Your Guide To Online Interactions (PUBLISHED)

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As human beings living in the digital age, the internet is endlessly shifting the ways in which we communicate with one another. Social media is becoming more and more integrated within our daily lives – Facebook, for example, can help us feel connected with our loved ones, while simultaneously serving as a marketing tool for businesses.

Therefore, it is important to know that just as we are expected to posess everyday social etiquette, there are also expectations for etiquette in the virtual online space. Such expectations are referred to as Netiquette (Net + Etiquette).

Keep these simple rules of Netiquette in mind before publishing content online. That way, you can prevent your drunken, angry tweets to Donald Trump from coming back to haunt you later on in life.

#1: Use the grandma rule. If you wouldn’t say it or show it to your grandmother, then you shouldn’t post it.

#2: Don’t post anything that may be offensive to another person Although we may seem safe hiding behind a computer screen, our posts are out there for the public to see. It is just as easy to offend someone to their face as it is over the internet.

#3: If it isn’t acceptable in real life then it surely isn’t acceptable online. Follow the law. Stealing books from a bookstore is illegal, so why would it be legal to steal online publications from a hardworking scholar?

#4: Understand that various platforms have different uses. Know your roles within the platforms. I probably wouldn’t post my resume on Facebook because my friends could care less about my professional credentials. (However, doing so might actually make my mother proud of me for once – or really disappointed).

#5: Respect people’s time. We live in a generation where we don’t have enough time. Understand that it may take a couple hours for Wendy’s to respond to your customer complaints on Twitter, and know when it would be appropriate to follow up if your mentions remain unlively.

#6: Share valuable information. If you consider yourself a professional in a certain field, share your insights and knowledge with the public. The internet is a free and open space that you could make good use of.

#7: Don’t spam. Think about the irritation you feel when @Cakegirl1234 comments, “Follow for follow?” on several of your Instagram posts.

Now you are ready to off into the abyss that is also known as the internet. Show off those good manners!