RELG 402 - World's Living Religions
Netiquette
Discussing Religion (and politics) is fraught with more than the usual dangers of misunderstanding and anger. Our religious beliefs (or lack of them) are a basic part of our personality, and we tend to feel threatened when encountering other world-views. Please be very careful in your remarks and replies to state your position carefully, with due consideration for the beliefs and feeling of your classmates. Please do not react hastily to any remark which angers you or which you take personally, but try to understand the underlying reasons for the remark, and then reply courteously if appropriate.
Flaming or any attempt to start a Flame War will result in removal from the Discussion Board (and a grade of "F") and may result in closure of the Discussion Board.
The general rules of Netiquette as given by ENMU apply at all times.
In addition, here are some thoughts and advice as regards Netiquette in this course:
When replying to emails, include part of the original message so that the reader will be able to put your reply in context.
If sending an email to a large group of recipients - put all their email addresses in the BCC line so that you do not load everyone's message with a list of all other recipients.
When replying to a message that was sent to a large group of recipients, make sure that you only use "Reply All" if you really want everyone in the group to receive your message. If you only need to reply to the sender, use "Reply Sender".
When sending an email, make sure the "Subject" in the Subject line reflects the subject of the message.
If replying to, or forwarding, an email, consider changing the "Subject" in the Subject line to reflect any change in subject matter.
Don't forward other folks' messages to all the world and his dog. There's enough spam and junk mail out there already.
Remember that whatever you post or send may be recorded somewhere and may come back to haunt you.
Be friendly and kind towards your classmates.
Keep your cool.
Keep your voice down - using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in a message is the equivalent of yellin' an' hollerin' - We don't want to hear it.
If you want to emphasize a point - don't SHOUT - use bold or italic text in your message, or ***draw attention*** to it by using asterisks.
Avoid sarcasm and snide remarks.
Be very careful when using humor - some people may not understand it.
Remember that a text message does not convey your tone of voice and facial expression, so the message may be misunderstood by the reader.
Make allowances for some of your classmates to be new to college and not yet used to polite discussion.
Remember that some of your classmates may be from other countries. English may not be their native language, or they may use a different variety of English. Try to express yourself clearly, and make allowances for cultural diversity.
Use smileys and emoticons to express feelings if you must - but they can become distracting if used frequently.
If you receive a message that sounds angry, abrasive or offensive - do not assume that it was meant to be so. The sender may have sent it without proof reading, or without thinking about its tone. Send a polite message asking for clarification.
Sometimes the best way to deal with an abusive message is just to delete it. Don't waste time trying to reply. Let the sender sit and stew wondering whether you received it. If the sender sent it in error, or has second thoughts, s/he will probably send you another message asking about it, and then you can sort things out between yourselves in a cooler atmosphere.
Make it personal - you are communicating with a living person like yourself. How would you speak if you were face-to-face?
Make it positive - assume that your are communicating with someone of good will and intentions, even if they make mistakes in communication.
Be aware of and sensitive to cultural differences. Words may be used differently in different cultures. If in doubt, ask for clarification.
Toujours la politesse (Always Politeness)
Points to consider before posting or sending :
- Would you like to receive such a message?
- Would you like to see your message on a billboard on the road between Portales and Clovis?
- Would you like your grandmother to see or receive such a message?
Think before you post or send
Read through your message carefully and thoughtfully before you post or send.
If in doubt - don't send it
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
