Netiquette – What is netiquette and why is it relevant?
July 4, 2006
Netiquette = Internet etiquette, network etiquette, or net etiquette. But before we delve into the discussion of netiquette, let’s define the word etiquette. 
Etiquette, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary is “The practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority.” In her book, Netiquette, Virgina Shea states that the word etiquette “… comes from the French word for ‘ticket.’ If you know the etiquette for a particular group or society, you have a ticket for entry into it.” It doesn’t take a huge extrapolation to see that Netiquette is the practices and forms prescribed, or accepted, by the internet community for socially acceptable behavior. Each community builds a standard for governing communication; the internet is no exception. When you become yourself@wherever.com you have entered a different world, with its unique rules of communication you’d do well not to ignore.
The development of Netiquette
Netiquette has developed through its common usage across cyberspace – or if you’d rather, the world wide web. As organizations, companies, special interest groups, etc. began creating guides for correct conduct, specifically for their employees and membership, the ‘unofficial’ enforcement of netiquette began to spread. In an electronic interface where words become text and are physically separated from the ’speaker,’ netiquette provides a way to assign, control, and sometimes, even censor, online communications.
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