Netiquette
- Read before you post. Before you post a question
(or an answer), check to see if anyone else has already posted the same
one and already received a reply (or answer).
- No cat pics. Don't post irrelevant
links, comments, thoughts, or photos to discussion forums that are meant
for a particular purpose.
- Don't yell. That means don't TYPE IN
ALL CAPS. Unless, of course, you really need to EMPHASIZE a safety point
or something.
- Easy tiger. Be careful about writing
anything that sounds angry or sarcastic, even as a joke. Without hearing
your tone of voice, others might not realize you're joking.
- Mind your manners. Always remember to say
please and thank you when asking for help from the instructor, facilitator
or classmates. Mom was right, manners go a long way.
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect other opinions. If
you disagree, do so respectfully and acknowledge the valid points being
made in the opposing argument. Others are entitled to have their own
perspective on an issue and that needs to be acknowledged.
- Just the facts, please. If you reply to a question
from a classmate, make sure your answer is accurate. For example, if
you're not 100% sure when a project is due, you don't want to guess.
You'll end up with egg on your face.
- Summarize. If you ask a question and
get tons of helpful responses, summarize all the answers and post the
summary to benefit the entire class.
- Keep it brief. If you're tempted to write
a missive in response to a simple question, just know that nobody is going
to read it.
- If you don't have something
nice to say... Don't be mean. Don't degrade or insult
others, even in a subtle way. You may disagree with someone's ideas, but
don't mock the person.
- Be clear. If you are referring
to a prior conversation or post, quote just a few key lines from that
discussion so that others won't have to go back and figure out which post
you are talking about.
- Be forgiving. If your classmate makes a
mistake, don't badger him or her for it. Just let it go -- it happens to
the best of us.
- Check your spelling. Consider
running a Spellcheck before posting anything to the discussion forums. It
only takes a minute, and can make the difference between sounding smart or
looking, well, silly.
© 2019, Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (CATT) University of Maryland (UMD)