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 (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
TOP 10 RULES (continued)
Here are the 1st 3
NETIQUETTE DON’TS or AVOIDS:
7. DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS: Messages typed in ALL caps or grossly enlarged scripts are interpreted as shouting, screaming, or yelling. It also hurts your eyeballs. DON’T DO IT!
Caps and monster script are okay for heads or occasional emphasis. Just don’t overdo it. (note: typing in all lower-case letters may be interpreted as not caring.)
8. AVOID FLAMING: Do not make or respond to personal insults called “flames” or pick a fight, attack, or disrespect a colleague for any reason at any time. Rudeness is rampant on the Internet. It is so much easier to insult someone in print than face to face. With the rather spirited discussions on listservs and group member comments, don’t be tempted to step over the line by insulting or harassing someone. When in doubt, don’t comment.
9. AVOID MULTIPOSTING, CROSSPOSTING, OFF-TOPIC POSTING, AND HIJACKING A DISCUSSION THREAD: If you send out an announcement, promotion, discussion question, or any other message, try not to post on every group, network, or listserv where a large number of the same colleagues will receive it. For example, this overlap can occur between a professional listserv and several LinkedIn groups in the same discipline. That overlap with repeated messages can be very annoying, even if you apologize upfront for crossposting, which most people do. Be careful with your posts.
Also, don’t derail discussions with irrelevant comments. Stay on point with the flow of the conversation. Your contribution should keep it moving forward. This includes jokes that can interrupt the discussion.
On occasion, I have violated this rule by injecting some incongruous humor when the discussion gets very heated. Such levity may not be appreciated by all, although listserv members totally ignore it. I’m ashamed of myself for doing that. I regret that violation, but I repented and smacked myself with a whisk broom. There is an appropriate time for humor and I have to be more sensitive to that timing.
My final blog in this series will describe the number 10 “don’t,” plus provide a summary and epilogue for the previous 57 varieties of blogs. Can you guess number 10? I don’t know about you, but as a sifter and violator, I’m learning a lot from this series.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 RULES (continued)
Here are the last 3
NETIQUETTE DO’S:
4. RESPECT COPYRIGHTS: Unscrupulous ninnies are stealing information off of every imaginable cyber-source without permission or credit. Even several of these ninnies stole one of my blogs and parts of others. Plagiarism is out of control. As academicians, you’re trained APA style-wise or, heaven forbid, in Chicago or AMA style to cite and acknowledge sources in ALL of your writing. Do the same online.
Make sure to get permissions and/or acknowledge sources when appropriate, even Wikipedia. DO NOT swipe any material—print or nonprint media. As a contributor to the Internet, you also need to protect your intellectual property. For the consequences of violations and guidelines on how to protect your work, check out my October 2009 blogs on “Copyright Infringement” and “Intellectual Property.”
5. USE APPROPRIATE SIGNATURE LINES: Do you have a signature line? If not, get one soon. They’re on sale at COSTCO®. Haha. You need to identify who you are. If you are commenting on professional issues on listservs or in group discussions, your credentials are important to colleagues so they can evaluate the weight of your contributions. Your position and expertise provide a context for your messages. For example, if you are Director of the Alligator Rehabilitation Institute at Everglades University, your suggestions on how to capture an alligator with asthma in your hot-tub are noteworthy.
Also, a signature line with title, institution, address, e-mail, phone, and fax makes it possible for colleagues to contact you easily. If you have a business Website, blog, publishing company, and/or other professional sites, you should include links to them. If the list appears too unwieldy, create different signature lines for different target readerships. (SIGNATURE ALERT: Of course, if you’re a spy, recently involved in the Espionage Exchange Program, or work for Homeland Security with a code fuchsia clearance or above, none of these contact rules apply. Stay undercover; see if we care.)
6. RESPOND TO SPECIFIC REQUESTS IN A TIMELY FASHION: If colleagues, known or unknown, or students request information from you, try to respond in a timely fashion, within 24 hours. If you don’t have time to fill the request, respond that you will get back to them by a certain date. That’s just professional courtesy. Be empathetic.
You may receive inquiries from all over the world. It may be a copyright permission, article, research evidence, teaching request, or resource request. Respond appropriately and quickly. Everyone appreciates a rapid response. Again, it’s your professional reputation on the line. "Just do it!"
My next blog will continue with 3 don’ts related to caps, flaming, and crossposting. Hope this info is helpful.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 RULES
The rules are divided into “do’s” and “don’ts.” Here are the 1st 3
NETIQUETTE DO’S:
1. USE APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE: Avoid smiley faces and other “social” symbols (save them for Facebook), Web jargon, unfamiliar abbreviations, and any offensive language, such as sarcasm, profanity, vulgarity, and sexual innuendo. Your writing should be that of a professional, not a buddy on a social network. If Google detects your use of “blue material,” your Website, blog, or other network may be demoted in the search engine ranks. This rule also applies to jokes.
2. USE PROPER GRAMMAR AND SPELLING: Chek adn thowroughlee pruf-reed alll mesags. Use SPELCHEK! Don’t hurry to hit the send button. This applies when you e-mail, tweet, text, blog, face, goog, wik, or some other 3–5 letter communication. Although, we are all our own worst proofreaders, try to let your message sit for a while, at least a minute or 2, but a day is best. Seeing it again totally cold often makes the errors jump off the screen. Wait for this jumping. Your writing ability and the care with which you produce any written product will be reflected in your messages and blogs. Your communications also reflect on the institution that hired you. Send only your best work into cyberspace. Anything less may come back to bite YOU in your butt-tocks.
3. BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL: Don’t even think about it. If you lie or even streeetch the truth in what you communicate, especially your online profiles on your Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other networks that display your credentials, your career will hang in the balance. Be truthful in everything you say. Professional credibility is almost impossible to regain once it’s lost. Who will believe you?
If you use humor in your writing, as I do frequently, make sure your readers know you’re joking. Most professors and students, in particular, interpret everything they read seriously, unless they are familiar with the source as a jokester. Also, be careful with the types of humor you use. Self-effacing jokes are usually the safest.
This list continues in my next blog with 3 more do’s related to copyright, signature lines, and timely responses. Stay tuned.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
