Do you ever send or receive e-mails? Are you on the @Internet a lot? Do you go to chat rooms? Did you know there are rules of behavior for all of these? The rules are called @Netiquette. They can be applied to almost every situation -- real life, as well as cyberspace. These rules might seem kind of obvious to you, but they're important. They will help you and your friends' Internet experience be productive, as well as fun.
Don't break any laws. Cyberspace is an extension of the real world. Just because you're dealing with computers and not people (at least not directly), it doesn't mean the law no longer applies. If it's illegal in the real world, it's probably illegal in cyberspace.
Be polite. You've certainly heard the saying "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It's true not only when you're talking to someone face-to-face, but also when you're talking to them on the Web. Being polite doesn't just include what you say. It also covers how you say it, and to whom. If you use humor or sarcasm in your writing, be sure the recipient is going to like your sense of humor. Otherwise, you might offend the person. And never send an e-mail when you're angry or upset! It will probably show in your message, and you may hurt someone else's feelings.
Be careful of flames and flame wars. A "flame" refers to any insulting message. Nearly everyone receives a flame sooner or later. The question becomes what to do with them. The best move is to just ignore them. If, however, you feel the flame is worth a response, your reply may start a flame war, where the insults continue back and forth. In these situations, everybody loses.
Be patient. Everybody was new to the Internet at one time or another! Be patient with those who are new. If someone shows poor Netiquette, don't get angry. Politely respond and tell them of their error. Usually, the other person will be thankful for the advice. You may even find that you have made a new friend. Sometimes you'll bump into someone that you just don't see eye to eye with. In those cases, all you can do is agree to disagree.
Be concise and accurate. E-mail wasn't intended for carrying on long talks. E-mail is about convenience. Keep your messages brief and to the point. If you write long messages that drift from one subject to the next, your reader's attention will drift as well. Also, take the time to delete long header text when you're forwarding or replying to an e-mail. This shows the recipient that you know their time is valuable, too. And above all, proofread your message for spelling and grammar before you send it. In cyberspace, people only know you from what you type. If you're sloppy with the basics, how can anyone trust you when it's really important?
Always fill-in the subject line! When you start receiving dozens of e-mails a day, you'll come to appreciate people who use subject lines. The subject line is the only label you have to identify each of the messages in your mailbox. Use something appropriate, such as the topic sentence or the main idea. Be sure to keep it brief, though, since most e-mail clients only show the first 20-30 characters of the subject line anyway.
Be careful with formatting. Remember that not everyone uses the same software to read their e-mail. Just because you can center your text and make it green and boldface doesn't mean your recipient can too! Some e-mail clients make all messages left-justified plain text, no matter how they were sent. If it's important to use formatting, make sure the recipient can read it first.
Think about signature files. These files are text files that you can include with each message. They provide information about you, the sender. Keep them short, less than 10 lines. Long ones make threads hard to read because of the extra text separating each message. Signature files usually include the following information:
Name
E-mail Address
@Homepage Address
Character Quote
A character quote is that cute little phrase or saying you often see at the end of a signature file. It can be funny or serious. It can be a favorite saying of yours. Perhaps you have a line from a movie that you really like. It is meant to let your reader know a little something extra about you.
Use care when attaching files. Attachments are an easy way to share programs, graphics, sounds, or any other kind of file you find on your computer. If you intend to send someone a large file (say, greater than @20K) you should contact them and ask their permission first. There are three reasons for this. First, you don't even know if they have e-mail software that can handle attached files.
