What Is the Meaning of Netiquette?
Netiquette is a term that describes etiquette on the Internet. Netiquette is a combination of “network” and “etiquette.” Netiquette encompasses the etiquette of all kinds of Internet communications such as email, message boards, forums and instant messaging. Following the rules of online communication can be just as important as following etiquette when talking to a person face-to-face.
Other People Are Reading
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Function
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Netiquette functions as a general set of guidelines that can keep Internet communication useful and civil. For example, sending dozens of email chain letters to friends may seem like a fun diversion, but it can be an annoyance to the person receiving them. Sending large volumes of impersonal email or other messages to another person is known as “spam” and is often frowned upon. There are certain general rules, such as sending “spam,” that are generally considered bad etiquette across the Internet, but specific online communities may have their own cultures and netiquette standards.
Benefits
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Netiquette can be beneficial in that it may discourage people from sending needless communications that can waste other people’s time. It can also discourage people from posting inappropriate or unsightly content on the Internet. For instance, text written in capital letters can be difficult to read and typing in capital letters is often considered “shouting” in online communications and is frowned upon in many Internet communities.
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Features
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The features of netiquette can vary significantly from one web community to another but there are some standards that are generally accepted across the Internet. Other then refraining from spam and excessive use of capital letters, refraining from making obscene or discriminatory comments is also a common rule. Indiana University recommends writing information online in concise paragraphs with proper capitalization and punctuation and being tactful with your language, especially in public forums and when writing group communications, like mass emails.
Identification
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When a user is new to a web community, such as a new web forum, the community may have accepted rules of netiquette that the user is not familiar with. It can be helpful to observe and read communications of other members of a web community to pick up on the accepted netiquette.
Considerations
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Some Internet users go out of their way to break established rules of netiquette. People that create messages specifically to incite anger, cause pointless discussion or shock others are sometimes call “Internet trolls.” Responding to those that create messages specifically to get a rise out of others is known as “feeding the troll.” Online insults and other breaches of netiquette are sometimes called “flaming.” Both “trolling” and “flaming” are considered bad netiquette.
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