Netiquette Guidelines

Learn About Netiquette

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WHAT?

Netiquette is a set of guidelines that outline appropriate behavior when interacting and communicating with others online. 

WHY?

Practicing netiquette creates a welcoming environment, allowing each person to feel they can contribute their own ideas or pose questions without the fear of ridicule or shaming.  

WHO?

All members of the UTA community should practice netiquette. This involves students, faculty, and staff.

WHERE?

Netiquette should by practiced anywhere you are interacting or communicating with peers, professors, and other university staff. This can include emails, Canvas inbox messages, discussion forums in or out of Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and other unofficial platforms such as GroupMe.

HOW?

How to practice netiquette is detailed in the following guidelines.

Respect

DO DON'T
✓ Use polite and respectful language. ✗ Use offensive language or engage in personal attacks, insults, or harassment.
✓ Use language that respects the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and identities of others. ✗ Avoid language that could exclude, offend, or stereotype.
✓ Express differing opinions respectfully, providing reasons for your perspective. ✗ Deliberately provoke arguments (a.k.a. trolling).
✓ Remember that the person receiving your message is a human just like you. ✗ Allow the absence of a face-to-face interaction to lead to using language you wouldn’t use in person.
✓ If you’re upset, take time to cool down before responding. ✗ Post impulsively when you are angry or upset.
✓ Admit if you made a mistake and take steps to correct it. Mistakes can range from sharing content that is not factual to using language that comes across as bullying or offensive. ✗ Refuse to acknowledge mistakes or provide an excuse to justify the mistake.

Content

DO DON'T
✓ Keep your messages relevant to the topic. ✗ Divert conversation to unrelated content.
✓ Use language and style that is appropriate for the message (i.e., a judicious use of emojis may help convey tone, but too many could be inappropriate.) ✗ Use all caps, text speak (texting abbreviations), slang, excessive emojis, or excessive exclamation marks.
✓ Proofread for both grammar and that the word choice conveys the intended tone. ✗ Send messages without reviewing them.
✓ Provide content or trigger warnings, as appropriate, when sharing personal experiences or content. ✗ Share personal experiences or content that is sensitive or may trigger negative emotions without a warning.

Information Sharing

DO DON'T
✓ Provide proper attribution when sharing information from others. ✗ Present other’s ideas as your own or share copyrighted material without permission.
✓ Be cautious with the personal information you share. ✗ Share personal information that you do not want publicly available.
✓ Ask permission if you want to share something someone else said. ✗ Share personal information about others or conversation screenshots without permission.