Netiquette. Adapted from the UK Open University resource.

Working with others online requires some skills that are not always obvious when you first start using email and computer conferencing.

Here are some basic rules of good practice about Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) that we recommend to all students when they begin using conferencing. These are collectively known as ‘netiquette’.

4.2.1 Introduction

Netiquette is the unwritten rules of good behaviour online. Although the principles are similar to face-to-face conversation, the limitations of a text-based medium mean you have to learn new techniques. Other people can’t see the expression on your face or hear your voice, so it is what you write that sets the tone of the conversation.

4.2.2 Thank, acknowledge and support people

People can’t see you nod, smile or frown as you read their messages. If they get no acknowledgement, they may feel ignored and be discouraged from contributing further. Why not send a short reply to keep the conversation going? This can make a big difference in a small group setting like a tutor-group conference. (But bear in mind that in a large, busy conference, too many messages like this could be a nuisance.)

4.2.3 Acknowledge before differing

Before you disagree with someone, try to summarise the other person’s point in your own words. Then they know you are trying to understand them and will be more likely to take your view seriously. Otherwise, you risk talking at each other rather than to each other.

4.2.4 Make clear your perspective

Try to avoid speaking impersonally: ‘This is the way it is…’, ‘It is a fact that…’. That will sound dogmatic and leaves no room for anyone else’s perspective. Why not start, ‘I think…’? A common abbreviation is IMHO (in my humble opinion) – or even IMNSHO (in my not so humble opinion). If you are presenting someone else’s views, say so, perhaps by a quote and acknowledgement.

4.2.5 Emotions

Emotions can be easily misunderstood when you can’t see faces or body language. People may not realise you are joking; irony and satire are easily missed. Smileys or emoticons such as 🙂 and 🙁 can be used to express your feelings (look at these sideways). Other possibilities are punctuation (?! #@*!), <grin> or <g>, <joke>, or even using mock HTML tags such as <rant>smileys are stupid</rant>.

Remember that many discussion systems only support plain text so you can’t rely on fonts and colours to add meaning.

Be aware of your audience: people from widely differing cultures and backgrounds may read what you write online. What you find funny may be offensive to them.

AND DON’T WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS – IT WILL COME OVER AS SHOUTING!

4.2.6 Flaming

If you read something that offends or upsets you, it is very tempting to dash off a reply and hit Send – but don’t! Online discussion seems to be particularly prone to such flames; often an unwitting breach of netiquette will escalate in a flaming spiral of angry messages. So if you feel your temperature rising as you write, save your message, take a break or sleep on it – don’t hit Send.

4.2.7 Some other advice

• Keep to the subject, and pick the right conference for your contribution.
• Before you write a message, take time to see what is being discussed and how. Lurking is quite acceptable online.
• Keep messages short. People don’t want to read large chunks of text on-screen.
• Write a good subject line (title) for your message – people often haven’t time to read messages unless the subject line looks relevant.
• Keep to one subject (one topic of discussion) per message.
• When replying to a message, only quote part of the earlier message if you need to. Don’t include everything, or messages get longer and longer.

4.3 Ethical and legal considerations

You will need to be aware of privacy and confidentiality in relation to online communication. Email is generally considered private and should not be quoted without permission. Some conferences are not wholly public, so messages should not be copied outside the conference.

Online discussion may be read by people from other cultures and backgrounds, so be careful to avoid giving offence. Although people are usually very tolerant, it is still possible that someone could sue for libel.

Besides the informal rules of netiquette, most discussion systems have a code of conduct and conditions of use that govern acceptable behaviour.

Considerations of plagiarism and copyright apply to discussion systems. If you are quoting something written by someone else, put it in quotation marks and acknowledge the source.

4.3.1 Copyright

One of the reasons the World Wide Web has grown so quickly, and why it is so interesting, is that anyone can publish (almost) anything on it. This raises a number of problems, however, particularly with the issue of copyright. It is very easy to find information, images, audio and video files on the web. You can then easily save them and incorporate them into your own material. This ease of copying means people often make the mistake of assuming that everything on the web is freely available. This is not the case.

Here are some general rules of thumb you should bear in mind:

Just because something is on the web does not mean it is freely available for you to use in your own work. As with any material which is protected by copyright, you should seek the author’s permission if you wish to use it.

With text you can use up to 5 per cent of any one piece of work without seeking permission. With images, sound, animations, and video clips, you should seek permission, unless you are specifically told you can download and use them freely.

Bear in mind that information published on the Web may have been put there by someone who does not hold the copyright to it. Simply because material appears on the Web does not mean that it is in the public domain, or that it has been published legitimately.

If you wish to reuse a lot of material taken from the web, you should make a link to the page where it appears, rather than incorporating it into a page of your own. When you provide links you should place them in an appropriate context, and identify the site to which they connect.

Copyright law allows students special concessions but these are very limited. As a student you may use copyright material for your own personal study purposes only. This includes using copyright material as part of an assignment. If you later want to use the same material for any other purpose, you must seek permission.

You should not alter images or other copyright material. (However, illustrations may be resized, and editorial deletions can be made to texts so long as these are clearly indicated).

4.3.2 Plagiarism

Attempting to pass off someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism.

You may be encouraged to use the Web as a resource for writing assignments. This does not mean you should copy chunks of text from other websites however. You can quote from other sites, but such quotes should always be acknowledged. You should write material in your own words, to demonstrate that you have understood it, rather than simply copying it. Using search engines it is relatively easy for markers to find text taken from another site.

You should always acknowledge the source of any ‘third party’ material you include in your own work. Failure to do so will be interpreted as a deliberate attempt at plagiarism. Plagiarism is, as a rule, taken very seriously. At the OU, for example, when detected, plagiarism can result in a range of measures from receiving a zero score for the whole assignment to being expelled from the course. It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignments are properly referenced and are your own work.