From: act@csc.canberra.edu.au (Cyclops)
Subject: Instructions to Newbies et al
Organization: University of Canberra, Camaroon
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 02:27:29 GMT

 
The following was from: Toward an Ethics and Etiquette for Electronic
Mail written by Norman Z. Shapiro and Robert H. Anderson prepared for the
National Science Foundation and published by The Rand Corporation.
 
 
     Perhaps the attribute of electronic mail systems that most
distinguishes them from other forms of communication is their propensity
to evoke emotion in the recipient--very likely because of
misinterpretation of some portion of the form or content of the
message--and the likelihood that the recipient will then fire off a
response that aggravates the situation.  Possible causes for this
phenomenon include:
 
 - Difficulty in determining the formality of a message from its
     appearance.
 - Attempts at humor, irony, sarcasm, and wit are often misinterpreted.
 - Cues such as body langauge are lacking in electronic mail.
 - The ease of an immediate "reply" encourages "off the top of the head"
     responses.
 - Electronic messages containing hasty or ill-chosen words can stay in
     electronic inboxes or can be printed in a way (injet, etc.) that
     gives them an importance never intended.
 - Although anonymity is often mentioned as a factor, we have observed no
     significant difference in "flaming" between remote correspondents
     who don't know each other personally, compared with communication
     among people who know each other.
 
     What can be done to minimize the problems of escalating emotions
that arise?
 
 - Carefully label messages that have a deliberate emotional content.
     Sometimes just the annotation "Flame!  Flame!" alerts the reader
     to the fact that the writer knows he or she is being emotional.
 
 - Resist the temptation to fire off a response.  Write the response,
     file it away, and wait 24 hours.  Reconsider the response later, in
     the light of a new day (and perhaps a rereading and reinterpretation
     of the original message).
 
 - Use alternative media to break the cycle of message-and-response.  A
     telephone call or personal conversation can do wonders, when we can
     use body language, eye contact, and the other cues we've developed.
 
     Much of the problem seems to stem from the lack of cues that
electronic mail affords its readers.  Perhaps the technology that spawned
electronic mail can help reduce the misunderstandings it creates.  One
can imagine message systems in which the boldness of the characters
displayed is a function of the force with which the keys are hit.  More
certainly (because the systems are in prototype form already) there will
be systems in which the characters will be accompanied by voice
annotations, so that the humanity and state of the sender will be
retained and "read" by the recipient.
 
     In the meantime, caution, awareness, and an evolving ethics and
etiquette of electronic communication will certainly help.
 
                     ELECTRONIC MAIL ETIQUETTE
 
Ever wonder how your electronic mail messages are perceived?  Ever
receive a message that caused you to respond too hastily?  The likelihood
that the recipient will react negatively, inappropriately, or completely
misinterpret the meaning of your message is probably one of the most
important phenomena in electronic mail systems.  Toward an Ethics and
Etiquette for Electronic Mail, published by the Rand Corporation with
support from the National Science Foundation, discusses issues related to
the use of electronic mail and the effect of these systems on the quality
and appropriateness of communication.  More importantly, it presents a
set of guidelines that should help lead to effective electronic mail use.

act@csc.canberra.edu.au       ceteris paribus
Look Once...         .-)      
   Look TwEyece..    .-) .-)       
      Half See...    .-)         
Newsgroups: aus.flame