User blog:Nerdvana/Ponderings on Netiquette as applied to Wikis

Over the last 18 to 24 hours I've been pondering the concept of netiquette and how that can (or should) be applied to Wiki use.

As a starting point, lets define "netiquette". At Dictionary.com it is defined as "the rules of etiquette that apply when communicating over computer networks, especially the Internet." I would personally modify this for clarity to "the rules (strictly stated or implied) of etiquette that apply to communicating on the Internet" and for the rest of this post (and subsequent discussions if any) I'll be using my version of the definition as the definition.

In its simplest form, my personal view of netiquette can be summed up by Wil Wheaton's Law (as can be found many places on the internet, including here) which is simply "Don't be a dick." However, it deserves some further evaluation.

There's actually an Etiquette Wikia which lists the following rules for netiquette:

 Remember the Human Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life Know where you are in cyberspace Respect other people's time and bandwidth Make yourself look good online Share expert knowledge Help keep flame wars under control Respect other people's privacy</li> Don't abuse your power</li> Be forgiving of other people's mistakes</li> Treat individuals online as you would face to face.</li> </ol>

In addition, there are the rules for the forum you are in (for Turtlepedia those are listed here).

All this said, please try to remember these facts. Pay attention to the location a communication is at as it can indicate who is being addressed even if this is not expressly stated. Some of us (myself included) try to keep our selves as open to others as possible and when interacting with people who share the same interests (especially in an environment like a Fandom page where you have a locked in common interest) can tend to assume everyone can understand better than pure-text always allows, simply due to those implied contextual aspects. (For example, any comments on this Blog will be addressed to me I'd assume... unless someone is directly replying/quoting something from a previous reply.)

Thanks for reading if you did. If not, no worries!

Nerdvana