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NJHA's Netiquette Guidelines For NJHA's Discussion Forums
By NJHA Library, Michele Volesko, director, Library and Corporate Information Services
Table of Contents:Using This Page
Definition Of Netiquette
For More Information About Netiquette
References
Netiquette: Q & A - Rules Of Conduct Online
Helpful Hints On How To Use The Discussion Forum Message Screens
Using This PageUse these guidelines to courteously, effectively and ethically communicate using NJHA Discussion Forums. Read through the quick Q & A format and "Helpful Hints" sections to easily learn the rules of the road and make your participation in the NJHA Discussion Forums a worthwhile experience that you will return to again and again. It's that simple. Have fun. Please do not hesitate to call NJHA staff if you should have any questions.
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Netiquette Definition:"Netiquette" is etiquette for communicating online. It is the informal "set of rules" for behavior in computer-based conversations. Some rules are common sense while others are particular to an online environment where you are conversing with colleagues, via a computer screen. Just like any new game or job, learning the codes of conduct make the "play" easier and more enjoyable.
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For More Information About Netiquette:This is an overview and does not comprehensively cover all the questions you may have or issues you will encounter. Readers are encouraged to visit http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html for an excellent discussion of this topic. Take the easy self-quiz offered on this web page to review what you have learned.
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Netiquette: Questions & AnswersTable of Contents
- Most Important Netiquette Rule
- Top Ten Netiquette Rules
- Online Community
- Use Of UPPER CASE LETTERS
- Signed Messages & anonymity
- Formality
- Copying Someone's Messages
- Quoting Messages
- Errors In Someone Else's Messages
- Length Of Time Messages Are kept
- Flaming
- Advertising
- Political Correctness
- Politeness
- Over Speak
- Time To Be quiet
- IMHO & "smileys"
- Opinions & disclaimer
- Ownership Of messages
- Copyright
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Question #1: What is the most important netiquette rule?
Answer:
Remember individuals are reading your message and it is the person at the other end of the technology to whom you are speaking, not the PC screen.
Though you are sitting at a computer screen, remember at all times you are talking to people, so use the same common sense and standards of conduct online as you would in your professional life on the telephone or in face-to-face meetings.
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Question #2: Is there a quick list of rules for talking online?
Answer:
NJHA's Top Ten Netiquette Tips:
- Participate regularly; your knowledge, opinions and ideas are valuable and needed
- ethics and common sense count
- remember your manners, politeness rules
- obey all laws
- be helpful, sign messages with your telephone number
- use good grammar, spell check
- don't misspeak, check facts first
- forgive new users' inadvertent online errors
- no flames allowed (see Question #11)
- adhere to copyright
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Question #3: Is a discussion group what is meant by the phrase, "online community"?
Answer:
Yes! Often, over time, a great deal of camaraderie and good will is created between participants in an online discussion group and this is what the phrase online community generally means. It's only natural that as you get to know individuals by chatting with them regularly in a professional forum you gain mutual respect and assistance. For this reason "flaming" is discouraged (see Question #11).
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Question #4: Someone told me to use CAPITALS (UPPER CASE LETTERS) in my message to get more attention. Should I?
Answer:
In almost all cases, don't! Using upper case letters will definitely gain attention, but mostly of the negative variety. Upper case letters are the equivalent of SHOUTING online. Deliberately placing a word or phrase in upper case letters to indicate shouting should be judiciously used only if it is appropriate to the message and its readers
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Question #5: How anonymous is the NJHA Discussion Forum? Will others know who I am when I post a message?
Answer:
The NJHA Discussion Forum is not anonymous. The system itself will automatically "stamp" and post your message with your name or affiliation as it appears in your e-mail address.
Helpful Hint: It is usually helpful to include your telephone number in your message should someone want to respond to you privately. This is not automatically included by the Discussion Forum system, so type it at the end of your message. Please notify NJHA if your e-mail address changes.
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Question #6: How formal should I be when I am writing messages?
Answer:
Be informal. However, since your messages are not anonymous, you can make yourself "look," "feel" or "sound" good to others online by the quality of your writing. Clarity, grammar and spelling count. Know what you are talking about and state it simply. Do not proliferate rumors or unsubstantiated facts. If you heard it from someone and have not verified it, say so. Likewise, if it is your opinion, mention this. Also, if your message is on sound authority state who that authority is, with their permission. Remember to be polite, use non-inflammatory words.
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Question #7: Can I copy someone else's messages to me?
Answer:
Before you copy another person's message into your own message, regardless of the purpose (whether in its entirety or substantial portions of it), you need the permission of the author. Always use the phrase "Reprinted with permission" of … ." This is different than just "referencing" or "quoting" keywords or phrases of a message, (see question #8). This is common sense and copyright law (see question #20). If you do not do this the message will be mistaken as your own. This could also be embarrassing for you should the original author discover this and point it out to you online.
When an e-mail system uses a "reply" setting that copies the original message into your reply, it adds the original author and date. This is generally an acceptable practice.
Online discussions have the same codes of conduct as telephone or face-to-face meetings. Sometimes an online environment makes it easy to do something you would not ordinarily do. To be safe, basic netiquette is not to use another person's message or document unless you ask permission and attribute it to the author(s).
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Question #8: Can I quote my message or others' messages?
Answer:
In general it is customary to quote pieces of other messages within the discussion forum itself, when you are responding to it. Have you ever entered the middle of a story and not easily understood what was happening? Online discussions are sometimes like that. It makes it easier for others to know what you are referring to in your response if you say, "This is my response to John's message on XYZ on May 27."
Also, common courtesy is to cite the author/message owner when quoting a message for study, reference or research. However, if you are publishing the message in some other way, for an article for example, copyright law requires you to ask permission of the author prior to use.
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Question #9: If I notice someone has an error in a message, should I tell him or her?
Answer:
Yes, but politely. Errors in facts or content should be posted as a message "thread" to the original message. Netiquette errors may best be handled person-to-person.
"Newbies" are individuals new to the Internet or discussion forums and sometimes make errors with Netiquette; that's how we learn. If you are an experienced online user, think back to your initial experiences and remember an error you may have made. Sometimes we are not aware of all the rules of the road. If you do notice an error, politely and privately alert the individual to it, perhaps via email.
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Question #10: How long are messages kept on the discussion forum?
Answer:
Initially, NJHA will retain all messages on the discussion forum. Since all messages may be retained for future reference, it is always a good practice to post messages that you would want anyone to read months or even years later. Messages can and will come back to haunt you unless you consider this simple fact.
As volumes of messages are posted, and with time, NJHA will "archive" or purge messages, as appropriate. When this occurs a message will be posted to the discussion forum, alerting participants to the fact that messages older than a certain period of time will be archived or deleted.
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Question #11: What is "flaming" or "flame wars"?
Answer:
Flaming is expressing a strongly held opinion online without regard to whom you might offend.
"Flaming" is a tradition as old as the Internet itself, and one that is perhaps appropriate for other discussion forums. On the NJHA Discussion Forum, in general flaming is inappropriate and should be avoided. "Flame wars" are a series of escalating messages filled with emotion-filled opinions, words and upper-case letters.
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Question #12: Can I advertise a service, product, classified ad, or post a job wanted?
Answer:
Advertising is not allowed per se. You may mention a website as an FYI or discuss a new hospital service but a formal ad or marketing pitch is not appropriate. Only NJHA may use this forum in this way to publicize new services or products. For classified ad services for employers or resume posting for job seekers see the NJHA Career Center
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Question #13: What should I know about being politically correct online?
Answer:
Like any other environment, in general avoid all references to gender, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation unless applicable to clinical discussions.
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Question #14: What should I know about being polite online?
Answer:
Your email always sounds much harsher when reading it aloud than when you are writing it. This is because you cannot hear the original vocal intonations or see facial expressions. Excessive politeness means to err on the side of the positive wording. For example, short replies sometimes sound curt or impolite when not intended this way. If you think your words could be perceived negatively, they probably will. A Netiquette suggestion is to read the message through once, before posting it, and reword it if it "sounds" terse to you.
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Question #15: Can I over speak?
Answer:
Contributions to this online community are valued. In general, you can never send too many messages or answer too many requests for information or contribute too many ideas or opinions. This builds your credibility, encourages others to speak online and promotes your interests.
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Question #16: When is it time to be quiet online?
Answer:
Common sense is the guide. Don't answer every question or comment with simple "I agree" or something similar. You will be perceived as a nuisance. Have something substantive to say.
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Question #17: I often see the abbreviation "IMHO" or :) in messages. What is this?
Answer:
These are abbreviations and symbols that get used in online messaging to express emotions and are conventions that often make online communication "easier," compensating for the lack of voice or facial expressions. In a way, they are online slang. "IMHO" stands for "in my humble opinion" and is a quick helpful appellation to a message to indicate your thought rather than a reported fact. :) is the original "smiley" and there are hundreds of them used to make messages fun or more expressive. Used in moderation they can be appropriate. An Informative web site about smileys for the curious is:
The UnOfficial Smiley FAQ™ by Don Z'Boray, 1995
http://www.newbie.net/JumpStations/SmileyFAQ.html
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Question #18: How do I indicate this is my opinion and not that of my health system or hospital.
Answer:
A phrase commonly used is: "These opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent those of XYZ corporation." Online discussion forums are generally assumed to consist of personal opinions, albeit informed ones. However, feel free to include this phrase at any time.
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Question #19: Who owns the messages posted to a discussion forum?
Answer:
There is a commonly held belief that posting a message to a discussion forum places the message in the "public domain" so a message can be readily copied and posted elsewhere. This is not true.
See the NJHA Policy on Use. In general, if you write something, even in an online message, you "own" it; that's copyright.
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Question #20: Why is copyright so important in an online environment?
Answer:
Copyright is a law that governs the use of messages, text, graphics and other original works. It is a law governing intellectual property and is applicable in both print and electronic formats, the latter including discussion forums.
These netiquette guidelines are not intended to cover copyright issues per se. This is simply a caution to read more about copyright and to adhere to this law while using NJHA's discussion forums. A useful web site to learn more about copyright is The United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress
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Helpful Hints On How To Use The Discussion ForumTable Of Contents
- How soon does my message appear on the forum?
- Attaching files
- Subject line
- Size of messages
- Correcting mistakes in your message
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Question #1: How soon does my message appear on the forum after I type it?
Answer:
Messages are posted immediately. Messages are not "held" somewhere for posting at a later time unless it is an NJHA Moderated Forum. If you do not see your message immediately added to the discussion after you click the 'Send' button, wait approximately 30 minutes, the e-mail can be delayed at several points along the transmission. If the message does not "post" contact your NJHA Discussion Forum Moderator for assistance.
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Question #2: Can I attach a file to my message and what file format should I use?
Answer:
You may post a file to your messages using any file format. In general do not post an attached file when a simple message will do. Files though are sometimes useful for long or important documents or when formatted files, calculations or graphics are necessary. NJHA encourages you to share such information. Please remember to credit the author(s) of the attachment and follow copyright (see question #20). See the Help/Instructions page for further information.
In general, readers can view your attachment if they have the software and the version you used to create the file.
Also remember bandwidth - the size of the pipe through which the file is transmitted to the user. An office-based Internet connection may be fast and the file may be quickly retrieved. Home-based connections, using telephone wires, may transmit very slowly. Average file size is generally 1mg or less.
Posting a document in a RTF (Rich Text Format) is the best option, available in most word processing software. You may also use a Word (.doc) format or Portable Document Format (.pdf), as most users have the software to read such files. If users do not have the software and version you used to create the file, he/she will not be able to open your file, so consider that when you post an attachment.
If you are unsure of the version you are saving a file in, you can obtain it by using the pull down menu of the software called "Help" and then choosing the "About" option. This displays the information. Also it may be very useful to briefly explain the contents of the attached file to help readers determine if they want to refer to it.
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Question #3: What do I type in the subject line?
Answer:
This is critical. Type succinct phrases or a sentence describing the focus of your message. Don't leave this line blank, since this is the information that displays and is browsed and viewed by users in several screens of the discussions. It is one of the most important parts of your message. Give some thought to the subject line and use key words and phrases to help readers determine if your message is of interest to them.
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Question #4: How large can my message be?
Answer:
There are no limits to the size of your message. While there are no real limits to the size of the message you can type, in reality there are practical limits to how much a participant probably wants to read. Think of the discussion forum as a conversational technology. Use it to talk and not necessarily to compose soliloquies.
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Question #5: If I post a message and made a mistake, can I correct or remove it?
Answer:
Yes and no. You cannot delete it yourself; however, the NJHA Moderator can delete it for you. Contact your listserv moderator for assistance.
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Questions?
For assistance with your listserv please contact your listserv moderator. For emergencies with the listserv please contact the NJHA Library 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 609-275-4230. For non-emergencies, you may also e-mail: webadmin@njha.com.
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References:Janal, Daniel S. Online Marketing Handbook. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, © 1995, pp. 80-85.
Shea, Virginia. Netiquette. San Francisco, CA: Albion Books, © 1994.
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