I must say, I am really enjoying reading my textbook. Especially after waiting so long for it to finally arrive in the mail! One of the things I liked reading about was Netiquette. I am always worried about the things I write when I email people, when I write on my blog, when I text, when I post on Twitter or Facebook, etc. I reread everything before I hit that "send" button which sometimes cannot be undone. I remember once, a long time ago, I did not realize my phone had switched to ALL CAPS and I texted a friend and she said, "Why are you screaming?" That was the first time I learned that if you had ALL CAPS people thought you were screaming at them.
Mostly, I worry about emails I send to people at work or parents of my students. How can I be assertive, get my point across, yet still sound nice while I'm at it? Sometimes when I write something I am thinking of it in my head as I would say it verbally, but once I read it I think "Wow, this sounds mean!" So we have to be careful when we write something because people might interpret it in a different way. Especially if they read it in a different tone than you intended.
I have seen kids get into flame wars-exchanges of insulting messages-on Facebook and it is not pretty! Kids can be so offensive and mean to each other. This could even lead to cyber bullying. We have to be especially careful now that there are so many ways we could embarrass ourselves through all the available communication methods. We have to know that once we publish something it is out there for the whole word to see, including our bosses or future employers. Watch this cool video to see some pointers on social media etiquette:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNnLMkg9R3c
Another thing we have to be careful about is Spam, not the eating kind...although it is kind of gross! I am talking about unsolicited emails that are just as irritating as telemarketers calling you during dinner. Some of these emails can harm your computer by downloading viruses into them. Some are just annoying because they try to guilt you into sending them to other people that will also be annoyed by them.
So, remember, like the video said...if you wouldn't say something to someone's face it is probably a better idea not to post it. :o)
Hi Larisa,
ReplyDeleteI had a good chuckle when reading your blog because I do the same thing. I find myself rereading things several times before I hit send because once it's out there it is out there. :)
You are right that this is really important to remember when we are communicating with parents too. I had to do an email conference this year with a single mother who works really late. I had to give a couple of criticisms and I realized that it was a bit challenging to find a way to do it without sounding too harsh, but on the flip side, I also wanted the parent to realize I meant business.
That video was so valid too. Most adults know this stuff as common sense, but protecting kids from themselves is brought to a whole new level with the internet available to them 24-7. It's a good thing for us all to remember while taking this class as we are posting about our profession and interactions with our students who are also our clients. It's important for us to remember to use our blogs positively.
Thanks for the post! You brought up a topic that I hadn't reflected on in some time. =)
Lydia