Netiquette consists of the rules for proper and respectful behavior on the Internet. If you're not familiar with these rules, the following Web sites should help bring you up to speed. You can also stress the underlying principles of character by ensuring that your students commit not only to live by an Internet policy, but also by a code of ethics. Although the wording in the preceding statement is not suitable for public schools, teachers can craft their own statements that convey many of the same ideas. Shatter the Illusion of Anonymity Part of the Internet's allure is the illusion of anonymity.
Many people think they can do as they please on the Internet because nobody knows who they are.
But that's not true, and students should understand that there's really no guarantee of anonymity on the Internet. Most re-mailers have policies that prohibit harrassing messages, and operators will often reveal the identity of people who send them. Even visits to World Wide Web sites are not entirely anonymous. When your browser logs onto a Web site, the browser does not directly reveal your identity, but it does reveal the identity of the server you are calling from. More sophisticated browser sites can gather even more information.