“TOP 10 RULES OF ACADEMIC NETIQUETTE: Summary and Epilogue!”

TOP 10 RULES (continued)

SUMMARY: Here’s a screaming recap of the top 10 rules:

1. USE APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE
2. USE PROPER GRAMMAR AND SPELLING
3. BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL
4. RESPECT COPYRIGHTS
5. USE APPROPRIATE SIGNATURE LINES
6. RESPOND TO SPECIFIC REQUESTS IN A TIMELY FASHION
7. do not type in all caps
8. AVOID FLAMING
9. AVOID MULTIPOSTING, CROSSPOSTING, OFF-TOPIC POSTING, AND HIJACKING A DISCUSSION THREAD
10. DO NOT FORWARD INAPPROPRIATE JOKES, ANY CHAIN LETTERS, ETC.

OTHER RULES: Have you had enough rules yet? No one likes to be Mirandized with all of these rules, but it couldn’t be helped. I needed filler for my blogs.

Guess what? I’m almost done, but you’re just beginning. This generic top 10 for academicians is a starter list. Your institution may have additional guidelines for Intranet and Internet communications. Further, if you teach or are a student in online courses, a separate set of rules may be required for all virtual classroom communication (for examples, Google “Stefany Smith or Sheila Chase, netiquette”). Check out these other rules. At least you have a Netiquette foundation on which to build, unless you skipped some of the blogs.

EPILOGUE: Please consider the importance of these rules and how they can affect what you say online and, especially, HOW you say it. After you write anything, review it and be sensitive to the consequences of its reading before you hit “send” or “post.” Your professional reputation and credibility and career trajectory will depend on it.

As Phil Esterhaus of Hill St. Blues used to say, “Hey, let’s be careful out there!”

COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC

“TOP 10 RULES OF ACADEMIC NETIQUETTE: The Final Don’t!”

TOP 10 RULES (continued)
Did you guess the number 10 rule? “No.” That’s okay. I got it wrong too. Well, here is the final DON’T:

10. DO NOT FORWARD INAPPROPRIATE JOKES, ANY CHAIN LETTERS, ETC.: Be very careful of attachments or any other material that are not of the professional kind. If they look suspicious, don’t open them and hit delete. If you know the source and you open the material, inspect it. If it’s off-color, potentially offensive, or inappropriate for professional consumption, delete. Do not forward unprofessional material or spam to colleagues and students.

As a humorist, I often recommend that faculty, staff, and students send each other “appropriate” jokes, cartoons, pics, and video clips for stress relief and possible class or conference presentation use. The operative word here is relief. No it isn’t. It’s appropriate. The humor can serve important functions, but it must be handled by a trained professional; it should not be attempted at home by rank amateurs. Don’t throw the baby …!

Tomorrow, I’ll summarize the list, mention some other rules you may have to honor in your institution, and offer an epilogue. We’re nearing the end. Hang in there.

COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC