_ Netiquette _

Successful discussion relies not just on keeping the rules, but also on appropriate attitudes and Internet etiquette (Netiquette):
  1. Seek to cultivate the sense of friendship. The group may represent a diverse range of practitioners, researchers, and educators, with widely different experiences. It may also reflect other cultures. No one epistemology or cultural worldview is dominant. Avoid attempts to make the list over in your own ideological image.

  2. Presume that writers have good intentions. Avoid personal attacks or questioning another's credentials or motives. Email is notorious for easily creating misunderstandings because people too often write without the benefit of a delay between drafts or an independent editor. Give them the benefit of any doubt. If you want to use sarcasm or irony, identify it clearly.

  3. If a message upsets you, think about an appropriate response before answering. Delay your answer until you can get less emotional. Email might not always be the best way to respond.

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  4. Spend time to make sure that your e-mails will say what you mean, and will not easily be misinterpreted. Before you send anything, re-read it as if you were receiving it. A conversational tone can be helpful.

  5. Check the order in which you say things; it can reflect on the meaning.

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  6. Reply with new ideas or suggestions rather than simply responding to what others say and criticizing it. Seek to complement what is said by adding new knowledge or showing how you or your culture sees its differently. The group should recognize and reflect a variety of perspectives. If you must make a critique, do so gently and respectfully. 

  7. Do not shout (USING CAPITALS is shouting)

  8. Consider how much or little you need to tell about your own situation. Too much information can hinder your communication.

  9. Give others the freedom to reply. (You don't have the right to the last word on a topic.)

  10. Don't quote others or pass on their e-mails without their permission.

  11. Freely thank people for their contributions, and affirm their strong points and insights.

  12. Speak from your own perspective, or acknowledge any perspectives you "borrow".

  13. Explain abbreviations the first time you use them.

  14. Do not disclose confidential information.

  15. Avoid or prevent discussions that overly depend on having read particular books; it may be that most group members are either unable to buy them or have very limited time for reading. Summaries or précis of appropriate sections might be valuable. (Of course, an academic program may use assigned reading as basis for its discussion.)

  16. Be forgiving when emails get lost. (Internet service providers, email services, and servers occasionally have technical problems.) And the sender usually doesn't know that the email is lost.