Netiquette

Introduction

Netiquette: An acceptable way of communicating online. We want you to feel at home in your virtual classroom. Talking to fellow
students in a virtual classroom is similar to talking in a face-to-face the, except that there are no visual clues - which can create
misunderstandings.

The following proposed guidelines will be helpful in communicating online:

• Be careful with humor and tone in your postings.

• ’Acknowledge before differing’ - in other words, read and understand the other person’s viewpoint, and say so, before you give your own different viewpoint. Differences of opinion are an opportunity to learn.

• Be concise. Long messages are usually not read. If you have a lot to say, structure your message with titles and paragraphs. Add attachments if you have a lot of information to share.

• Avoid acronyms. If you must use one, explain it clearly, and add it to the Glossary.

• AVOID PUTTING WORDS INTO CAPITAL LETTERS - it is considered the equivalent of shouting, and therefore impolite.

• Before posting, check your spelling and punctuation. Sign your name.

• Mobile texting talk is not appropriate on the forums.

• Don’t merely post ’I agree’ or ’I disagree’; rather, give your reasons.

• Encourage feedback from others. Don’t be too shy to ask questions.

• Use a separate message for each discussion topic, rather than one long message with multiple topics. This will make replying easier. To keep the structure of a discussion, reply to an appropriate thread (conversation). Start a new discussion thread only if your message is not related to an existing one.

• If you have a relevant Web link, post the full address (with http://...etc.) so that it is seen as a link.

• Before you post your message, make sure you are replying to the appropriate thread.

• When responding to a post, remember that the forum is read by everyone, so reply to the group and not to individuals.

• Respect for others is important. If you find a message inappropriate, let the facilitator know so that he/she can take the necessary action.

• Always use a meaningful subject line (discussion topic heading). This will ensure that your fellow participants can find your messages
  on the forum.

• The good practice is to use a line with the form “subject: query”, where a subject is the general topic of your post, and a query is what makes
  your post special. For example, ’Help me please’ is an uninformative subject line, whereas ’Posting to a forum: how do I attach a file?’ is
  a good one.