Netiquette is the rules that regulate communication and behavior of users on the Internet. If general etiquette is about appearance, facial expressions and gestures, the nuances of behavior in personal meetings, online everything is narrowed down to the culture of messages, calls, and video meetings. But don’t think it’s easier! There are also certain rules, and if you fail to comply with them, there will be consequences.
General Rules of Network Etiquette
- If you write to a stranger – for work or not – check them on the Internet, study the search results. Look for personal pages, profiles, reviews, and read what they write about and what concerns them. Of course, searching for that person’s online betting site account isn’t necessary, but going to their Facebook page is a good thing.
- When you go to the first virtual contact with a person, introduce yourself and write what you want.
- Save the interlocutor’s time. Many people like to write “How are you?” and shut up. There’s also the category of people who start out with lengthy explanations instead of getting straight to the point. Take pity on the stranger, don’t dump a stream of consciousness on them.
- Ask what format of communication your interlocutor prefers, how they feel comfortable communicating: text, voice, and video messages. Also ask about the method of communication: WhatsApp, SnapChat, or maybe email.
- Write during office hours: from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m. is acceptable. If you want to write earlier or later, it must be done only by arrangement, when something is urgent and minutes count.
- Don’t forward messages to anyone. This is personal information, few people will like it if you share it. Remember, in the same way they can forward any of your messages and discuss.
- Don’t give out commercial information You may be subject to penalties ranging from an internal fine to criminal liability.
- Don’t abuse special opportunities. For example, if you’re a chat room creator, you can have mercy and beheading. But why? It’s better to create clear rules of communication, follow them yourself, and encourage others to follow.
- Don’t engage in online arguments. If you’ve been left negative feedback on the network – read our instructions, and try to bring things to a constructive conclusion. And it’s even more senseless to enter into discussions with strangers on the Internet, just to prove them right. There’s someone wrong on the Internet every day, relax.
- Clean up the online space, complain about offensive comments, unacceptable publicity, spam – all the things we don’t want to see online and that break laws.
- Don’t say too much. It’s unacceptable to give out IDs, cards, Internet passwords, and home addresses.
- Behave online as you would in real life. Nobody likes fools, boorish people, braggarts, and negative people – so don’t be like that.
Any careless tweet, comment or Facebook post can alienate your loved ones and even jeopardize your job. And while increasingly robust privacy settings can help hide your social footprint, it’s hard to protect yourself from prying eyes entirely. Social media has enormous power, so it’s important to follow etiquette when interacting with others who use it. From avoiding intense self-promotion to maintaining a respectful tone, most best practices are simply a high-tech version of the usual etiquette we try to follow in real life. But the world of social media is evolving much faster than offline, so it’s important to think about the impact of your words, images and videos before sharing them with dozens, hundreds or thousands of your colleagues and acquaintances. The digital world is far from quick to forgive mistakes.
