Concept 7

I suppose when I think of Netiquette, (Concept 7 - Netiquette), I most commonly associate the term with my use of email, it being the most common form of internet communication that I utilise more than any other. It also encompasses all forms of communcation on the internet, including chat, discussion boards, web forums etc.

When I read the NET11 concept document regarding this subject, what particularly stood out was the point made:

'.....what is important about Netiquette is the concept that there are these 'agreed' rules of what is good and bad.'

This makes me wonder, how many of us are fully aware of these rules? Are they something that you just pick up as you go along? Or are they something that we are taught?

From a personal perspective, when using email for instance, first and foremost I guess most of us have the basic qualities instilled in us from an early age of how to be polite, courteous etc. So naturally much of this will flow through in the way we communicate generally. However, when communicatng on the internet, there is always that factor of anonymity and disinhibiton that some may feel allows them to be less concious of the way they conduct themselves online, as opposed to face to face etc, when dealing with others.

We should never drop our inherited standards of common courtesy. In fact, I think one has to be especially concientious when communicating with others in 'cyberspace', for the simple fact, that you have no way of knowing how another interent user may interpret anything you might say or do - there are no visual cues, no tone of voice to access a persons reaction etc, hence the importance of recognising good 'Netiquette'. The impersonal nature of the web, ( as discussed previously in relation to Concept 23 Human-Computer Interfaces), should also not let it influence us in dropping our standards.

As the internet is more of a self-regulated entity, Netiquette has probably resulted more from social pressure within the online community more than anything else.


Web Resources:

Johnson, David R.. "Lawmaking And Law Enforcement in Cyberspace." June, 2005.http://www.cli.org/DRJ/make.html (accessed March 21, 2007).

Kayany, Joseph. "Internet Etiquette, Netiquette." http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kayany/interactive/netiquette.pdf (accessed March 21, 2007).

"Internet Communications Concepts Document." http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_a/scripts/serve_home (accessed March 09, 2007).

Shea, Virginia. "Netiquette." December 7, 1997.http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ (accessed March 21, 2007).