Knowing what netiquette is essential for every Internet user today. Just as there are rules of behavior in the face-to-face world, the same is true in the digital context.
In fact, netiquette implies a series of behavioral patterns that every web user must follow in order to maintain healthy and appropriate cyber relationships. And even more so in digital work environments.
Therefore, we have prepared this post about what netiquette is, what are the basic rules of netiquette, and its associated benefits. And consequently, you will be able to improve your communication and your links within the web.
From an etymological perspective, “netiquette” comes from the term “netiquette”, which in turn comes from “net” and “etiquette” (French). In short, if you want to know what netiquette is, it is the regulatory framework that exists in relation to behavior on the Internet.
Historically, the first time the term netiquette was used was in a piece of content published by essay writers in 1995 by the international standards organization Internet Engineering Task Force, called “Netiquette Guidelines.”
To understand what netiquette is, it is important to mention that although there is no legal penalty for non-compliance with netiquette rules, most users put them into practice to ensure good relations in virtual environments.
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On the other hand, understanding what netiquette is implies knowing in greater depth what the general principles of netiquette are, which are detailed below.
First of all, if you want to know what netiquette is, you should keep in mind that in any digital context, you must maintain the rules of good conduct when communicating.
Thus, it is always important to be polite and present yourself in new communicative instances on the Internet, whether in WhatsApp groups, social networks, or when writing an email.
Never send an email without a subject line, as people might think it is a mistake. And it should be concise and refer to the content of the email. On the other hand, always greet whoever you send the email to. After the greeting, ask how the person is. Then, detail why you are sending the email to give context to the person receiving the email. Do not overdo the information in an email when attaching a file. Then, close with your email’s specific action you are looking for. And finally, when closing the email, it is important to write a cordial farewell.
Thus, knowing what netiquette is makes it possible to establish communication styles from a personal and organizational point of view.
According to a Hootsuite analysis, it is necessary to set policies to follow in relation to the management of social networks. As a result, it is possible to ensure the correct management of the writing style, which matches the brand identity. And at the same time, legal complications and reputation problems can be avoided.
Thus, to understand what netiquette is within business environments, it is necessary to practice what the corporate manual establishes. To achieve this, designing a brand book is a fundamental task within any company, as it facilitates language management by the human talent in digital environments.
If you need to design your brand manual, remember that you can download our Brandbook format for free.
On the other hand, it is essential to optimize capital letters in digital texts to be clear about netiquette.
In fact, this typeface is associated with shouting on the Internet, and its use should be completely limited to optimize virtual communication.
Also, to know what netiquette is, you must consider the importance of good grammar and spelling in all your digital content.
Indeed, publications on social networks, emails, or WhatsApp messages that include spelling mistakes, coherence, and cohesion problems can seriously damage the company you represent.
Therefore, in order to assimilate what netiquette is, it is essential that you try to use punctuation marks properly and that you carefully check that your message is well written.
One of the most useful resources to deepen on what netiquette is involves the correct use of emojis in digital texts.
It is not about using them at all times but doing it strategically to emphasize or clarify the intention of a particular message on the web. And thus, avoid misunderstandings that could damage the quality of your links in digital environments.
Going a little further in this guide on netiquette, we cannot fail to mention how essential it is to share knowledge with other users.
One of the ways to generate a good reputation as a user and as a brand is to provide knowledge in which you are an expert. Thus, by knowing what netiquette is, you will be able to put into practice the following resources on the web:
If you want to know more about what netiquette is, you must publish real content in your social networks and digital contexts.
Therefore, to avoid the consequences of fake news, we recommend that you verify the origin of the information you are going to share on the Internet.
In this regard, and according to an analysis by Forbes, to improve netiquette, Facebook has created a section within the interface with curated content. WhatsApp is developing a resource to avoid fake news. Instagram already has the alternative of reporting and eliminating fake news, and Twitter allows the identification of misleading content.
In this analysis of netiquette, we must refer to the importance of respect for privacy. In fact, we advise you not to tag other users on social networks without their consent. Also, do not publish data and personal information of other users to avoid legal complications and not to affect people’s privacy within digital environments.
And at all times, comply with the policies of each social network or messaging platform in which you participate.
Finally, to learn more about netiquette, do not forget to make reports or complaints if you notice that any user has violated the community’s rules. Make special emphasis on:
In short, understanding netiquette can help you improve your brand image and optimize the quality of communication in virtual environments.
On the other hand, knowing the aspects related to netiquette will allow you to strengthen cybersecurity by preventing fraud, spam, and fake news.
In addition to the content we have provided in this post about what netiquette is and what it is for, we invite you to learn about all our learning paths that make up the Digital Marketing Academy so that you can acquire even more knowledge about the Internet.
And remember that just as you must maintain standards of etiquette face-to-face, you must do the same in virtual contexts. So, incorporate the rules of netiquette in your digital life and make your communication links give good results.
