Please note that this is part one of a two part blog post on online netiquette.

Have you ever heard of the term netiquette? It is a newer term used to describe proper etiquette to communicate online which directly applies and relates to online education and classes. Many online institutions have set netiquette rules and regulations that you must use in order to be a successful online student. Do you know where to find your individual institutions netiquette rules? Please share them with me via Twitter. My Twitter name is: onlinefac

Here is part one of the Top Ten 10 Netiquette Rules that I recommend all online students should always use no matter what. Part 1 focuses on 1-5. Part 2 will focus on 6-10.

1. Texting Language- While it may be okay to use texting language (lol, u, omg, brb, gr8, etc.) on your cell phone, Facebook, and or Twitter, it has no place in an academic online course. Not in your online graded discussions, assignments, or even when communicating with your online professor or even fellow online students.

2. ALL CAPS- In the online world and in online classes, writing in ALL CAPS is considered yelling and or shouting and should rarely ever be used. Can you think of when it can/should be used?

3. Fonts-Some online institutions will allow you to pick and choose which fonts style you want to use in the discussions, some won’t. Even if they let you choose a font, it is always proper netiquette to use fonts such as Times News Roman and Arial. This is also following APA Format which I discussed in a previous blog post. Fonts such as Comic Sans MS, AR Darling, and many others may not be appropriate and not be good netiquette. Also, you should use the proper size font which is usually around 10-12 point. Anything more or less is often considered poor netiquette. Also, it should be readable, short, and to the point, and not one giant page of eye hurting text.

4. Language- One should always use professional and positive language when communicating online and in online classes. Any profanity and other offensive language should NEVER be used (see this is how you can use ALL CAPS correctly using good netiquette). One should also be very careful of how they use humor and sarcasm online because it can often be taken the wrong way. Also, you should never write anything you are not willing to say in person. Would you allow your grandmother to read it? That is a question you should always ask yourself when posting online.

5. Colors and Bold Face Type- For the most part you should basically stick to black and only use certain colors sparingly to make a certain word stick out in an online discussion. The same with using a bold font. But, in your assignments, APA Format does not allow different color text.

 

Curious to know what the next five top ten netiquette rules in online education are? See the next blog posting!