Now no one perceives the Internet as something special, it has firmly entered our daily life. This means that communication in this space is becoming more and more informal. This is facilitated by the expansion of the format of Internet communication: various forums, social networks, and instant messaging programs have appeared. However, do not forget about netiquette and security measures, even with the most confidential correspondence.

Rules of etiquette when working with a computer network

Netiquette (also called netiket or setiket) is a set of rules that regulates communication during Internet correspondence and makes it easier for interlocutors to understand each other. Of course, such rules are not strict, but their observance helps to maintain mutual respect in communication, and also leads the conversation in a constructive way. After all, even sitting in front of a computer screen, do not forget that on the other side of it there is the same person with his beliefs, principles and outlook on life. Therefore, respect for whoever you communicate with becomes the main and fundamental rule of netiquette.

Networking and network etiquette involve each participant in a discussion or forum discussion personally contributing to the development of the conversation by giving his or her point of view on the subject of discussion. Therefore, before sending this or that message, it is always worth weighing its importance and considering: "Is it necessary for the development of the discussion?" If the message is not informative, then it is better not to clutter up the conversation with unnecessary remarks. It is also worth considering the relevance of this or that information. For example, on a forum dedicated to a television program, it would be quite appropriate to discuss the presenter, his personal qualities, and appearance. And such messages will look completely inappropriate when talking about a scientist leading a scientific conference.

Speech etiquette on the Internet is also important. Try to ensure that your messages are composed correctly, without the use of vernacular, and even more so swear words. If by the rules of etiquette when communicating, it is allowed to use emoticons denoting emotions when meeting the interlocutor closely, then these icons are unacceptable in business correspondence. It is considered not polite to write the entire text in capital letters, since in the Internet space this is perceived as a conversation in a raised tone. The rules of etiquette in e-mail messages prescribe that you must fill in the subject of the letter so that the interlocutor can easily navigate and find him among others. It is also necessary to archive all large files sent by e-mail, and be sure to start your letter with a greeting.

Security rules for correspondence

The Internet is a fairly open structure, and not every user of it can use the information in it for useful things. There are a lot of fraudsters who want to steal personal data or money from the accounts of ordinary users. Therefore, when texting on the network, in no case send passwords from your mailboxes or pages to anyone, and also do not mention personal data related to your financial affairs: card account numbers, PIN codes from them. Do not follow unverified links that come to you from unknown addresses. Thoroughly filter emails and immediately send suspicious ones to the "Spam" folder. Do not open files received by e-mail without first checking them with an antivirus. Do not send executable files yourself (they have extensions .exe, .dot, .com). If you need to send them to someone - zip the file, and in the cover letter mark why you are sending this file. It is worth carefully treating letters from friends with requests to borrow money, top up the mobile balance. Before doing this, try to contact the applicant offline and find out if the request really comes from him. Perhaps his page or mailbox was hacked by scammers.

Since people exist in society, they are all obliged to comply with the norms of social behavior. The rules of etiquette can be general in nature, and also vary depending on the communication situation, therefore, they distinguish, for example, table etiquette, business etiquette, diplomatic etiquette, etc. In recent years, a new type has been added to this list - netiquette, or netiquette. Its appearance was dictated by an urgent need. After all, a huge number of people are Internet users today, and not all of them have an idea of ​​how to behave correctly while communicating on the network.

Why do we need netiquette rules?

Online etiquette essentially serves the same purpose as regular etiquette prescriptions: they help people reach mutual understanding and keep communication safe. The impersonality of the network communication act makes users forget that they are dealing not with a machine, but with living people. It is quite difficult to establish a lasting contact with an interlocutor whom we cannot see or hear. A netiket is a set of recommendations that are designed to help solve this problem. In addition, following the rules of netiquette makes it possible to safely avoid the intrigues of virtual fraudsters, keeping your wallet and your nerve cells intact.

10 basic rules of netiquette

1. Be polite even if the communication is not in real time. Indeed, in any case, you are in contact with people who are simply on the other side of the screen.
2. Do not forget about the obligatory formulas of greeting, goodbye, address, expressions of gratitude, etc.
3. Pay attention to the communication situation, for example, in an online chat where people are just going to chat, you can behave more freely, and during an online thematic conference you should be more restrained, etc.
4. Avoid idle talk and try not to waste the other person's time.
5. Do not rush to destroy the aura of anonymity in a situation of communication with strangers, let people judge you not by your appearance and manner of dress, but by the breadth of your horizons, literacy level, sense of humor, etc.
6. Proofread and edit your messages and emails before sending, do not send nonsense or illiterate text to your interlocutor.
7. Don't stoop to rude insults. Politeness is appropriate even when your opponent turns out to be an outright boor.
8. Do not refuse help, unless, of course, you are asked to send money to an unfamiliar number or something similar. You can help with advice, send a link to the desired resource, answer a question, give advice.
9. Do not try to lecture the interlocutor or morally "crush" him.
10. Be condescending to the mistakes of others, it is quite possible to close your eyes to involuntary flaws in phrases. Nobody can be perfect, we are all only human.

Social media etiquette

Social networks are incredibly popular today, and therefore network etiquette could not help but touch them and the basic rules of communication in social networks are generally similar to the prescriptions of a general nettiket. But there are also special recommendations. For example, to avoid confusion, it is best to use a simple name or your real name and surname as a nickname, as well as your avatar photo. But to provide information about yourself of a purely personal nature - phone number, address, passport details, etc. - interlocutors on the network should not, so that there is no risk of fraud by fraudsters. You should not continue communicating with a user who seemed suspicious or inadequate to you. It can be blacklisted or reported to administrators.

The rules of etiquette are not universal and rigidly established - in different communities they can vary significantly. Since the main purpose of etiquette is not to obstruct communication in the community, rules can be established based on the goals of the community, the style of communication adopted, technical constraints, etc. Some of the rules are written down, and even formalized in the form of a formal charter, and sometimes just in the form of a list, other rules are not written down anywhere, but are known to most members of the community and are strictly followed.

1. Remember that you are talking to a person.

Do not do to others what you do not want to receive from them yourself. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you are talking to. Defend your point of view, but do not offend others. When you use telecommunications, you are dealing with a computer screen. You cannot gesture, change your tone, and your facial expression does not matter.

Words, only words - that's all that your interlocutor sees.

When you are conducting a conversation - by email or in a conference - it can be very easy to make mistakes in the interpretation of your interlocutor's words. And, unfortunately, forget that your addressee is also a person with his own feelings and habits.

However, do not forget about the main principle of netiquette: there are real people everywhere on the web.

And one more reason to be polite on the web. When you contact someone in cyberspace, remember that your words are being recorded. Perhaps they will remain where you can no longer get. In other words, there is a chance that they will come back and harm you. And you have no way to influence this process.

2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior as in real life.

In real life, most of us obey the laws, sometimes due to restrictions, sometimes due to fear of being caught. In virtual space, the chances of being caught are relatively small. People sometimes forget that there is a living person “behind the screen” and think that the rules of behavior on the Internet are not as strict as in ordinary life.

This delusion is understandable, but it is still a delusion. Standards of behavior may differ at different points in the virtual space, however, they are not softer than in real life.

Follow ethical communication. Don't believe someone who says, "The whole ethic here is what you set for yourself." If you are faced with an ethical issue in cyberspace, consider what you would do in real life. You will most likely find a solution quickly.

3. Remember where you are in cyberspace.

What is accepted without hesitation in one place may be considered rude in another. For example, in conferences where television programs are discussed, various rumors and gossip are quite normal. But if you decide to invade a journalistic discussion with them, this will not add to your popularity.

Once you're in a new area of ​​virtual space, take a look around first. Take the time to explore your surroundings - listen to how and what people are talking about. Then join the conversation.

4. Respect the time and opportunities of others.

When you send email or post to a conference, you are actually claiming someone's time. And then you are responsible for ensuring that the addressee does not waste this time.

The concept of "capabilities" includes the bandwidth of the channel through which the communication takes place and the physical capacity of the storage media on the remote computer. And if you accidentally sent five identical messages to the same conference, you wasted both the time of the subscribers of this conference and the system's capabilities (after all, you occupied the transmission line and disk space).

Many conference readers are slow and it takes time to receive a new message. The program has to scroll through all the message headers in order to get to the desired one. No one is particularly happy if time turns out to be wasted.

People don't have much time to read messages, given the number of recent ones. Before you send your letter, consider if the recipients really need it. If you say no to yourself, it’s better not to waste their (and your) time. If in doubt, think twice before sending your message.

5. Save your face.

Take advantage of anonymity.

On the Internet (for example, in conferences) you can meet with those whom you would never have met in real life and no one will judge you for the color of your skin, eyes, hair, for your weight, age or style of dress.

However, you will be judged by how you write. For those on the web, it matters. Thus, grammar rules play an important role. Be aware of what you are saying.

Reflect on the content of your letter. When you want to say something like "it seems to me." or "I heard that.", ask yourself - and do not check once again the correctness of your facts. Inaccurate information can cause a flurry of emotions on the Web. And if this is repeated a second and third time, it can happen, like in the game "broken phone": your words will be distorted beyond recognition.

Also, make sure your messages are clear and logical. You can write a paragraph of text that is perfect in terms of grammar, but completely meaningless. This often happens when you want to convince someone that you are in the right, using a lot of difficult and long words that you yourself are not very familiar with.

Don't insult users.

Finally, be patient and polite. Do not use profanity, do not go into conflict for the sake of the conflict itself.

6. Help others where you can.

Why is it effective to ask questions in the virtual space? Because your questions are read by many people who know the answer to them. And even if only a few people give a qualified answer, the total amount of knowledge on the Web will increase. The Internet itself has grown from the desire of scientists to exchange experience. Gradually, others were drawn into this fascinating process.

It is especially important to share the answers to your questions with other users. If you have a presentiment that you will receive a lot of answers to your question or are sending it to a conference that you rarely attend - respond to replies by e-mail, not to the conference. When you receive all the replicas, sum them up and send them in one message to the conference. Thus, everyone will benefit from communicating with you.

If you are an expert yourself, you can do more. Many people freely submit entire bibliographies, from lists of legal resources to lists of popular UNIX books. If you are leading a group that does not have a list of answers to the most frequently asked questions, try writing this. If you have found or yourself have composed a document that, in your opinion, may be of interest to others, send it to the conference. Sharing experiences is an exciting experience. This is an ancient and glorious tradition of the Web.

7. Do not get involved in conflicts and do not allow them.

"Does netiquette prohibit flames? Not really. Flames are also an old Web tradition. Flames can be fun for both writers and readers. And recipients of flames often deserve them."

But netiquette against flames that escalate into wars - a series of malicious messages exchanged, as a rule, by two or three participants in the discussion. Such wars can literally take over the conference and destroy the friendly atmosphere. This is unfair to other readers of the conference. And very soon people who do not participate in the discussion get tired of conflicts. In fact, there is an unacceptable monopolization of resources.

• 8. Respect the right to private correspondence.
• 9. Do not abuse your capabilities.

Some people in the virtual space feel like professionals. They are the aces in every multiplayer game, experts in every office, and system administrators.

With more knowledge or more authority, these people automatically gain an advantage.

However, this does not mean that they can use it. For example, system administrators should not read private email messages.

10. Learn to forgive others for their mistakes.

Everyone was a beginner once. So when someone makes a mistake - be it a typo in a word, a careless flame, a stupid question, or an unreasonably long answer - be condescending to it. Even if you really want to answer, think twice. Just because you have good manners does not mean that you are licensed to teach those manners to everyone else.

If you decide to draw the user's attention to his mistake, do it correctly and it is better not in the conference, but in a private letter. As you know, corrections in the text often also contain grammatical errors; also, an indication of non-compliance with the rules of etiquette, it happens, demonstrates a violation of the same etiquette.

People have followed the rules of etiquette long before the advent of computers. The norms of behavior help to adequately represent your person and opinion, conduct a conversation in the form of a polite dialogue, respect other people's understanding of the topic and maintain a healthy "microclimate" in communication.

Some people think that with the advent of computer technology and networking, it is possible to forget about the norms of ethical behavior only because there are strangers on the other side of the screen, whom they will not have to meet. This position is unacceptable, because etiquette does not complicate life, but makes it easier. Therefore, the network has developed certain rules that polite people must follow.

Communication should be free of emotions

You can't give in to every minute emotions. When communicating with a stranger, one should remember that he is real, but does not see or hear the opponent, but only reads the text. It is better to write clear statements without provocation and hatred, otherwise you can provoke anger in response and spoil your mood for a long time.

It should be remembered that each word is fixed and does not disappear anywhere; it can significantly harm both the other person and you.

It is better to discuss any topic politely, try to understand the interlocutor and calmly convey your position.

Online and Real Life Standards

In the real world, absolute freedom of behavior is not allowed, people are afraid of condemnation of others, or punishment for misconduct. It is not easy to catch an intruder on the Internet. But this does not relieve him of moral responsibility. It must be remembered that there is a living person on the other side of the screen, and you need to communicate with him in the same way as with people in a real society. If you have problems with etiquette, you should think about how you would act in ordinary life, looking into the eyes of your interlocutor.

Behavioral norms in thematic groups

When using the Internet for group communication, you should remember what kind of group you are in. It is normal to use rumors and gossip in a TV conference, and it is not permissible to invade the scientific environment with them. Once in a new thematic group, you should look around, delve into what is happening, and only then enter into a discussion.

Priceless time

When communicating in cyberspace, it is necessary to understand the value of time for each of us. Don't send thoughtless messages to email or conferences. The sending process takes time, the bandwidth of the channel is limited.

You should think about whether this message is necessary, if there is an opportunity to abstain, it is better to do so.

Personality assessment

You can communicate online without introducing yourself. Nobody knows what the interlocutor looks like, the personality is assessed according to the texts presented. You should write competently, not empty words, messages should be important and weighty, facts - only verified.

Helping people

There are answers to many questions on the Internet. If someone has asked a question you know the answer to, you definitely need to help the person. Help is a noble cause. When asking a question, you can exchange replicas by e-mail, then collect them, summarize and send a general message to the conference. The information will be useful to other users.

Private correspondence

It is unethical to invade private correspondence, read or write for others. In no case should you forward someone else's correspondence to other people.

Ability to forgive

The network is overflowing with messages from both literate and poorly educated people of different ages and a different sense of the world. You should be tolerant and forgive people for stupid questions, long answers and even a complete lack of logic in judgments. You need to answer only with the aim of helping, and not condemning.

Delicate humor

Not knowing the interlocutor, you should carefully introduce humor or irony into the messages. In developing relationships, it is better to delicately touch on popular topics in order to find out the circle of interests of the opponent.

Flood or attention grabbing

Flood - meaningless messages, for example: “Cool! "," Tin! ". Some people need them to get attention. It only seems harmless, but in fact, flooders, with their stream of unethical statements, are capable of disrupting the conference.

Flames. Conflict provocation

Emotional responses, regardless of the opinions of other participants in the communication, are called flames. They provoke the interlocutor, they can bring animation to the conversation, but if they cross a certain line, a conflict arises. Misunderstandings and mutual insults begin.

As a rule, several interlocutors participate in such a communication environment, but they are the ones who destroy the peace process of the conference.

The flame is similar to a flood, only it is more aggressive.

Offtopic. Topic presence

The term means - going beyond the scope of the topic. If a certain topic is present in the conference, you should not contradict it with pointless messages. This behavior violates ethical norms and can be stopped by moderators.

Trolling. Provocative messages

People who do this hardly think about etiquette. Cynical, rude, provocative messages are thrown in in order to embroil the participants in the conversation and destroy the communication. By annoying society, trolls take pleasure in their own worth. Do not indulge them and enter into such a discussion.

Smilies. How to use

Hilarious images for texting are emotional. Sites often provide their own samples, but you need to use them in moderation. The overload of emoticons in messages can distract from the content of the conversation.

Literacy

You should reread your messages before sending them. The letter is easy to read without errors. There are enough programs on the Internet that can help with this. A competent text is a sign of respect for the interlocutor.

It is not so easy to write a competent letter so that the interlocutor has a desire to answer it. There are basic concepts of code of conduct when communicating by e-mail:

• First, you should introduce yourself, provide your general information. This is enough to start a correspondence. Anonymous copyists are treated with caution, often without reading, they send their messages to spam.
• It is better to indicate the subject of the letter, to concisely highlight the main thing in order to attract attention.
• It is necessary to think over the content of the text well, remove errors and unnecessary phrases. You should break the letter into meaningful paragraphs to make it easier to read. You should not send a message in a large volume, since it can be inconvenient to read it, it is better to use capacious and accurate information.

• In personal communication, a conversational style is allowed.
• During active correspondence, you can save the original text and several thematically understandable letters.
• At the end of the text, there is a laconic signature, which consists of a name and contact information. The scribe must know who he is communicating with and how this person can be contacted.
• You can not redirect someone else's message without the consent of the author.