Email Netiquette

» Unless you're using an encryption device (hardware or software), you should assume that e-mail is not secure. Never put anything in an e-mail message that you wouldn't put on a postcard.

» If you are forwarding or re-posting a message you've received, don't change the wording. If it was a personal message to you, ask permission before re-posting or forwarding it to someone else. Even if you shorten the message and quote relevant parts, be sure you give proper attribution.

» Be conservative in what you send and liberal in what you receive. Don't send heated messages or personal attacks against others (these are called "flames") even if you are provoked. On the other hand, don't be surprised if you get "flamed." Resist the temptation to respond to flames, and wait overnight to send emotional responses.

» Make things easy for the e-mail recipient. Some mailers delete header information that includes your return address. Be sure to include a line or two (four or less is best) at the end of your message with contact information so people know who you are. You can create this file ahead of time and add it to the end of your messages.

» Be careful when addressing e-mail. Some addresses look like they are for only one person, but instead they go to a group. Know to whom you are sending your message. Watch cc's when replying. Don't continue to include people if messages have become a two-way conversation.

» Remember that people with whom you communicate may live around the world and in different time zones. If you send a message to which you want an immediate response, the person receiving it might be at home asleep when it arrives. Give them a chance to wake up and log in before assuming the e-mail didn't arrive or that they don't care.

» Be brief. Saying it succinctly will have greater impact. If an e-mail is over 100 lines long, it is courteous to note "Long" in the subject header so the recipient knows the message will take time to read and respond to. Consider sending longer messages as attachments.

» Get familiar with basic online acronyms. BTW stands for "By the way"; FAQ refers to a list of frequently asked questions and their answers; IMHO stands for "In my humble opinion"; WTG is "way to go"; ROTFL stands for "rolling on the floor laughing." Incidentally, a "newbie" is a user new to the Internet.

» Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Remember that the recipient is someone whose culture, language, and humor have different points of reference from your own. Also, without voice inflections and body language, it is easy for a remark intended to be humorous to be misinterpreted. Be especially careful with sarcasm. You can convey some personality with emoticons such as "smileys" :-) winks ;-) or a frown :- (

» Use mixed case. UPPER CASE LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING.

> When replying to a message or listserv posting, include enough original material to be understood but no more. It's extremely bad form to simply reply to a message by including the entire previous message-edit out all the irrelevant material.

» Use descriptive, key words in the subject heading which reflect the content of the message.

» If you think a message you received is important enough, send a brief reply immediately so the sender knows you got it, even if you plan to send a longer reply later.

» Know the size of the messages you send. Including large files or programs may make your message so large that it can't be delivered or cause it to consume excessive resources. A good rule of thumb is to not send a file larger than 50 Kilobytes. Consider file transfer as an alternative, or cut the file into smaller chunks and send each as a separate message.

Chat Netiquette

"Chat" is a set of protocols that allows two people to have an interactive dialogue via computer.

» Use mixed case and proper punctuation, as though you were typing a letter or sending mail.

» Don't run off the end of a line and simply let the terminal wrap; use a Carriage Return (CR) at the end of the line. Also, don't assume your screen size is the same as everyone else's. A good rule of thumb is to write out no more than 70 characters and no more than 12 lines (since you're using a split screen).

» Leave some margin; don't write to the edge of the screen.

» Use two Carriage Returns (a blank line) to indicate that you are done and the other person may start typing.

» Always say goodbye or some other farewell and wait for a farewell from the other person before killing the session. Remember, the timing of your communication relies on both bandwidth (the size of the pipe) and latency (the speed of light). If participating in class, do not sign off until the instructor indicates the session has ended.

» Chat shows your typing ability. If you type slowly and make mistakes when typing, it is often not worth the time of trying to correct, as the other person can usually see what you meant.

The above guidelines are based on a product of the Responsible Use of the Network (RUN) Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html#5. Used with permission.