October 27, 2004
Effective Internet Communication
There's no substitute for a well-thought-out and well-expressed message. To make your communication most effective you need to
- write clearly,
- take into account that people will likely be reading your message on a computer screen, and
- take full advantage of the medium itself.
Here are some guidelines for effective Internet communication using text:
- Be careful about spelling and punctuation. Follow the same rules you'd use if you were writing a letter or a memo.
- If you want to state something strongly, surround it with asterisks (*) or write it in uppercase, but don't take this too far. Some folks equate items in uppercase letters with shouting.
- Emoticons or smileys were developed to express facial expressions or gestures as part of text-based communication. "Dr. Internut's Clinic" has pages that describe acronyms and emoticons.
- Use a subject header or tag that gets the reader's attention and accurately characterizes what's in the message.
- Make your message as short as possible, but don't make it cryptic or unclear. Most users have to deal with limits on the amount of information they can receive. Keep the body of the message succinct. If you're using email or posting a message to a discussion group or Usenet, limit the message to one or two screens. In some cases-such as using chat-you need to capture someone's attention quickly, and you may be limited to the amount of text you can send in one message.
- Write relatively short paragraphs and limit lines to 75 characters. Some of the programs you use for email or Usenet wrap long lines at whatever the window margin is set. Others don't do that. Give your reader a break and wrap the lines for them.
- Include parts-- but not all-of an original message when you are writing a reply. Include only the portions pertinent to your reply. You do this to set a context for your message. This takes advantage of a unique feature of Internet communication: it's relatively easy to include your reply within the context of the original message.
Take the time to read "10 Little Courtesies"
Behavior & Etiquette Guidelines
- Be aware of the risks involved with giving out personal information.
- Take some time to consider what you will write.
- Be careful when using humor and sarcasm.
- Don't assume the communication is private.
- Check the address when you compose a message or reply to a message you've received.
- Develop a strategy for dealing with offensive or threatening email, and
dealing with spam.
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