Internet Safety and Netiquette

Internet Safety

  1. Do not give out information about yourself or your family without permission
  2. Do not respond to anything online that makes you feel uncomfortable, and tell your parents about it
  3. Do not meet with anyone you met online without your parents permission
  4. Do not open or accept emails, files, links, URLs, or anything else from people you don't know or trust
  5. Never give your password to anyone but your parents or guardians

* Revised from the "America Links Up" campaign at www.americalinksup.org

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Netiquette

  • Always learn and follow the acceptable use policy.
  • Don't tie up computers in public labs by playing games when other people need to work and are waiting for a terminal.
  • Always end your messages with your name and email address.
  • Always include a subject heading in emails.
  • Only forward a message if it is appropriate and if doing so will not harm the reputation or the writer. If in doubt, get permission to forward the message from the original sender.
  • Use judicious quoting in email.
  • Take reasonable care with your punctuation and spelling, and don't write in all capitals.
  • In you quote an email in another venue - a paper, article, online essay, etc. - try to get permission from the writer you are quoting.
  • Always give proper credit for anything you use or find on the Internet.
  • Make sure you write down all the information needed for others to go to the source you have cited.
  • Never use shareware (software available to the public at low prices and paid for on the honor system) without paying the fee for it.
  • If you get flamed, do not flame in return. Stay cool and respond with wit and good humor.

* Taken from Writing Online: A Student's Guide to the Internet and the World Wide Web. Crump & Carbone. 2nd edition. Houghton Mifflin. New York. 1998.