Netiquette (by Dr. Jaimie Hoffman)

Netiquette, or internet etiquette, is a set of guidelines for acting appropriately online.  I am providing you with the following guidelines to empower you to successfully communicate in our online learning environment.

I encourage you to….

• Be clear when expressing thoughts and information, remember that other users cannot not see your facial expressions or hear tone of voice. Thus it is important to be weary of using humor and sarcasm.
• Remember that humans are on the other end of correspondence.  Do not say anything that you would not say in person.  Before you send something, ask yourself… how would I interpret this if I received it? Should I send it?  Is the content better discussed over the phone, video chat or in person?
• Respect other people’s time.  Make the subject line of a post specific to your message. Avoid tangents and stick to one subject per posting.
• Don’t expect instant responses from peers or professors.
• Be forgiving and supportive of other learners.
• Understand that grammatical and spelling errors will happen and do not judge.
• Be sure to respond to your classmates’ comments on your posts, just like you would in a face-to-face conversation.
• Remember everyone is from different cultures and may bring different perspectives. Embrace diversity.
• Provide sincere and constructive comments of praise and feedback
• Respect the fact that everyone has different levels of technical competency and different learning styles
• Before entering a discussion, be sure to observe and review before leaping in to respond; avoid repetition.  Also, take some time to consider your response to ensure it is well thought-out.
• Refer to your classmates’ posts and comments when you contribute to the discussion to show that you acknowledge their thoughts.
• Do not use capital letters (this means someone is shouting). To emphasize a word, use asterisks in the following manner: *word*.
• Include your name at the end of each posting/comment.
• Cite all sources incorporated in posting using APA format and use a direct link when possible.
• Proofread all postings before submitting.  Avoid using abbreviations and foul language; and BE SURE to use proper capitalization.
• Fundamentally, just as with your assignments or participation in other classes, remember that your posts and contributions in our online environment represent YOU.  Be the best version of yourself in all ways possible.  Go the extra mile to be a great contributor to the online environment.