Netiquette
- Internet protocol
The term Netiquette (the etiquette
used in the Web) designates a set of rules for the best use of Internet. There
are rules for specific Internet services (group discussion lists, IRC, FTP, etc.).
You may follow the guidelines below when using e-mail:
1)
Clear identification of addresser and addressee
Several
people may have access to the same computer from home or in the office.
Therefore:
- We must include the name of the person to whom we send our e-mail messages.
-
We should also sign it.
It is not nice to receive an e-mail message with
the only identification note of "the message was sent yesterday"
When
I receive unknown messages, they often end up in the dustbin since nobody knows
who the writer is or who they are written to.
2)
Privacy
E-mail messages are not as private as they may seem.
We should
be careful with what we write. Others may read it.
3)
There are human beings on the other side of the computer
We cannot forget that a person will receive what we are writing, although
we only see a screen in front of us. If we receive an unfriendly message, we'd
better wait to reply, for example, until the following day, so we will never regret
having written something.
4) Chain messages
Avoid forwarding solidarity chain messages without fully understanding,
most of them are simply untrue. If you want to cooperate with a good deed or help
people in need, you should first contact some official charity institution. There
are many ways in which you can help there.
5) Virus Warning Messages
Avoid forwarding virus-warning messages. Most of them are false. Keep
in contact with your helpdesk or with the Virus Attack Newsletter or consult our
list of more frequent and current virus.
6) Unwanted ads and spams
Avoid
forwarding spams and do not send unwanted ads. If you want to advertise your business
or web page, try to obtain addresses in a more standard way, for example, by including
reply forms, or cookies in your web page, or in your newsletter.
It is
better to have a list of 500 or 1000 people who have freely completed their personal
details than a list of 1m people who are not interested in our business. To maintain
privacy, never buy or sell e-mail addresses.
7) Do not respond any unwanted
message
Do not respond any unwanted message. Also avoid doing so by including
words like "REMOVE" or "UNSUSCRIBE". Even in this way the
addresser knows that you exist. Spammers, in particular, use this, to confirm
addresses and be sure that you will receive more from them.
8) Subject
or Topic
Do not send any message without Subject or Topic.
Briefly
write there the topic of your message. This will help the communication.
9)
What are you talking about?
Do not respond a message by only writing:
"OK" or "Neither do I".
Try to reason your affirmative
or negative answer.
10) Do not include the whole of the original message
in your response
Do not include the original message in its whole in your
answer.
Delete what is not needed for you. Just leave what is really necessary
to be fully understandable
11) Forwarding Messages
When forwarding
messages, be sure to include only the e-mail addresses you want for your forwarding
message.
12) Sending a message to a group.
Make use of the "CCO"
or "BCC" slots to include the e-mail messages that correspond to the
people working with you in one particular subject. In this way you give privacy
to all.
13) Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS
Do not use all your
text in capital letters. This may imply that you are angry. Note also that it
can be very tiring to read this type of text.