What is Netiquette? A Guide

WHAT IS IT

First to understand the rules of netiquette you need to know what it is. Netiquette is the term for all the generally accepted rules of etiquette that are expected to be used while on the internet, or communicating on the internet. Netiquette isn’t used with friendly conversations amongst friends, but is used in more formal letters to other business men and women, and used while communicating with these men in business chats, etc. So, if you’re a business man or women then you should get to know these rules now, since a huge percentage of business is conducted online.

WHAT ARE THE RULES

Simple Rules. There are quite a lot of netiquette rules so I will only be filling you in on some of them. First, one of the most important is to watch how you type. If you are typing in all caps the person receiving the message could take your message offensively, or could think you’re mad or yelling. But this doesn’t mean type in all lower case letters either. Lowercase letters could be taken as not caring. You need to type as if the letter was a report with properly cased letters. Also, when replying to a question online, make sure you answer in a former way, using part of the original context of the question. This will make it so there is no confusion when multiple questions are asked. One wrong answer, even by accident could cause you to lose a business deal. Another big rule, that doesn’t apply to just business, but the entire internet is, be careful with what you say. Express your ideas clearly in posts and messages so that the message can’t be taken in any other way. These messages can all be forwarded and come back to haunt you, if you said the wrong thing, so just watch what you say. You don’t want one message ruining your whole career. These rules are some of the most important but more basic, so try to learn and use these.

Know When to Talk. While online I’m sure you ask many questions and talk a lot, wanting to make some good business, but you have to know when to be quiet. When you make a business post or send an e-mail, you expect an immediate answer. This doesn’t always happen. People, especially business people don’t have a lot of time to spare, so be patient with replies. Don’t keep sending messages to them. Also when in a conference room and you ask a question, that person might need to contact a co-worker or spend some time to ponder on it, so give them a second or two to reply. Being impatient will only hurt your reputation, because being impatient is a bad business quality.

What is Netiquette?

No Spam. This goes along with my last topic but, I’m sure, at one time you have received spam on your computer or e-mail. This spam can be irritating and slow down that persons online communication. If you have just started a business and you are planning on sending around one e-mail to a thousand people, don’t! This is spam and when you’re trying to get business this won’t help. Try contacting businesses with personal messages. You want them to feel that you actually want them to become interested in your business and that you noticed there’s. Big businesses don’t read spam, its just filtered out, so try to personalize everything to get more business.

Expressing Yourself. Many people use smiley faces and different symbols to express themselves, but this isn’t how it should be in a business letter or e-mail. Sarcasm and humor are 2 things not usually shared during business conferences and letters. These could be offensive if someone is trying to host a serious or important conversation. Also, many people express there anger or try to be funny during business letters and conferences using foul language. This can be very offensive to some and can cause you to get banned from business conference rooms. If banned from these conference rooms, you wont get the work done you were expected and could even loose your job. So try to stay away from using all your smiley’s, foul language and humorous symbols, save those for your friends and try to stay serious when you’re dealing with business.

HOW DOES NETIQUETTE APPLY TO BUSINESS

Netiquette is one of the most important things you need to know while working in the business world online. People judge you by how you talk online, just as people judge you on how you look in real world business. So think of it as the better you talk, and more proper you talk while online, the better chance you have at making a great deal or sale while online. Talking properly online helps make your company feel inviting. The better you are while representing your business, the better your business looks.

These rules are essential while in any business interaction with anyone online, so make sure you know how all the netiquette rules.