# Netiquette

Netiquette is a colloquialism that is meant to refer to “Net Etiquette”. I am a firm believer that we need to take ourselves seriously but not necessarily “somberly”. Relax. Have fun with the discussions! However, please keep in mind that Blackboard is primarily a written/typed medium which means that we do not have the benefit of inflection, tone of voice or non-verbal communication cues such as facial expressions. Sarcasm and flippant humor don’t always translate well and can easily be misunderstood. Please think about how your words can be taken and give your posts a once over before you hit

“send”. On the flip side, please give someone the benefit of the doubt in your interactions. If there is an offensive way to take something and a non-offensive way to take it, please start with the latter.

The use of emoticons, bold or italic type for emphasis, or capitalization to highlight key words you want to stand out if you are skimming is a good thing. A post in all caps is considered yelling, please refrain from doing so.