/word of internet and citizen, as in a

“citizen of the net” or “net citizen.”

It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the

internet in general.

Who are they? Us. We are “netizens”, the generation who use the internet
in our routine activities.
NETIZENSHIP

Based on Digital 2020 Global Overview Report,

Filipinos’ fondness of social media has shown
no signs of slowing down that the Philippines
has kept its title as “Social Media Capital of the
World” – for five years in a row now. It may
seem that Filipinos are too fond of exploring
the social media that has a need to stress
education and etiquette among online users.
 WHAT IS DIGITAL
TATTOO?

Digital Tattoo is the record of your actions and

communications online and its permanence, like a physical
tattoo.
NETIQUETTE GUIDELINES
WHEN INTERACTING ONLINE

As netizens, we are all expected to act responsibly and support a healthy

environment in the online community.

Netiquette is the socially accepted behavior online that has to be observed on

writing emails, texting, and other forms of communication on the web.
 Remember the human

NETIQUETTE “Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you.”

GUIDELINES
that you should always observe when
interacting online:
“Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings.
When you're in a conversation online, it's easy to misinterpret
01
your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to
forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more
or less like your own.

Adhere to the same standards of

behavior online that you follow in real
life.

Do only what is appropriate and share information that 02

does not harm you because whether it is in real life or in
cyberspace, you are the same person.
 Know where you are in cyberspace

NETIQUETTE When you join an online community that's new to you, take a

GUIDELINES
that you should always observe when
interacting online:
look around first. Spend a while listening to the chat or
reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are
03
already there. Then go ahead and participate. only what is
appropriate and share information that does not harm you
because whether it is in real life or in cyberspace, you are the
same person.

Remember the intellectual property

The internet is seemingly infinite wealth of information.

Ideas, facts and data online are products of intelligence of 04
others. Remember to cite and acknowledge the authors
properly if you need their ideas.
 Check spelling, grammar and

NETIQUETTE punctuation
Most of the time when you are on the internet, you will be

GUIDELINES judged based on your posts. Better to check your spelling,

grammar, and punctuation before posting because it is
05

that you should always observe when indeed good writing means good manners when we
interacting online: communicate online.

Think before you click

Always remember that whatever you post becomes

06
permanent, therefore think twice, thrice before you click
POST!
NETIQUETTE
Remember, if it’s on the internet,
it’s everywhere.

GUIDELINES Don’t share personal information about yourself in a public

online forum, especially something that could put your
07

that you should always observe when safety or security at risk.

interacting online:

Follow the rules

Just like in the real world, in every organization, you have to

follow some rules. Online communities also have rules that
08
they implement. Make a point to read them every time or
before participating in an online activity.
NETIQUETTE Forgive and forget

GUIDELINES If you’re offended by something another colleague says

online, keep in mind that you may have misunderstood their
intentions. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
09

that you should always observe when

interacting online:

Think about who or what you are

representing

As a son/ daughter, you represent your family. As a student, 10

you represent your school. You do not want your family or
school to be put to shame by what you do
 NETIQUETTE GUIDELINES
F O R O N L I N E C L A S S E S

The Internet plays a vital role in education. It is widely used to gather information and to do research or add
to the knowledge of various subjects. Students experience the benefits of using the internet for their school
activities and requirements.

Currently, we are experiencing a national public health crisis. Since it is not safe to go outside and conduct
our discussion physically, we are now integrating the flexible learning scheme – where we can use different
modalities to deliver our lessons. One of the modalities is online learning, the students need to access online
so they can attend their classes virtually.
NETIQUETTE 01 NO YELLING, PLEASE

GUIDELINES There’s a time and an area for everything — BUT IN MOST

that online students should SITUATIONS TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS INAPPROPRIATE.
know:
Most readers tend to perceive it as shouting and can have
a tough 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.
 Sarcasm can (and will)
NETIQUETTE 02
backfire
GUIDELINES Sarcasm has been at the source of many misguided
that online students should arguments online, because it is incredibly difficult to know
know: the commentor’s intent. What could appear like an
apparent joke to you may come upon as off-putting or
rude to people who don’t know you personally.

As the rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid sarcasm altogether

in a web classroom. Instead, lean toward being polite and
direct within the way you communicate to avoid these
issues
 03 Don’t abuse the chat box
NETIQUETTE
GUIDELINES Chat boxes are incorporated into many online classes as
an area for learners to share ideas and ask questions
that online students should associated with the lesson. It can be a helpful resource or
know: a significant distraction — it all depends on how well
students know their classroom netiquette.

Instead of asking relevant questions or giving clear

answers, students might use the chatbox to ask questions
irrelevant to the discussion. The category chatbox isn’t a
rapid messenger like you’d use with friends. Treat it just
like the learning tool it’s meant to be, and take a look at
not to distract your classmates with off-topic discussions.
NETIQUETTE 04
Attempt to find your own
answer
GUIDELINES If you’re confused or stuck on an assignment, your first
that online students should instinct may be to immediately ask a question. But before
know: 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.
 05 Stop... Grammar Time!

NETIQUETTE Always make an effort to use proper punctuation, spelling,

GUIDELINES
and grammar. Trying to decipher a string of misspelled
words with erratic punctuation frustrates the reader and
distracts from the point of your message.
that online students should
know:

06 Set a respectful tone

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.
NETIQUETTE 07 Submit files the right way

GUIDELINES You won’t be printing assignments and handing them to

that online students should your teacher in person, so knowing how to properly
know: 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.
NETIQUETTE 08 Read first

GUIDELINES Take some time to read through each of the previous

that online students should
discussion post responses before writing your own
know:
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’s
indicates to the instructor that you haven’t paid attention
to the conversation thus far.
NETIQUETTE 09 Think before you type

GUIDELINES A passing comment spoken in class can be forgotten a

that online students should
few minutes later, but what you share in an online
know:
classroom is part of a permanent digital record. Better to
think, think and think the content of your posts online.
NETIQUETTE 10 Be kind and professional

GUIDELINES Online communication comes with a level of anonymity

that online students should that doesn’t exist when you’re talking to someone face-
know: to-face. Sometimes this leads people to behave rudely
once they afflict each other.

Online students probably don’t have the entire anonymity

that comes with using a screen name, but you may still fall
prey to treating someone poorly due to the space
between screens. Make some extent to be kind and
respectful in your comments even if you disagree with
someone.