Week 1: Clear

It is said that one cannot not communicate. This is important because verbal and nonverbal communication are both essential in everyday life. We have been taught since a young age about using our manners and being polite to others and the proper way to be respectful to someone when speaking. In the business realm shaking hands, making eye contact and dressing conservatively and professionally are all important aspects of etiquette. What can sometimes be forgotten when communicating electronically is that there is another person on the other end of the computer and all of those behaviors cannot be easily seen or noticed. However, there are specific guidelines to follow to ensure that your message gets across in the most comprehensible and polite way. Netiquette basically means having good conduct and using ones manners while communicating via the internet.

Netiquette is important in the business world because transactions need to be made and relationships need to be formed in order to get work done. An e-mail, chat room message or other form of online communication could possibly be the first form of interaction between two or more people. This is important because first impressions are crucial and can oftentimes make or break a deal or create a bad feeling in a person’s head about someone else. In the readings and web pages that were assigned last week, we learned important tips and protocol for communicating via email. For example you should ask before sending an attachments because it can slow down a person’s e-mail, refrain from using ALL CAPS because it can come across as yelling and also you should refrain from trolling which means posting a controversial message that is off-topic simply to create a flaming war.

There are many great web sites that give some helpful tips on how to conduct business over the internet such as, http://www.learnthenet.com/learn-about/netiquette/index.php that discuss the use of smiley’s called emoticons, advice for watching what you say via email because it can come back to you and also to research before asking questions. I also found the terms trolling and flaming to be interesting. They are terms that I had never heard of and behaviors that I had no idea people participated in. However, now I am aware and understand them and will look out for people who sabotage messages to illicit certain responses from others to create heated discussions that can sometimes be offensive.