[Ron Curry]

You are what you write. How you communicate will give a perception as to the kind of person you are. Learn to write with clarity and take folks at their word - not what you "think" they mean.



It should go without saying that sending email with extremely foul, threatening or abusive language is crude. This includes obscenities, verbal harassment, threats of slander or personal comments that would prove offensive based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. But I have to say it because I see it all too often.

No matter how rude someone may be to you, or how offended you may be by another's opinion, don't lower yourself to their level by stooping to obscenities or threats and claims of self importance. Always state your opinion clearly and concisely, without personalizing an issue or resorting to name-calling. Also, be careful to not read anything into an email that isn't there. Take folks at their word. There are many heated discussions online. Hold your head high and communicate as an adult, share your opinions and point of view and realize, that in the grand scheme of things nobody is "better" than anybody else by virtue of their opinions alone.

If you have mistakenly offended or have misinterpreted what another person wrote, please do not hesitate to apologize. That being said, "apologies" which are only offered to produce an opportunity to continue a tirade from a previous email are viewed as self-righteous. Apologies should only be offered with sincerity. Certainly, this does not mean you need to apologize to everyone who has a different or overly critical opinion than you do. We are all individuals and for the most part we all do our best to do the right thing. No one person is any better a human being than another because of the luxury of their level of education or how much money they make. No one person is authorized to be the one who is always right or the only one whose opinion counts. There are many of these types of folks online who will take the time to point out negatives without mentioning any of the positives to folks they do not even know. A tad arrogant and assuming dontcha think?!
Know you have done your best and take constructive criticism in stride. None of us are perfect - nor do I think we would want that responsibility! ;-) If you make a mistake, make note and put the appropriate corrections or modifications in place to prevent the same from happening in the future.


This is a good time to keep in mind that you never put anything in an email that you don't want the world to know about. Emails get reported and forwarded to public Newsgroups and message boards and can be produced at a later date. Always be better than that and "agree to disagree" like most adults do. Don't get bold just because you feel you are safely behind your computer screen and make statements that are untruths. If you would not reply to someone the very same way if you were there in person with them, you probably should not reply at all. By not replying in kind, you hold yourself to a higher standard and leave the other party left to realize the fool they just made of themselves. Do your best to always take the high ground.

Due to the lack of vocal and nonverbal clues with email, we often forget that eye contact, tone of voice and body language which we take for granted when communicating in person, is not available in the written word. Use emoticons and acronyms when necessary to convey your message. If you are joking, include a smiley face :-), if you are sad or upset you can use :-(. If you are unsure of someone's intent or meaning, ask them before making accusations that you may regret. Don't assume what anyone means - take them at their word - same as you should expect to be responsible for what you type. There are lists all over the Internet that will give you a plethora of choices so you can communicate your emotions without being insulting or obnoxious. Understand the folks you email will be hanging on every word and each word's specific meaning. "I didn't mean it that way" does not apply online. Because if you typed it, the recipient will take the words you type at their face value.
Check out Dr. Internut's Internet Resource Clinic for an Internet 101 which includes emoticons and acronyms.

Keep in mind when in newsgroups or message boards that you are in a global arena. There are charters and rules you need to make yourself aware of. To post, without making this effort could induce responses from seasoned Netizens pointing you to sites such as this or believe it or not - much worse. There will be those reading your posts in countries from around the world who may not have the same religious or social views that you have by virtue of their culture. They also may not have a firm understanding of the English language. Do your best to keep this in mind.


As a courtesy to your fellow Netizens, please refrain from abusive or threatening behavior and language.