Mimi Will’s Online Tips: Netiquette
Plan Your Work & Work Your Plan! Following are some tips for your online learning:
Answer your E-Mails and messages within 24 hours, or you are considered rude in the business world!
Put your course number in the subject line (COIN 72) so your e-mail doesn’t end up as spam!
Use a proper signature line (include an alternative contact, like phone number) and don't use slang or all small letters when writing to somebody who's not your buddy. Remember to include a subject line (your name/class) and a signature line at the end (your name, class, e-mail address, phone #), like:
******************
Mimi Will, CTIS/BSS
Foothill College, 4104
willmimi@fhda.edu
650.949.7451
*****************
Also, people have different kinds of e-mail accounts: some are UNIX (like Pine), which don't 'see' attachments all the same way (so please include your message copy/pasted as text in the body of the e-mail when you write to me). Other e-mail programs are MIME-enhanced and can support all kinds of attachments. Attachments can have viruses attached, so always have a current virus checker when you send/receive e-mail.
The problem is that the 'sending' and the 'receiving' e-mail programs may be different: it is very annoying to receive an e-mail with a lot of HTML code sent by somebody who doesn't understand that you can't read their message! Common courtesy and Netiquette (it's all about respect for people you don't really know in spite of long-standing, online conversations) dictate that you consider who is receiving your message and make sure your e-mail systems/programs are compatible. This goes for attachments also -- many are not compatible and cannot be deciphered (and just get discarded).
Finally, there is the possibility that your sent e-mail was never received by the recipient--there may have been a power outage, maybe it was a wrong e-mail address (or a typo), or maybe so many messages were received that a bunch of them got erased in a fit of 'delete rage' (by mistake, of course). The best way is to just resend your message without getting personal about it, and then check to see if it was received (yes, you can still use the phone and ask!) -- even if your system shows that the message was received. top
If you're using shared computers for your e-mail (like in the computer lab here at the College), you need to set your e-mail preferences in Firefox or IE to use it for sending/receiving e-mail; but be sure to delete your preferences when you leave the lab and log off, so that somebody else coming in doesn't sit down to be able to use YOUR account, unbeknownst to you!
Mailing lists are e-mails received on topics or themes of interest. Users subscribe, but it doesn't cost anything -- subscribing means asking to join the list. And then you are on the list until you unsubscribe or ask to be off the list. (Don't lose your instructions on how to unsubscribe, or you will be doomed to receiving the mailings forever!).top
Netiquette online: In this class, we are a learning community of diverse individuals who are here for a common purpose: to learn all we can about business information systems over the Internet! "Netiquette" (etiquette on the Net) is how we conduct ourselves online. Some of the rules are written up, while others evolved with practice. It has to do with courtesy and respect for everyone, for putting yourself in someone else's shoes, and for economizing on somebody else's time.
Arlene Rinaldi has written some guidelines for electronic communications found at The Net: User Guidelines & Netiquette at URL: http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/Netiquette/Rinaldi/ (if link hasn't expired). A few of her guidelines below will be helpful for us in this class:
"Keep paragraphs and messages short and to the point."
"Include your signature at the bottom of E-mail messages. Your signature footer should include your name, position, affiliation and Internet address and should not exceed more than 4 lines."
"Be professional and careful what you say about others. E-mail is easily forwarded."
"Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally termed as SHOUTING!"
"Cite all quotes, references and sources and respect copyright and license agreements."
"Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without face to face communications your 'joke' may be viewed as criticism."
"Keep your questions and comments relevant to the focus of the discussion group." top
E-mail Netiquette suggests:
Use a short, descriptive subject
Make your message as short as possible
Include short quoted parts of the message you are replying to so that the recipient knows that you are referring to
Check the address you are sending to, as sometimes there is a different "reply to" address
Consider what you write and how you write it -- e-mail is never private and it can haunt you forever!
Among the e-mail management tips & tricks from "Internet 101" by Wendy Lehnert (Addison Wesley Publishing Co.) are:
Use the Alias/Nickname feature (in your address book) for names you write frequently to
Use signature files (identifying you to people who don't know you).
"Just adhere to the 4-line limit and avoid highly charged quotations unless you want to make a very strong impression"
Have a sig file for work and a different one for play
Keep a folder for each month's e-mail (if your system doesn't set them up for you) and purge older folders
Don't recycle the same subject header over and over again (after 2-3, change it)
Use automated mail routing/mail filtering when possible top
An autoreply may be helpful when you go away for at least a week (don't use it if you are subscribed to mailing lists, if you expect to read your e-mail while you are gone, or if your e-mail is primarily recreational rather than work-related)
Recycle text for routine message bodies (*your* words, not somebody else's, without their permission!)
Manage your e-mail offline whenever possible, especially during peak periods
You don't have to respond to everything or include a string of forwards to your reply--just include what is relevant
Don't always reply right away -- some answers may require some thought and/or cooling off
Don't allow yourself to feel rushed. Rule of thumb is to reply within 24 hours
Additionally, remember that this class is about "people first" and that we are growing a learning community, not unlike a cyberfamily. We support and encourage each other's learning, help out when we can, offer our examples, experience, and role modeling, and share tips and good information (documented by source). Always think before you post: Will my message be misunderstood? Will somebody get offended? Will they not understand my attempt at humor? etc. Stay focused on content, not personalities, and "be your best" online. top
Your Study Environment: Have a regular study place that's quiet, has all your computer/Internet/reference supplies, and a calendar and notepad handy. Go there regularly (daily?) and do your weekly work in "chunks," spaced out over the week. While 10 weekly hours CAN be done in 1 day, your quality (completeness of assignments, critical thinking, staying power) will suffer and you will end up frustrated and will probably drop the class.
The "secret of success" is YOU, not the course -- what kind of study environment and time schedule do you need to create for yourself that dovetails with everything else you are involved with in your life? top
"Voices of Experience" -- Everybody always asks "What's it like to take an online class such as this?" I even asked previous online students what we should tell "the new guys"....Well, your predecessors came up with these "leftovers" as "starter dough" for the new batch of learning that we are going to cook up this quarter. Enjoy their comments -- and learn from them! Following are "tips" offered to you from previous online students:
"I think that future students that are planning to take this class really have to understand the amount of time and effort that this class requires of you to succeed. They also have to be able to manage their time and allocate it efficiently."
"Based on what I learned on this class, I would tell anyone who is thinking about taking this class that they will learn a lot in this class and to be prepared and try to work ahead. To try to look in newspapers and magazines and on the Web for real-life news about the Internet and try to somehow relate what they are reading to what is happening in real life. That will get them prepared to log-in to class and be able to communicate with the rest of class at the same level."
"The same thing I was told as a "new guy": hit the ground running! Start participating right away. Really, it's easier than you think. Read the questions and give your comments. If you get in the habit of participating early, you'll be thankful later."
"The words, "hit the ground running" helped me form a plan of attack. It is so important in the beginning of the class to avoid procrastinating. After a couple of weeks I learned how long research, homework and postings would take which allowed me to relax more later on."
"Organize your time very carefully. Take opportunities to work ahead when you find the time. I scheduled all of my time at the very beginning of the class and followed that schedule strictly. When I completed assignments ahead of time, I began work on the next assignment. Discipline and scheduling are critical to success in this class."
"Get used to this idea of being on your own. Class is straight-forward. Mimi doesn't throw any curve balls. Do your work and do them on time. Make sure to check Announcement section regularly and ask Mimi any questions. Have fun!"
"Personal experience, do your homework EARLY. Like Monday instead of Tuesday evening when it's due."
"If one does not log on and view the Discussions often, there is toooo much information to read."
"I wish that I had done a better job of following the suggestions provided by a previous student, especially the advice about capturing the contents of discussion threads. I even flagged that paragraph. Too bad I didn't go back and read that paragraph again soon after class began." top
(12/11) |