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There's
really a person on the other end. When communicating with
others online, it's critical to note that you're dealing with
other people. Be careful not to come across as rude: if you
couldn't say something to someone's face, you probably shouldn't
say it online.
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Respect
others' privacy. Always get permission before forwarding
a person's e-mail message to you. Do not forward e-mail or information
from others without their permission.
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Follow
ethical rules. If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace,
consult the code you follow in real life.
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Respect
other people's time. Keep your messages succinct. Send them
only if you need to. Do not attach graphics that could take
a long time to download. Do not send messages to all if your
message only impacts a few people.
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Dialogues
go two ways. Do not dominate a chat room. Encourage others
to speak up, and contribute your knowledge as well.
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Fill
in the "Subject Line" of e-mail messages. People
make decisions about what they'll read when they look at the
subject line (and the sender) of the e-mail messages they've
received.
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Write
with proper spelling and grammar. Poor writing can be aggravating
and distracting. Avoid slang and offensive language and cursing.
Tip: If you are going to write a long e-mail, use a word processor
and grammar check and spell check your message then attach it
to your e-mail.
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Contextualize
your messages. Whether you're online in a chat or using
e-mail, make sure the earlier message is reiterated in a brief
note.
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Stay
with facts to share your insights or expertise. Be sure
that what you write is accurate and logical and useful to your
readers.
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Avoid
sending chain letters. Ensure the accuracy of the information
that you pass along to a group. Sending out chain letters (messages
which tell the receiver to send them on to others) is illegal
in some venues, but they're annoying to most.
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Do
not use HTML tags in your e-mail messages. Keep your messages
simple, and make sure that it's readable to your recipients.
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Use
line breaks judiciously. If you're sending a fairly long
e-mail, have paragraphs that are no longer than a few sentences
long.
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Add
a signature block or line only when the recipient needs to know
who you are. Signature blocks are useful if your e-mail
recipient needs to know who you are, but if you have a short
message and don't need that info added, omit it.
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Can
the Spam. Spamming refers to the mass mailing of ads to
a newsgroups or listservers. Avoid "spamming" others,
as this usually brings out an angry response.
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Avoid
any racial jokes, vulgarity, obscenity and pornography display
