Page 95 - Essentials of Human Communication

74 Chapter 4 Verbal Messages

them to specific online communication, say, e-mailing your instructor or
inquiring about a job:
● Familiarize yourself with the site or rules for communicating before
contributing. Before asking questions about the system, read the Fre-
quently Asked Questions (FAQs). “Lurk” before speaking. Lurking
(which, in CMC, is good) will help you learn the rules.
● Be brief. Communicate only the information that is needed clearly,
briefly, and in an organized way.
● Don’t shout. WRITING IN CAPS IS PERCEIVED AS SHOUTING. It’s
okay to use capital letters occasionally to achieve emphasis. If you wish to
give emphasis, however, it’s better to highlight like _this_ or *this*.
● Don’t spam or “flame.” Don’t send unsolicited mail, repeatedly send the
same mail, or post the same message (or irrelevant messages) to lots of
people or groups. As in face-to-face conflicts, don’t make personal
attacks on other users.
ViEwPOints ● Avoid offensive language. Refrain from expressions that would be consid-
gender speech Patterns ered offensive to others, such as sexist or racist terms.
When asked what they would like to change about ● Be polite. Follow the same rules of behavior online that you would in a
the communication patterns of the opposite sex, men face-to-face encounter.
said they wanted women to be more direct, and
women said they wanted men to stop interrupting A special case of online politeness concerns the ever popular social net-
and offering advice (Noble, 1994). What one change working sites, which have developed their own rules of netiquette, some of
would you like to see in the communication system of which are noted in Table 4.1.
the opposite sex? Of your own sex?
Messages Can be OnyMOus Or anOnyMOus
Some messages are onymous messages or “signed”; that is, the author of the message is clearly
identified, as it is in your textbooks, news-related editorials, feature articles, and of course when
you communicate face-to-face and, usually, by phone or chat. In many cases, you have the oppor-
tunity to respond directly to the speaker/writer and voice your opinions, your agreement or dis-
agreement, for example. Other messages are anonymous: the author is not identified.

TABLE 4.1 social networking Politeness
The social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have developed their own rules of politeness. Here are five
such rules.

rules of Politeness the rule in Operation
Engage in networking feedforward before requesting Sending a message complimenting the person’s latest post
friendship. provides some background and eases the way for a friendship
request.

Avoid negativity. Avoid writing negative or embarrassing messages or posting
unflattering photos that may generate conflict.

Keep networking information confidential. It’s considered inappropriate and impolite to relay information
on Facebook, for example, to those who are not themselves
friends.

Be gentle in refusals. Refuse any request for friendship gently or, if you wish, ignore it.
If you’re refused, don’t ask for reasons; it’s considered impolite.
Avoid making potentially embarrassing requests. Avoid asking to be friends with someone who you suspect may
have reasons for not wanting to admit you. For example, your
work associate may not want you to see her or his profile.