Unit 08: Computer and Internet Etiquette

As people continue to use technology in their everyday lives, from

communications to making transactions online, many have forgotten their
proper etiquette when using their computer systems and when interacting using
the Internet. Internet etiquette, also known as “Netiquette,” is essential in a
civilized work environment or personal relationship. Even though you aren't with
others in person, you should remember that they're still there, on the other end
of your communication. With the age of technology, threats to a computer
system is now more rampant, there is cyberbullying, hacking, harassment, and
other fraud techniques. There is no official list of netiquette rules or guidelines,
the idea is to respect other users and those online.

General Guidelines for Computer Etiquette

1. When communicating with people online, remember how you want to be
treated, that’s probably how others want to be treated too, with respect.
2. Always be aware that you are talking to a person, not a device. Be
courteous.
3. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real
life.
4. Know where you stand. Netiquette varies from domain to domain. What
is acceptable in a chat room may not be appropriate in a professional
forum so “lurk before you leap”.
5. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.
6. Spelling and grammar count! Always check, recheck your posts and keep
your language appropriate.
7. Keep under control the posts or content that invoke rage, sadness,
humiliation, self-doubt, and others.
8. Respect other people’s privacy. Ask consent for everything! From posts
sharing, to citations, to using of materials and more.
9. Help out those people who are new to the technology.
10. Read, and research before asking. Try not to waste other people’s time.
11. Some emotions and meanings do not transmit very well in an email or a
post. However, do not use all caps if you want to communicate strong

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 emotion. All caps will make you look like you’re shouting. Don’t overuse
smileys and emoticons because they make you look unprofessional.
Constructing your sentences carefully and editing what you write before
hitting send is often enough.
12. Remember that your posts and account can be easily traced back to you
even if you write under an alias or a made-up handle. You leave data
footprints whenever you’re online. These are stored and can be retrieved.
Even when using incognito. Always be a decent and responsible netizen.

Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people – If it is unethical to
harm people by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a
program that handles the timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if
it is bad to steal and destroy other people’s books and notebooks, it is
equally bad to access and destroy their files.

2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work – Computer
viruses are small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by
destroying their files, taking huge amounts of computer time or memory,
or by simply displaying annoying messages.
Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses is unethical.

3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s computer files – Reading
other people’s email messages is as bad as opening and reading their
letters: This is invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public
files should be judged the same way as breaking into their rooms and
stealing their documents.

4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal – Using a computer to break into
the accounts of a company or a bank and transferring money should be
judged the same way as robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws
against it.

5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness – The Internet can
spread untruth as fast as it can spread truth. Putting out false
"information" to the world is bad. For instance, spreading false rumors
about a person or false propaganda about historical events is wrong.

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6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not
paid – Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book:
Obtaining illegal copies of copyrighted software is as bad as
photocopying a copyrighted book. There are laws against both.
Information about the copyright owner can be embedded by a process
called watermarking into pictures in the digital format.

7. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without

authorization or proper compensation – Multiuser systems use user id’s
and passwords to enforce their memory and time allocations, and to
safeguard information. You should not try to bypass this authorization
system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the authorization is
unethical.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output – For
example, the programs you write for the projects assigned in this course
are your own intellectual output. Copying somebody else’s program
without proper authorization is software piracy and is unethical.
Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be protected by
copyright laws.

9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are
writing or the system you are designing – You have to think about
computer issues in a more general social framework: Can the program
you write be used in a way that is harmful to society? For example, if you
are working for an animation house, and are producing animated films
for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the animations
include scenes that can be harmful to children? In the United States, the
Communications Decency Act was an attempt by lawmakers to ban
certain types of content from Internet websites to protect young children
from harmful material. That law was struck down because it violated the
free speech principles in that country's constitution. The discussion, of
course, is going on.

10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and
respect for your fellow humans – Just like public buses or banks, people
using computer communications systems may find themselves in
situations where there is some form of queuing and you have to wait for

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 your turn and generally be nice to other people in the environment. The
fact that you cannot see the people you are interacting with does not
mean that you can be rude to them.

References
● https://explorable.com/hawthorne-effect
● https://methods.sagepub.com/book/key-concepts-in-social-
research/n22.xml
● https://online.visual-paradigm.com/diagrams/tutorials/use-case-
diagram-tutorial/
● https://sites.google.com/site/2012itcs371devsec3fuzzysystem3/3
● https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/click_and_mortar.asp
● https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-
terms/2587click-only-companies.html
● https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/sequence-
diagram
● https://www.slideshare.net/fajarbaskoro/systems-request
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4PSlgqmMmAO eX4e_R6mq0s4nMw-iwcXUOiixRkvkHeWxK8UTQj8
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAR5sbaphwU&fbclid=IwAR3EXVa8
Rag6iV8zFswXcF hRFOB_FaiEa7QD6QMukGoyaiQ6cRLH30xiCtY
● McCombes, S. (2020, January 13). How to Do a Case Study: Examples
and Methods.
Retrieved June 7, 2020, from
https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/case-study/
● NewLeaf. (2012). ROI or Payback Period? Retrieved June 7, 2020, from
https://newleafllc.com/2012/08/roi-or-payback-period/
● Requirements Modeling. Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t0ichoFHG8 Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u5KQh_B1_U
● ROSENBLATT, H. (2014) Systems Analysis and Design, 10th edition.
Shelly Cashman Series. Cengage Learning
● Top five causes of scope creep ... and what to do about them. A Guide to
the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fourth
edition https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/top-five-causes-scope-
creep-6675

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● Feronika, N. (2018, January 15). Systems Analysis Activities. School of
Information Systems. https://sis.binus.ac.id/2018/01/15/systems-
analysis-activities/
● System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) | Michigan Tech Information
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https://www.mtu.edu/it/security/policies-
proceduresguidelines/information-security-program/system-
development-lifecycle/
● Thakur, D. (2013, January 30). What is system maintenance? What are
its different types. Computer Notes.
https://ecomputernotes.com/mis/implementation-andevaluation/what-is-
system-maintenance-what-are-its-different-types

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