Our grandparents used to tell us, when we said nonsense, "think before you talk".
Good online education could be based on this simple rule.

 

We do not even want to start talking about the need to respect privacy even online, or the need not to publish discriminatory or illegal content, we admit that it is a foregone conclusion at least for the majority of those who live in the digital world. And in any case, there are laws that regulate the matter and punish deviations.

Let's talk more simply about some simple rules of behavior Commitment that, even when they are respected (unfortunately more and more rarely) in everyday life, they are almost always forgotten in life online.

Who is without sin cast the first stone

Do an examination of conscience: how many times have you happened to write a text message or a WhatsApp and then regret it, to ignore for days (or forever) an e-mail that required an immediate response, to participate in an online meeting wearing pajama pants, eating a sandwich while you are explaining a procedure to colleagues who work from home?

The web is an informal place

It is true, on the net it is normal not to be too formal. The digital context is by its nature an informal place, in which we all speak of you, in which relationships are fast, in which the tone and language of colloquial speech are easily used.

The beauty of this context is that there is no real "official tone" and no forms of courtesy are used; this allows us to have immediate confidence even with interlocutors we do not know, quickly creating a level of empathy that would normally find it harder to emerge.

Le buone manner they must also be applied in the digital world

Unfortunately, the step from informality to rudeness is very short, and not a few are falling into this trap without even being aware of it.

There are many and extremely obvious recommendations that we could suggest to facilitate digital harmony and avoid unpleasant situations, we mention only some very trivial ones, but without effort, many others will surely come to mind:

  • observe schedules that respect the rhythms of others (avoiding night / holiday / lunch or dinner messages)
  • always reply to messages, even if only to confirm that you have received it
  • do not always expect immediate answers, it may happen that you are not "the priority" at all times
  • to write in a synthetic way, but also correct and without blunders
  • pay attention to the contents and always cite the sources of what we publish
  • avoid flooding others with tons of images and / or voice messages, especially if not requested, plus unnecessarily clogging the network
  • show up at any online connection dressed decently and avoiding others to suffer the screams of our children, the cat that passes on the keyboard, the spouse who flushes the toilet, ...
  • take our online course when we are alone and concentrated, without letting our desk / tram / train neighbors suffer (and maybe without earphones ...)

True is that the word etiquette originates from a work published in 1558 in which all the buone rules on behavior to follow, and could therefore seem outdated today. But some simple rules still remain today fundamental for the common living, even in one digital dimension.

So let's start at think before speaking and before writing.

It's already a great start, plus we'll make our grandparents happy.