It is easy in the cyberworld to feel that the normal civilities are suspended.
The web is a place of endless reinvention, where people hide behind multiple personalities; the shy and socially awkward become brazen and bullish, the reticent become flirtatious, the uncommunicative become loquacious.
Emboldened by anonymity, it is easy to get carried away online. Intemperate messages can be sent off with no fear of redress, promises can be made that will never be fulfilled, crude innuendo is the order of the day. Mild-mannered computer geeks turn into determined stalkers, poking and prodding their victims, deluging people with emails, tweeting tediously.
Make it a general rule that you will never say anything online that you wouldn't be able to articulate directly, face to face. Do not use the technology as a shield, masking your true feelings and personality. So always write polite emails, and never send messages (on social networking sites, chatrooms, SMS etc.) that contain intemperate language or sentiments that you would never normally express in your everyday life.
Don't be an online bitch: skulking behind the computer screen and dishing out poison. Don't be an online bully: threatening and haranguing people you can't see, who can't fight back. Don't be an online bore: blogs that enumerate the minutiae of your day, likes, dislikes etc. in excruciating detail may exercise a horrible fascination, but won't make you popular.
Always remember that going online is a way of enhancing your life, not a
substitute for living.
• Don't make the mistake of thinking that normal civilities are suspended in cyberspace.
• Never say anything online that you're not prepared to articulate face to face.
• Don't use the online universe to mask your true personality; if you're a shy geek masquerading as a bold lothario you will ultimately be found out.
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