Getting Started Guide

H
OME
I
NTERNET
A
PPLIANCE
–G
ETTING
S
TARTED
E-
MAIL
5-11
Internet Etiquette
Rules of the Road
As we expect other drivers to observe the rules of the road, the
same is true as we travel through cyberspace. E-mail has its
own set of rules called Netiquette. Here are a few pointers to
help you out:
➜
Except for emphasis, avoid using all caps or bold letters:
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING!
➜
Be careful what you write. Your mail can easily be
forwarded to anyone.
➜
Keep your message short. Text is harder to read on a
computer screen.
➜
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Because e-mail
is like a telephone conversation, your readers will likely
tune out a long speech.
➜
Make your subject line descriptive. Some people get more
than a hundred e-mail messages every day. A good
description on the subject line helps prioritize their mail.
➜
When you forward mail, put your comments at the top of
the message.
➜
Before you forward an e-mail message, be sure to consider
whether the original author of the message would object if
you sent it to others.
Internet
Etiquette
Because e-mail is such a
new way to communicate,
new rules have evolved.
This is the Internet form of
etiquette called Netiquette.