Week 7 DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Digital Citizenship

            The brief narration from Miss Del Regno in the video produced by SchoolTube is a more of public service message that helps us understand that without visas, immigration, or homeland security, and without even a code of conduct agreement, the internet has granted us keys to the world, and with that, we should be responsible. Roblyer and Doering followed with a long list of netiquette, that could have been one line; treat others, the way you want to be treated.  

            Users also forget that in most instances, we have been given these freedoms free; which I feel is another netiquette that we take advantage of. If we had to pay for Facebook or twitter, half of the unnecessary negative commentary would be eliminated. Without going too far into Sally Bradley’s abstract, I knew I had experienced netiquette failure and recovery during an outsourcing project. While working virtually with teams from Bangalore and another from the Philippines, it was clear that North Americans have a tendency to jump into conversation without even a proper hello. The Europeans and Asians prefer to acknowledge salutations then get to the matter at hand. The same level of respect must apply when speaking to the whiteboard on Facebook, or the tiny window of your phone, yet we forget, or neglect to use proper netiquette and blame it on the 140-character rule.

BRIGHTHUB - http://www.brighthub.com/education/online-learning/articles/26946.aspx#imgn_0

The course speaks to elements we learned about communicating in person such as being friendly and positive, and using proper language and titles. Refraining from colloquialisms still applies to online netiquette, especially when working with global teams.  

THE INTERNET ROADMAP - http://www.pce.uw.edu/resource.aspx?id=4425

Another good source for learning netiquette rules

Source: These guidelines were adapted from those submitted by members of AOLIN (Australian Open Learning In-formation Network), from "The Internet Roadmap," an Internet training course by Patrick Crispen and from The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette by Arlene Rinaldi.

• Posting

Come forward and share your thoughts with the group. Keep your questions and comments relevant to the focus of the discussion group.

• Subject Line

Be sure the subject line reflects the topic, and be as succinct as possible. Many readers determine from the subject line whether or not to read the message. If you're starting a new topic, be sure to start a new message.

If you start a new topic by replying to a message, readers won't be able to find your message since you will be writing under the old topic.

• Length of Message

If possible, try to restrict a message to a screen; two screen pages are still tolerable. Brevity is a virtue since reading long text on the screen can be tiresome for both the eye and mind.

• Writing Style

Use short sentences and simple English. Avoid rambling running prose with complex syntax and a multitude of coordinate and subordinate clauses. Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or distinguish a title or heading. *Asterisks* surrounding a word also can be used to make a stronger point. Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally read as SHOUTING and is not acceptable Netiquette.

• Spacing

Neat, meaningful spacing can ease mental processing. Try this:

·         Have short paragraphs separated by a blank line rather than long paragraphs with a tab indent for the first line

·         Put questions on separate lines rather than stringing them together in one paragraph. This makes it easier for people to annotate or answer them.

• Numbered Items

Ideas and arguments are clearer if presented in point form; if they are numbered as well, it will make cross referencing even easier.

• Spontaneous or Considered Response

While much can be said in praise of spontaneity, if you are dealing with a sensitive or controversial topic, give yourself a little more time to reflect on the arguments and counterarguments, then compose a considered response that you will not regret afterwards. Remember that electronic documents travel fast, get reproduced easily, and live long in people's files.

• Wit and Humor

A small and occasional dose of wit and humor does wonders for a discussion that is beginning to take itself too seriously, and can also break the ice for a discussion with a hesitant start. Too much clowning around and too many flippant jokes or remarks, however, can be irritating and offensive to most people. Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without face-to-face communications, your joke may be viewed as criticism.

• Etiquette and Protocol

If you want to acknowledge and thank people for their comments on your views, do so privately rather than publicly. Most important, resist the temptation to "flame" (lambaste or criticize antagonistically) others. Remember that online discussions are meant for constructive exchanges. Treat other forum participants as you would want them to treat you. A good rule of thumb is to wait 24 hours before responding to any message you perceive as a flame. You may see it differently later.

I would use and recommend both of these options because they are easy to use and provide brief factual examples of what to do, or not do when communicating virtually or publically on the web. No one wants to read a 50 page how to manual on anything, so the short, precise rules that you can print and post near your keyboard is a perfect reminder of something should become second nature after some practice.

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010) Netiquette: Rules of behavior on the Internet.

Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/netiquette-rules-behavior-internet/

SchoolTube (Producer) & Del Regno, M. (Director).  (2011) Digital citizenship [Video file].

Retrieved from http://www.schooltube.com/video/c31905a60541e87e2c2a/Digital-Citizenship (approximate length: 3 minutes)