MODULE 4: THE NETIQUETTE AND THE COMPUTER

ETHICS
Overview
The Netiquette and The Computer ethics discusses about the ethical issues in the field of
computer. May it be in online or practicing in professional.

Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
• Discuss the importance of being a responsible netizen by following the rules of common
courtesy online and the informal “rules of the road” of cyberspace.
• Discuss the difference between privacy and security.
• Explain various risks to internet privacy.

Lesson 1: Netiquette
What is Netiquette?
What is Netiquette? Simple stated, it’s network etiquette – that is the etiquette of cyberspace
and “etiquette” means the forms of required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be
required in social or official life. In other words, netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly
online.

Netiquette, or network etiquette, is concerned with the "proper" way to communicate in an

online environment. Consider the following "rules," adapted from Virginia Shea's the Core Rules of
Netiquette, whenever you communicate in the virtual world.

When you use e-mail, instant messenger, video calls, or discussion boards to communicate
with others online, please be sure to follow the rules of professional online communications known
as netiquette. These rules will help you communicate with instructors, classmates, and potential
employers more effectively and will help prevent misunderstandings.

REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE

Even though you may be interacting with a computer screen, you are communicating with a
real person who will react to your message. Make a good impression - treat others with the same
respect that you would like to receive and avoid confrontational or offensive language.

To help convey meaning when creating messages, it is sometimes acceptable to include

appropriate emoticon symbols, such as a smiley face :) However, for professional communications
these would be inappropriate.

AVOID SLANG, ACRONYMS, AND TEXT TALK

Communicating effectively in college and business environments requires the use of correct
terminology, spelling, and grammar that can easily be understood. For example, use “your” instead
of “ur”.

AVOID “SCREAMING” IN TYPED MESSAGES

Typing an entire message using all capital letters is known as “screaming”. It is distracting
and generally frowned upon in professional environments. It is better to draw emphasis to selected
words or phrases by: using italic or bold text; using a different color for text or background color; or
denoting emphasis using special characters (Example: **Important**).

PROOFREAD YOUR MESSAGES BEFORE SENDING THEM

Proofreading your messages before you send them is a best practice for effective and
efficient communication. Strive to make your communications concise and free of any: • Spelling and
grammar errors
• Confusing terms or phrases that could be misunderstood
• Errors of omission, such as missing content or recipients
• Errors in accuracy of information

EXERCISE GOOD JUDGMENT WHEN SHARING INFORMATION WITH OTHERS

ONLINE
E-mail and chat messages that you send or receive are considered private and should not
be forwarded or copied to others without gaining the consent of all involved participants. In general,
messages posted to discussion boards and social media sites can be read by the public. You may
never know who might read or share what you post. It is a good practice to always ask a post’s
author for permission before sharing a post with other parties.

• To protect your privacy and safety, do not share online any sensitive personal information
such as:
- Your home address or phone number
- Personal conversations
- Social plans, such as vacations
- Financial information
- Usernames, passwords, or hints
- Anything personal that you would not want shared by others over the Internet

• If the material you share with others online came from another source, make every effort to
gain permission from the original author or copyright holder. Copying someone else's work
and passing it off as your own is plagiarism. It damages your reputation and could subject
you to serious academic and legal consequences.

RESPECT DIVERSITY IN VIEWPOINTS

Be constructive and respectful when sharing opinions, beliefs, and criticisms, or responding
to those of others in the conversation.
• When sharing a viewpoint that differs from someone else’s, it is a best practice to first
acknowledge the other person by briefly restating what he or she said, but in your own words.
This lets the person know that you are listening and trying to understand them.
• When presenting an opinion or criticism, it is helpful to use phrases that identify to whose
point of view you are referring. If the opinion is yours, you can begin with the phrase “In my
experience” or “In my opinion”. If it is a viewpoint of someone else, make sure you identify
that in your message (Example: “According to Eric Ericson,” or “The president believes”).
Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

Rule 1: Remember the Human When communicating electronically, whether through email,
instant message, discussion post, text, or some other method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto
others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are read by real
people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before you press "send" or "submit," ask
yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?"

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life While it can
be argued that standards of behavior may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should
not be lower. You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society
whenever you inhabit "cyberspace." Would you behave rudely to someone face-to-face? On
most occasions, no. Neither should you behave this way in the virtual world.

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace "Netiquette varies from domain to domain." (Shea,
1994) Depending on where you are in the virtual world, the same written communication can be
acceptable in one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in another. What you text to
a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a classmate or colleague. Can you think of another
example?

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth electronic communication takes time: time
to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and
don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. As a virtual world
communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the time spent reading your words isn't
wasted. Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text
or superfluous graphics or attachments that may take forever to download.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online writing.colostate.edu One of the best things about the
virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, sound of your
voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a clown
outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in
mind: Always check for spelling and grammar errors Know what you're talking about and state it
clearly Be pleasant and polite

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge The Internet offers its users many benefits; one is the ease in
which information can be shared or accessed and in fact, this "information sharing" capability is
one of the reasons the Internet was founded. So, in the spirit of the Internet's "founding fathers,"
share what you know! When you post a question and receive intelligent answers, share the
results with others. Are you an expert at something? Post resources and references about your
subject matter. Recently expanded your knowledge about a subject that might be of interest to
others? Share that as well.

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control What is meant by "flaming" and "flame wars?"
"Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any
emotion." (Shea, 1994). As an example, think of the kinds of passionate comments you might
read on a sports blog. While "flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication,
"flame wars," when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be
controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames;
extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world,
be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email, you may be exposed to some
private or personal information that needs to be handled with care. Perhaps someone is sharing
some medical news about a loved one or discussing a situation at work. What do you think would
happen if this information "got into the wrong hands?" Embarrassment? Hurt feelings? Loss of a
job? Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of
others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual
communication.

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power Just like in face-to-face situations, there are people in
cyberspace who have more "power" than others. They have more expertise in technology or they
have years of experience in a particular skill or subject matter. Maybe it's you who possesses all
of this knowledge and power! Just remember: knowing more than others do or having more
power than others may have does not give you the right to take advantage of anyone. Think of
Rule 1: Remember the human.

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes Not everyone has the same amount of
experience working in the virtual world. And not everyone knows the rules of netiquette. At some
point, you will see a stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter
misspelled words; when this happens, practice kindness and forgiveness as you would hope
someone would do if you had committed the same offense. If it's a minor "offense," you might
want to let it slide. If you feel compelled to respond to a mistake, do so in a private email rather
than a public forum.