{{mergefrom|Etiquette (technology)|date=December 2010}}

'''Netiquette''' (short for "[[computer network|network]] [[etiquette]]" or "[[Internet]] etiquette") is a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from [[Usenet]] and [[mailing list]]s to [[blog]]s and [[Internet forum|forums]]. These rules were described in [[IETF]] RFC 1855.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1855 |title=RFC 1855: Netiquette Guidelines |accessdate=2009-10-18}}</ref> However, like many [[Internet phenomena]], the concept and its application remain in a state of flux, and vary from community to community. The points most strongly emphasized about USENET netiquette often include using simple [[electronic signatures]], and avoiding multiposting, [[cross-posting]], [[off-topic]] posting, hijacking a discussion thread, and other techniques used to minimize the effort required to read a post or a thread. Netiquette guidelines posted by [[IBM]] for employees utilizing [[Second Life]] in an official capacity, however, focus on basic professionalism, amiable work environment, and protecting IBM's [[intellectual property]].<ref>[http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201201541 IBM Issues Employee Conduct Rules For Second Life – IBM – InformationWeek<!--Bot generated title-->]</ref> Similarly, some Usenet guidelines call for use of unabbreviated English<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_6.html#SEC44 |title= Zen and the Art of the Internet – Usenet News |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/http/tsfaq.html |title=Links to Prof. Timo Salmi's FAQ material |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> while users of [[instant messaging]] protocols like [[Short message service|SMS]] occasionally encourage just the opposite, bolstering use of [[SMS language]]. However, many other online communities frown upon this practice.

==History==

Netiquette's (from "network" "etiquette") origins pre-date the start of the [[World Wide Web]]. Text-based e-mail, [[Telnet]], [[Usenet]], [[Gopher (protocol)|Gopher]], [[Wide area information server|Wais]], and [[FTP]] from educational and research bodies dominated Internet traffic. At that time, it was considered somewhat indecent to make commercial public postings, and the limitations of insecure, text-only communications demanded that the community have a common set of rules. The term "netiquette" has been in use since at least 1983,

netiquette newsgroup post regarding revision of the "Netiquette" document] Jerry Schwarz. net.general. Oct 15, 1983. as evidenced by posts of the satirical "Dear Emily" Postnews column. Dear Emily Postnews (An alternate USENET netiquette guide)] Evidence of use of "netiquette" from 1988

==Common characteristics==

Common rules for e-mail<ref>''[[The Complete Idiot's Guide to...]] Writing Well'' By Laurie Rozakis, http://books.google.com/books?id=YFIEfqL48AMC&pg=PA348&dq=netiquette&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=t9ZuKcbWOymIy9oNrRAy9ZfAikI#PPA348,M1</ref> and USENET such as avoiding [[Flaming (Internet)|flamewars]] and [[Spam (electronic)|spam]] are constant across most mediums and communities. Another rule is to avoid typing in [[all caps]] or grossly enlarging script for emphasis, which is considered to be the equivalent of shouting or yelling. Other commonly shared points, such as remembering that one's posts are (or can easily be made) public, are generally intuitively understood by publishers of Web pages and posters to USENET, although this rule is somewhat flexible depending on the environment. On more private protocols, however, such as e-mail and SMS, some users take the privacy of their posts for granted. One-on-one communications, such as private messages on chat forums and direct SMSs, may be considered more private than other such protocols, but infamous breaches surround even these relatively private media. For example, [[Paris Hilton]]'s [[Danger Hiptop|Sidekick]] [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] was [[Hacker (computer security)#Black hat|cracked]] in 2005, resulting in the publication of her private photos, SMS history, address book, etc.<ref>[http://www.engadget.com/2005/02/20/paris-hiltons-hacked-sidekick-releases-unedited-tell-all/2 Paris Hilton's hacked Sidekick releases unedited tell-all – Engadget<!--Bot generated title-->]</ref>

More substantially, a group e-mail sent by [[Cerner]] CEO [[Neal Patterson]] to managers of a facility in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] concerning "Cerner's declining work ethic" read, in part, "The parking lot is sparsely used at 8 A.M.; likewise at 5 P.M. As managers - you either do not know what your EMPLOYEES are doing; or YOU do not CARE ... In either case, you have a problem and you will fix it or I will replace you."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/26/smbusiness/zerocover_fsbbillion_fsb/ |work=CNN |date=2006-04-26 |accessdate=2010-05-20 |title=Zero to billion}}</ref> After the e-mail was forwarded to hundreds of other employees, it quickly leaked to the public. On the day that the e-mail was posted to [[Yahoo!]], Cerner's stock price fell by over 22%<ref>[http://www.itworld.com/Sec/UIR010427securitynl2/ ITworld.com – Unix security: Proprietary e-mail<!--Bot generated title-->]</ref> from a high of US$1.5 billion.<ref name="E-Mail Rules">''E-Mail Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policies, Security, and Legal Issues for E-Mail and Digital Communications'' By Randolph Kahn & Nancy Flynn http://books.google.com/books?id=Q9CbhiflZh0C&pg=PA45&dq=netiquette&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=5jsrxx0u3qWX1_d4KXCl-_4Tc_4#PPA47,M1</ref>

Beyond matters of basic courtesy and privacy, e-mail syntax (defined by RFC 2822) allows for different types of recipients. The primary recipient, defined by the To: line, can reasonably be expected to respond, but recipients of [[carbon copies]] cannot be, although they still might.<ref>http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1043085.html Electronic office etiquette</ref> Likewise, misuse of the CC: functions in lieu of traditional [[mailing list]]s can result in serious technical issues. In late 2007, employees of the United States [[Department of Homeland Security]] used large CC: lists in place of a mailing list to broadcast messages to several hundred users. Misuse of the "reply to all" caused the number of responses to that message to quickly expand to some two million messages, bringing down their mail server.<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071005-dhs-flunks-e-mail-administration-101-causes-mini-ddos.html DHS flunks e-mail administration 101, causes mini-DDoS<!--Bot generated title-->]</ref> In cases like this, rules of netiquette have to do with efficient sharing of resources and ensuring that the associated technology continues to function rather than more basic etiquette.

{{quote|"When someone makes a mistake – whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer – be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better. And never be arrogant or self-righteous about it. Just as it's a law of nature that spelling flames always contain spelling errors, notes pointing out Netiquette violations are often examples of poor Netiquette."<ref>Shea. V, ''Netiquette''. (1997) http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html</ref>}}

Due to the large variation between what is considered acceptable behavior in various professional environments and between professional and social networks, codified internal [[style guide|manuals of style]] can help clarify acceptable limits and boundaries for user behavior. For instance, failure to publish such a guide for e-mail style was cited among the reasons for a NZ$17,000 [[wrongful dismissal]] finding against a firm that fired a woman for misuse of [[all caps]] in company-wide e-mail traffic.<ref>Lewis, Rebecca. "[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10594014 Emails spark woman's sacking]". ''[[New Zealand Herald]]''. APN Holdings, Aug 30, 2009.</ref><ref>Moore, Matthew. "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6120532/Office-worker-sacked-for-writing-emails-in-block-capitals.html Office worker sacked for writing emails in block capitals]". [[The Daily Telegraph|Daily Telegraph]], Sep 1, 2009. Accessed May 20, 2010.</ref>

==See also==

* [[Eternal September]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

<!--A handful of sources to use during rewrite from recent press and stronger sources-->

* "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2002/12/30/boot071.xml Bootcamp 71: newsgroups part 2, netiquette]" ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'', 2002

* "[http://news.com.com/A+new+sort+of+online+protocol/2100-1023_3-261391.html A new sort of online protocol]" ''[[CNET]]'', 1997

* "[http://www.salon.com/feb97/media/media2970219.html Miss Manners, Up Yours!]" ''[[Salon.com]]'', 1997

* [http://www.swref.com/story/20090705/the_rules_of_netiquette Software Reference] ''Netiquette: Internet etiquette in the age of the blog (extract)'', 2009

* [http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/http/netiquet.html Why it is sensible to observe the Netiquette]

* Virginia Shea ''[http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html Netiquette]'' (online ed.) book

* [http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/how-to-be-considerate-on-the-internet/ How To Be Considerate On The Internet] at Thought Catalog

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