Netiquette: the subtleties and rules of communication in cyberspace

Such a concept as netiquette came to us from English. However, the concept of “setiket” did not stick, in contrast to the very principles of communication. Etiquette of communication on the Internet includes the rules of online conversations, correspondence by mail, communication on the forum and so on. It is not difficult to understand its principles - it is enough just to know the main points and not to forget about elementary politeness.

The rules of netiquette allow beginners to get used to the network, and experienced users do not experience discomfort even when communicating with strangers. In essence, “setiket” is all the same norms of behavior that people follow in everyday life, but transferred to the information network.

Ethical standards are not strict rules, but if you want to be taken seriously and with respect, you still have to adhere to them.

Start talking about the rules of communication in the network is to parse the basic concepts with which all Internet users are faced on a daily basis.

On the Internet there are a huge number of different sites and chats designed for people to share interesting experiences. or just talking to each other:

• Forum. The main place for communication is a forum. As a rule, this is a site with a narrow specialization. For example, there are forums for moms, travelers, freelancers, and so on. On such sites there is both textual and graphical information, and each user gets the opportunity to ask a question, create a new topic, or simply communicate in the comments with others.
• Chat. The main purpose of chat is real-time communication. They can be used for personal correspondence, or to be group.

Messaging on the network can spoil the mood for both you and the other person, if you violate simple rules. There are a number of things that should be avoided, leading a dialogue, or communicating in the forum:

• Flames. This word means comments that have little meaning and are used to trigger a response. In fact, this word is called ordinary dispute for the sake of argument. Flame in the network called the transition to the individual, insults, discrimination, and so on. Such a message should not only not be written by oneself, but also ignored, seeing on the forum in order not to provoke flamers to further meaningless disputes.
• Flood. Does not make sense and the so-called flood. These are “not in topic” messages that can be safely deleted. As a rule, flooders simply send emoticons or monotonous messages to everyone in a row. The abundance of flooding slows down the process of loading pages, and simply annoys users.
• Caps. This word is called a message written with the Caps Lock key held down. Messages in capital letters are annoying just like the abundance of emoticons or exclamation marks at the end of a message. As a rule, this means that a person has not become familiar with the terms of use of the site or forum.

In fact, the basic concepts that are found on the network, not so much. Computer slang is constantly evolving, and it is difficult to keep track of all the new terms.But knowledge of at least this base is already enough for normal communication in cyberspace.

After reading the basic terms, you can proceed to the study of the rules of correspondence.

For many old-timers, e-mail is the main way to communicate on the network. It is by mail that business correspondence usually takes place, so it is important to first learn how to use it.

The first step is to create your profile. Personal name and signature are visible to everyone to whom you send letters, so you need to arrange this line. It is advisable to use your real name. So you immediately recognize among the huge number of senders.

When sending a letter, you also need to specify the subject. This is also a kind of respect for his interlocutor. He will immediately understand what you want, and if there is a need to re-read the message, he will not seek it out among dozens of nameless messages.

As for the letter itself, it should not be too long. If you just answer the message, then you can do with a few phrases on the merits. When sending a letter yourself, also try to stick to the topic, and do not go into lengthy explanations.

Networking culture also includes literacy. Check the text at least in free editors to avoid mistakes, spoiling the impression of the interlocutor. The fact that mail is considered a fast communication method does not give the right to send illiterate messages.

When communicating by e-mail, it is also worth remembering that you can not specify in the message any personal data. Although at first glance it seems that the correspondence will remain available only to two interlocutors, it is possible that personal information will appear in the public domain. It happens that fraudsters intercept letters in order to obtain personal data, such as a bank account number.

Any message ends with a signature. Like the name, it must be intelligible and thoughtful. Most sites automatically add a signature to the message, but almost always there is an opportunity to edit a given phrase. The main thing is that it is not too long, the optimal size is four to seven lines. At the very end of the letter, you can duplicate the name, or specify other contacts.

Chatting on forums and chat rooms is usually less formal. But still, certain rules should be followed. First of all, you need to respect the interlocutors. The item "avoid insults" is present in almost every set of rules.. As a rule, insults are referred to as “going personal”: insulting the interlocutor’s relatives, discriminating on the basis of sex, religion or race, as well as mocking some preferences and hobbies of a person.

Also on most sites, the so-called overclocking is prohibited, that is, excessive quoting. If you need to quote something, or highlight someone's comment, you need to choose the very sentence or phrase that have the necessary meaning, and not just copy the entire text. The same applies to the pile of quotes - always choose one or several, without which you can not do without losing meaning.

In most forums, as well as email, there is usually a signature. You shouldn't make it too long either. Most often, such signatures are humorous or personal.

In addition to these basic rules, there are unwritten rules. They help earn a good reputation and stay safe when dealing with strangers.

The first principle is respect for other people.Remember that although you don’t see a real person in front of you, it still exists on the other side of the screen. This means that it is worth controlling your statements and thinking that your words can hurt someone.

Flaming and public insults should be avoided not only because your words can be perceived as insult, but also because everything is fixed on the Internet. If the words expressed in real life can be forgotten with time, then the written and sent message remains forever. Many users have the illusion of control - it seems that it is enough to press the “delete” button and the message will be erased forever.

But this is far from the case, because all the sent messages remain on the Internet, and experienced hackers will not be difficult to collect all the information ever sent by a person on the network.

Unfortunately, not all users remember about etiquette, logging into the network. Therefore, another unwritten rule is to be patient with everyone. No need to go into every dispute and try to fix every person. It is enough just to be patient and not lead to provocation.

Communication in virtual reality is often complicated by the fact that every person has a real life. This means that one cannot wait for the interlocutor to devote all his free time to chatting on the forum, or waiting for a reply email.

One of the main advantages of online communication is complete anonymity, which is initially provided to the user. A person chooses how to submit himself and what image to create. Anonymity is also a guarantee of security. Do not transfer personal data to strangers and do not leave them where they can be found by fraudsters. Such negligence often leads to sad consequences.

For safe communication it is also important to be a polite conversationalist. In order not to cause a negative reaction to your words and not to receive threats in your address during correspondence, it is enough to restrain your emotions and not talk too much. Obscene language and attempts to provoke another person will not bring the dialogue in the right direction.

Ethical behavior implies a willingness to help others in a difficult situation. Often they turn to the Internet in search of answers to some questions. Do not be rude, even if they seem silly. It is better to just help the other person without provoking lengthy discussions and debates on some meaningless topics. It must be remembered that all Internet users were once in the role of beginners.

The rules of communication in the network, even if unwritten, make life much easier and allow you to maintain the reputation of an educated person even in cyberspace. You will learn more about the rules and intricacies of communication in cyberspace in the following video.