Due to my recent (and past) faux pas?s in chat, it dawned on me to see if there was some universal chat room etiquette. Cyberspace psychology & communications are interesting anyway. In brief I found each community has its own culture and that a lot of communities publish their etiquette guidelines in FAQs. But there are some universal ones.
This has been my first experience in a chat room or community & I have a violated a few of them. Some I really did not know about & some I knew better because it really is just common sense.
For example, I absolutely did not know that you are not suppose to use Capital Letters in cyberspace; that it means you are yelling or screaming and that is offensive to all. It is also not acceptable to pry or ask others personal questions such as sex or age. Although we are all pretty open with each other, I do believe people deserve whatever level of privacy they wish & I have crossed that line & dug deep inappropriately.
Also, most of all, chat rooms are to be enjoyed by all and not taken too seriously. (I forget that one a lot.)
There is etiquette for forums and discussions also, but here is a summary of the universal ones that I found for chat. I think a lot of people already know all this stuff, but I didn?t.
Some Do Not?s?
1. Do not verbally abuse, attack, embarrass or threaten anyone. You are bound to have people upset you but it is best just to ignore them or leave the room.
2. Do not use obscene, offensive, or sexually explicit language.
3. Do not type your messages in capital letters. It is a sign that you are screaming or yelling and it is rude.
4. Do not ask others a lot of personal questions. Use the same judgment as you would in a face to face conversation. Caveat: Unless you are personal friends and are both comfortable sharing.
5. Don?t speak unless you know what the conversation is about. Don?t interrupt a conversation in process.
Some Do?s
1. When you enter the chat room always greet everyone there whether you know them or not.
2. When someone enters the room, always greet them ?Hi .
3. Welcome newcomers who are entering for the first time. Answer their questions. Try to help.
4. Type short messages. If your message is long, break it up.
5. Do enjoy your time in chat and never take things too seriously.
I am glad I learned these things.
This has been my first experience in a chat room or community & I have a violated a few of them. Some I really did not know about & some I knew better because it really is just common sense.
For example, I absolutely did not know that you are not suppose to use Capital Letters in cyberspace; that it means you are yelling or screaming and that is offensive to all. It is also not acceptable to pry or ask others personal questions such as sex or age. Although we are all pretty open with each other, I do believe people deserve whatever level of privacy they wish & I have crossed that line & dug deep inappropriately.
Also, most of all, chat rooms are to be enjoyed by all and not taken too seriously. (I forget that one a lot.)
There is etiquette for forums and discussions also, but here is a summary of the universal ones that I found for chat. I think a lot of people already know all this stuff, but I didn?t.
Some Do Not?s?
1. Do not verbally abuse, attack, embarrass or threaten anyone. You are bound to have people upset you but it is best just to ignore them or leave the room.
2. Do not use obscene, offensive, or sexually explicit language.
3. Do not type your messages in capital letters. It is a sign that you are screaming or yelling and it is rude.
4. Do not ask others a lot of personal questions. Use the same judgment as you would in a face to face conversation. Caveat: Unless you are personal friends and are both comfortable sharing.
5. Don?t speak unless you know what the conversation is about. Don?t interrupt a conversation in process.
Some Do?s
1. When you enter the chat room always greet everyone there whether you know them or not.
2. When someone enters the room, always greet them ?Hi .
3. Welcome newcomers who are entering for the first time. Answer their questions. Try to help.
4. Type short messages. If your message is long, break it up.
5. Do enjoy your time in chat and never take things too seriously.
I am glad I learned these things.
eace:
zwink:
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