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[Email etiquette refers to a set of principles that help define what is appropriate, acceptable, and polite when communicating electronically. The base for these principles is simple common courtesy adapted to the unique nature of a text-only, electronic environment.
The following was taken from "Information Technology News", a bi-monthly newsletter of the Computing and Information Technology Division of Wayne State University, May-June 1995.]
This first Cyberlore column is about netiquette, the etiquette of communicating with others over computer networks. Networks have dramatically changed the way we communicate. Around the office, electronic mail (email) often replaces face-to-face encounters and telephone calls. We use it to discuss projects, make announcements, schedule (or cancel) meetings, and more.
Thanks to the Internet, we can exchange private email with friends and colleagues virtually anywhere in the world or discuss topics ranging from artificial intelligence to fly fishing in public forums like USENET newsgroups and LISTSERV discussion lists. Netiquette concerns all the various customs and conventions we follow when writing and sending electronic messages in these contexts.
We normally don't learn the lessons of netiquette from a textbook or in a classroom. We observe what others do, and we gradually assimilate their actions into our own behavior. When we violate a principle, someone on the net probably will correct us. If we're lucky, that correction will come in the form of a polite message. But it often may be a nasty flame posted in a discussion group read by thousands. So we learn about netiquette to fit in, to be good net citizens, to avoid public embarrassment and private wrath.
I'll briefly describe some basic netiquette guidelines here. Additional sources of information can be found at the end of this article.
In general, netiquette follows the principles of good manners that apply to any form of human interaction. Netiquette is based upon the universal Golden Rule: treat others as you would have them treat you. The specific aspects of netiquette, however, are shaped by the unique characteristics of online messaging. In face-to-face conversation, verbal and visual cues (such as tone of voice, body language, gestures, and facial expressions) help us decipher meaning. But in electronic communication, there's only the text of the message. To compensate for the lack of other cues, people have adopted various techniques and devices to express nuance and emotion in their messages. The basic elements of netiquette style include intensifiers, emoticons, and abbreviations.
Intensifiers convey emphasis. Remember, some mailing systems only handle plain text, so you can't use features like italics, boldface, underlining, and font changes. But you can employ the following netiquette conventions in their place:
Emoticons, or icons that express emotion, are better known as smileys. These face-like symbols made from ordinary punctuation marks describe the writer's mood or appearance. Smileys help clarify intent and avoid misunderstandings. Rotate the page 90° to the right to view some common ones:
The original smiley appeared around 1980. Over the years, hundreds of silly variants have evolved. Here are a select few of them:
Using abbreviations and acronyms for familiar phrases is another common netiquette practice. These shorthand expressions save time and serve as a type of insider slang. Following are some acronyms frequently seen on the net:
| IMHO | In my humble opinion |
| FYI | For your information |
| FWIW | For what it's worth |
| ROTFL | Rolling on the floor laughing |
| BTW | By the way |
| YMMV | Your mileage may vary |
The unique combination of characteristics found in email—geographical reach, speed, accessibility, and so on—make it a powerful communication medium. But with power comes the opportunity for abuse. Using the power of email responsibly is another important aspect of netiquette. Acting responsibly on computer networks means treating your fellow netters with respect, being helpful when you can, and not wasting network resources or other people's time. Here are some general do's and don'ts:
The preceding guidelines apply in most any situation. However, electronic newsgroups, discussion lists, bulletin boards, and the like have some additional netiquette requirements. A good net citizen will observe the following customs in these public forums:
Netiquette represents the accumulated social wisdom of the net, the essential protocol for assimilating into the culture of cyberspace. I've given the basics here.
If you'd like to know more about the ins and outs of netiquette, two recent books may interest you: "Netiquette" by Virginia Shea (San Francisco: Albion Books, 1994. $19.95) and "Minding Your Cybermanners on the Internet" by Dr. Donald Rose (Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 1994. $12.99). Besides the basic rules, these books cover such issues as censorship, privacy, ethics, and copyright. Rose's writing suffers occasionally from "cute-itis" but either book provides a solid introduction to the social conventions surrounding online communication.
Check out these World Wide Web pages for other netiquette guides:
In my next Cyberlore column—The Phenomenon of Flaming.
Tom Kozma, Planning and Support Services (PaSS)