The Importance of Etiquette in Online Virtual Environments

Kimberley Hobbs

Graduate StudentEducational Communications and TechnologyUniversity of SaskatchewanFebruary, 2009

Introduction

Online virtual communities provide us with the means to build connections withothers who share our interests globally. We must become effective communicators inorder to collaborate, work proficiently and to help develop and maintain trust among participants in online environments. Preece (2004) states that, “norms that lead to goodonline etiquette, empathy and trust between community members provide stepping-stonesfor social capital development” (p.294). In this paper, I will identify some of thecommunication challenges that exist in online environments. Then I will identify somegeneral netiquette rules which we may apply to all of our online interactions as well ashighlight some more specific netiquette rules for communicating using email, instantmessaging, text messaging and micro blogging. Finally I will identify technologyadvancements that may help us to overcome online communication challenges and maylead to redefining the rules of engagement we currently follow online.

Netiquette and Social Capital

“Etiquette is a code that influences the expectations and behaviour of social behaviour, according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social classor group” (Etiquette, 2009). Social behaviour refers to the interactions among individualswhile conventional norms are the rules of acceptable behaviour that have been defined bythe group.The term netiquette is formed by combining the words network and etiquette. Inthis case network refers to a computer network in which many computers are connectedto one another as in the World Wide Web. Netiquette therefore becomes a social protocolwhich helps to facilitate meaningful online communication and the development of socialcapital.“Social capital is the glue which holds a community together…” (Preece, 2004, p.297). Community is defined as a group of people coming together based on commoninterests. Communities that exhibit strong social capital have developed a sense of trustand understanding that allow its members to communicate well with one another exchanging ideas effectively in order to build understanding or solve problems (Daniel,1

Schwier & McCalla, 2003; Preece, 2004). “Shared goals, norms and shared valuesfacilitate … social capital development” (Preece, 2004, p.297).Adhering to certain netiquette beliefs can influence our participation, trust andlearning online. Schwier & Daniel (2007) define social protocols as the “rules of engagement” or the “ways of behaving in a community” (p.6). They identify social protocols as one of the fourteen characteristics of virtual learning communities. Their Bayesian network model reveals that social protocols have an influence on participation,trust and learning in virtual learning communities. Trust is identified as the mostimportant factor in virtual learning communities. Trust is important to thecommunication process and “when one views a community as upholding trustworthyvalues such as mutual reciprocity, honesty, reliability and commitment, there is likely to be a greater degree of motivation to participate and share one’s knowledge (Usoro &Sharratt, 2003).Explicitly sharing netiquette instructions for specific online environments becomes significant in maintaining the trust of participants and encouraging participationamong members so that everyone may benefit from the interactive learning that is possible online. “Lack of etiquette weakens sociability and even destroys communitiesof practice” (Preece, 2004, p, 299).

Communication Challenges in Online Communities

Barriers exist that may prevent online participants from identifying and applyingthe etiquette rules of the community. These barriers to communication include:

Apprehension

Online learning communities are a relatively new forum for communication.People may be apprehensive to participate if they are unsure of their technologicalabilities or their knowledge of the discussion topic. Postings or messages may be visibleto a large and public audience for an indefinite period of time. This may cause hesitationas participants want to post comments and questions that are relevant and demonstrateunderstanding (Usoro & Sharratt, 2003). This apprehension can reduce participantconfidence and prevent participants from becoming involved to the extent required toidentify the netiquette rules of the community.

Cultural Differences

Access to virtual environments extends our participation into worldwidecommunities. Etiquette and netiquette rules may differ significantly from onecommunity to the next based on cultural norms. Schwier (2007a) states that “thisintroduces potential for conflict in communities when different cultural traditions (e.g.,age-related traditions of communication) are brought into a single learning environment”(p.32). As we increase our participation in cultures with different norms even the mostsubtle differences may cause significant challenges (Preece, 2004).2

Communication via Written Text

The majority of online communication is comprised of the transfer of ideas andexperiences via written text. “We cannot see the facial expressions or body languages of colleagues as we conduct discussions; we cannot hear voices or tones of voice to conveyemotion” (Cartelli, 2008, p. 244). Online communication has therefore becomechallenging without the presence of social cues (i.e., facial expressions, body languageand tone of voice). These cues assist us in interpreting the emotion and intent of amessage. The general lack of these cues in online communication may lead tomisunderstandings or mistrust (Shea, V, 2005). The text written in words in onlinecommunities also becomes more permanent than the spoken word. Conversations can bearchived, messages may be forwarded or posted for many viewers to access. Participantsmay be fearful of sharing as they start to question the value and relevance of their ideasand the fact that their words could remain visible even after they have changed their mind(Sharratt & Usoro, 2003).

Variance of Online Communities

It is important to consider the type of technology you are using in onlineconversations. Is the conversation occurring synchronously as in online chat or instantmessaging, or asynchronously as in email or discussion board postings? These differenttypes of technology require the use of different rules of etiquette (Preece, 2004; Marx,1994). This becomes challenging for participants as they need to adjust their etiquette if they are emailing, instant chatting or blogging. I have learned that it is appropriate tosend and receive email that is succinct and to the point, and that we need to be cautiousso as not to misinterpret this as a negative tone in the message. Email may be sent to one person or a group of people and we need to be aware that our messages may beforwarded on to others as well. Micro-blogging requires an even more concise method of communication in which you post short messages for a group of followers to view. Your writing style differs significantly and it is not always directly evident what is appropriateand what is not appropriate from one environment to the next. Our communicationexperiences guide us in our understanding of the etiquette rules.Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2002) indicate the importance of providing both public and private spaces for the development of communication within communities.Truitt Zelenka (2008) refers to several social software types or online environments thatmay be utilized for online collaboration. Some of these are described in Table 1 (TruittZelenka, 2008):3