Online communication

How to appropriately communicate online

We are all more than clear about what constitutes good and bad behaviour offline. Well the fact of the matter is, the rules online are exactly the same as they are offline.

Just as you should, be polite and respectable to everyone you meet offline, so should you online.

Online communication is every bit as powerful and relevant as offline communication. The golden rule is: If you wouldn’t walk down

the street wearing a t-shirt that says it, then don’t say it online.

It is a lot easier to write our opinions online, as we feel more anonymous and don’t have to look at the person who the comments are directed at.

The previous point extends to all forms of online communication, including ones that pupils may consider private such as email, instant messaging or texting.

These forms of communication are not truly private and should not be treated as such.

Sending a private message containing anything personal might seem like a good idea in the short term, but you never know who else may see the message or have it forwarded to them.

Inevitably, we’ll all bump into situations online from time to time that make us angry and it can be tempting to vent our anger online – but it’s a bad idea.

Instead, wait 24 hours and if you still feel angry then make a considered response. Or, report it to someone such as a teacher or parent and seek their advice.

The use of ALL CAPS comes across like shouting online. In most situations you wouldn’t do it offline, so don’t do it online either – it looks rude!

Furthermore, think more generally about how you are coming across online. It’s perfectly acceptable to use abbreviations and acronyms online, but be sure that you are communicating effectively.

Also, spelling mistakes and poor grammar should be avoided where possible as this makes it more difficult to understand the point you are trying to convey.

When we joke around with our friends offline there are a lot of humour cues which are conveyed through our body language and tone of voice.

These elements are entirely missing online, so you need to think extra carefully about the different ways in which what you are saying could be interpreted.

In particular, sarcasm can come across as very rude rather than humorous online. Of course, it is fine to inject some humour into your online communications but just make sure that there is no room for ambiguity, this may mean spelling out the joke. For example, on Twitter

writing #Joke.

Always think carefully before sharing information about other people online. Are you sharing information that they would be happy to have broadcast? If in doubt, ask them.

Arguably the most important point, you must be careful when sharing personal information online. Generally, only share contact details with users that you know offline. Sharing too much personal information online can (as we learnt last lesson) make students a target for online criminals or cyber bullies.