Netiquette 101: Being Civilized and Safe Online
Nothing is ever really private online. Take control of your digital footprint!
Staying personally safe
- Never share your password with anyone. Likewise, do not use anyone else’s password. Change your password if you even think it has been compromised. Words or backwards words are not secure passwords. Mix cases, numbers, letters, and symbols.
- Don’t include your home address and phone number in your signature file. Don’t unwittingly give out so much information about yourself that a stranger (or a “friend”) can put your day together through your words and links. It’s generally not a good idea to accept friend invitations from people you don’t know in real life.
- Don’t respond to spam, even to request removal from a list (unless you are sure of the source). It only verifies that the sender has reached a legitimate e-mail address. Minimize the proliferation of spam (and promote the cause of privacy!) by not sending messages to long lists of e-mail addresses. Use “Bcc” for most of the addresses instead of “To.” Don’t publish your e-mail address on your web page. Mark bogus “friend” requests as spam.
- Be very careful about what you sign up for and what you respond to online. Keep in mind that if a service you are using is "free," then you are the product!
- Virtual appearances are always deceiving (whether purposefully or not). Don't make the mistake of thinking that you know someone after having “met” him or her online. You know only what he or she chooses to say and only what others say about him or her.
- Don’t respond to threatening or inappropriate messages. Report persistent abusers to your parents or system administrator. If you get an uncharacteristic communication from a friend, check the source.
- Log off when you leave your computer.
Staying socially safe
- Take care in what you reveal about yourself on social networking sites like Facebook and in online communication. Use privacy settings whenever possible, but be aware that even privacy settings have holes.
- Double-check your privacy settings by looking yourself up without being logged in. Google yourself from time to time, or use a service like pipl.com.
- Never put in an e-mail message, on a social networking site, or a chat message anything you would not put on a postcard. Anything you do online can “travel” to unexpected places.
- Treat other people’s communications with respect. Don’t post images, forward e-mail, or copy messages without knowing it’s truly ok to do so. Don't give out personal information about someone else.
- Remember that chat conversations and profile information can be copied and pasted and shared with people who aren’t otherwise connected to you.
- Mask your identity for privacy’s sake if you wish, but take care in creating a false persona. It’s never okay to impersonate someone else.
Communication and getting along
- Be expressive in your communication, but not obnoxious. Use smileys (emoticons) like :-) to indicate tone of voice, but use them sparingly. Same goes for use of exclamation points, all caps, avatars, pulsating backgrounds, and other flourishes.
- E-mail should have a subject heading which reflects the content of the message.
- Include a signature, but keep it short (no longer than 4 lines).
- When forwarding a message that has been forwarded to you, remove the layers of addresses that take up disk space and frustrate the reader.
- Don’t hide behind an anonymous sign-in in order to leave inappropriate comments or posts.
- Be careful when you reply to messages or postings sent to large groups. Sometimes replies are sent back to the entire group. If you have multiple chat windows open, make sure your response is going to the right person!
- Be careful about what you send and forgiving in what you receive. Don’t flame others and ignore flames when you receive them. If you get something that makes you angry, it can be a good idea to wait a day before replying.
- Don’t send large amounts of unsolicited information to people.
- Use headphones in public spaces. Your friends and (especially) teachers will thank you for it.
- It’s rude to multitask people. Don’t be texting when your parents are trying to talk to you.
- Don’t annoy system administrators. They usually have your best interests at heart.
- Understand and practice copyright compliance. Having a copy of something doesn't mean that you have the right to copy or distribute it. Paraphrase words; post less than 30 seconds of a musical selection; do not post others’ images unless you have explicit permission to do so.
Having a Life
- Take a break from being online every hour. Read a book, eat a snack, go outside, do your homework. Get together with your friends in person.
- Be a careful custodian of disk space and bandwidth. If downloading a file is going to give you enough time to knit a sweater, forget it.
- Concentrate on tool use rather than the tools themselves. Don't get sucked into social networking or game playing or web surfing when you should be working on your English paper or having dinner with your family. Keep your priorities straight.
- Online technologies are often not the best way to communicate sensitive or personal information. Face-to-face communications, handwritten notes or letters, and the phone are as good and often better for certain information.