Netiquette (or net - etiquette) is a collection of unspoken behaviours and expectations to follow online. You may feel like a different person online, but following netiquette makes everyone’s experiences fairer and more pleasant. Consider your netiquette in terms of presenting yourself, interacting with others and sharing information.

An introduction to Netiquette

Tips for presenting yourself

• Netiquette varies across the internet. It's a good idea to watch how others are in a new platform before joining in. Would you behave the same on Instagram as you would LinkedIn?
• On video calls think about your appearance and surroundings. You might not mind your friends seeing you in your pyjamas, but it’s best if you get dressed before any professional calls, including lectures.  

Tips for interacting with others

• Use humour and sarcasm with care - not everyone will appreciate it and without voice inflection and body language, mail messages can be easily misinterpreted. It sometimes helps to use 'emoticons' such as a smiley face e.g. :-)
• Remember you are interacting with another person, not a robot.
• Ensure any critical comments are constructive and useful to those receiving them.
• Make sure your behaviour and communications (including personal social media) does not unreasonably offend others.

Tips for sharing information

• Follow library guidelines on copyright and referencing.
• When sharing your knowledge, make sure others can understand. Depending on the platform, you might want to use a Common European Framework of Reference to check your language is accessible to the reader.