• Email may seem private, but it is not. Think of it more like a postcard than like a letter. The message is accessible to many people who have no interest in reading it; however, it is possible for them to read it. After all, cyberspace consists of computers all over the world linked together electronically.
  • Most organizations back up everything on their servers daily, including incoming and outgoing email at academic and commercial sites, meaning there might be a permanent record of your messages somewhere.
  • Additionally, sometimes people accidentally send email to somebody other than the intended recipient. So be aware that your audience might be larger than you originally intended--and be careful that you have the correct email address in your "To" and "CC"  lines.
  • Deleting email removes it from your own directory but not necessarily from the server maintained by the organization whose services you are using.
• Web Forums and Web pages (unless password protected or maintained on a closed network or intranet) are accessible to everybody who has access to the World Wide Web. Think of such messages as more like a global bulletin board posting or a billboard than like a letter. As with email, such messages are likely to be preserved on a server.
• Be especially careful about your diction and tone; irony and humor aren't always understood. Clear communication of your intention and meaning depend entirely on your choice and arrangement of words (and sometimes of multimedia elements). So choose your words and sentence structures carefully.
• Do not type all capitals, which is difficult to read and has come to be considered the electronic version of "shouting."
• Do be courteous, even when you disagree, and always provide clear, logical support for your views.
• Always provide a clear context for your messages: appropriate subject lines and enough information in the message itself to establish clearly the situation about which you are writing.
  • Your subject line should be short but specific: Question about Miss Emily's isolation rather than Question or Help.
  • In the message give some background information if necessary.
• Avoid reposting long previous messages: paraphrase them instead (identifying the original sender) or quote excerpts (identifying the original sender and the fact that they are excerpts).
• Always follow the specific directions and criteria of your professor or supervisor.
• As a member of the academic community, you are expected to conduct yourself in person, in print, and on line in a responsible way and in the spirit of courteous educational inquiry. Of course, you are expected to abide by the policies of the college and the laws of the state and the country.

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