Naviga ng Ne que e
Ne que e( net e que e) is a set of guidelines that helps create a standard for acceptable ways to communicate online. To avoid making uninten onal social blunders online, check out these ps on how to have good manners in cyberspace.
• Remember when communica ng online that there is an actual person on the other end of your communicaon. Type as you would speak to someone in person and treat others how you wish to be treated.
• Know your audience. Some online forums are more casual and informal and some are more professional. Be sure you are following the structure of the domain in which you are using. This is especially important with anything that is a professional interac on such as an e-mail between coworkers or a discussion group in college.
• Check your posts for spelling and grammar errors. Even a simple typo can some mes change the way a person views your online communica on especially if it is your first interac on with the individual.
• Share advice with others if it is a topic you are aware of. Do not share advice that could be detrimental to another person such as making medical recommenda ons if you are not a doctor. Try not to dominate online conversa ons. Treat them the same as you would a group conversa on in public.
• Be pa ent with others you encounter online. Some people are not as tech savvy as others so try to always give others the benefit of the doubt and treat them with kindness.
• Avoid using sarcasm online even if it as meant as a harmless joke. In online communica on, we do not have the benefit of hearing tones of voice or seeing facial expressions.
• Try to keep posts, discussions, and e-mails concise. This helps your audience clearly understand what you might be trying to say and also makes it more likely that others will take the me to read your message.
One of the most popular methods of online communica on is e-mail. Since it is used so prevalently, especially in business se ngs, it is a wise idea to follow a few addi onal ps on e-mail e que e.
• When crea ng an e-mail address, consider using one that is professional and appropriate. This makes it much more likely that your recipients will take you seriously. People are more likely to accept an address like johnsmith @ yahoo. com, but may balk at something like skateboarder4life @ yahoo. com.
• When wri ng an e-mail, use a clear, direct subject line. Examples are“ Change in Mee ng Date”,“ Proposal Sugges ons”, and“ Training Presenta on”. This helps a busy recipient know exactly what your e-mail is about, especially if that person has been wai ng on something from you.
• Address your contacts formally. It is appropriate to use“ Hi” and“ Hello”, but not so much so to say“ What’ s up” or“ Yo”. It is always best to lean towards more formal if you are not sure of your audience.
• Spell the name of your contact correctly. Do not abbreviate his or her name unless you are certain that is how your contact wants to be addressed.
• Do not write in“ text speak”. Spell words properly, write in full sentences, use proper punctua on, and do not write in all capital le ers. This is considered shou ng in the internet world and it also makes your messages more difficult to read.
• Use standard fonts when wri ng and keep your backgrounds plain. This makes e-mails load more easily and also makes them easier to read.
• Do not forget your a achments. This can be frustra ng for recipients who now have to e-mail you back to remind you to send the a achment that they were wai ng on.
• Always review your e-mails. Be sure to read them carefully. Many applica ons will automa cally correct a word that is typed incorrectly, but they may not replace it with the word you intended.
• Think about how your message might sound to the person receiving it. If you feel like it could be taken as harsh or angry( even if this is not your inten on), consider rewri ng it.
• Do not always click on Reply to All. This is a good op on only if you know that all of the people copied on the e-mail would like your response. Some mes, Reply to All can become a nuisance and unnecessarily barrage people’ s inboxes.
• Make sure your recipient is correct before sending an e-mail. If you know people that have the same ini als it is easy to select the wrong contact from your drop down list.