NETiquette, an update... Things to be mindful of when writing an email, a blog-post, social-media content, a technical manual, or even a fiction/non-fiction/other book, etc...

NETiquette, an update… Things to be mindful of when writing an email, a blog-post, social-media content, a technical manual, or even a fiction/non-fiction/other book, etc…

[Book from Joseph M. Lenard TERROR STRIKES: TerrorStrikes.info/reviews
includes section on FREE SPEECH assaults and advocacy
see too: TerrorStrikes.info/quotes <ISBN: 978-1-955043-66-3>
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS IT MORE DIRECTLY RELATES HERE...
My latest book (about writing and publishing) - GOODREADS BOOK GIVEAWAY ( Enter to win: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/358456 (aka: https://tinyurl.com/goodreadsgiveaway2023))
and, as I say in that book, "No book is ever really done/complete, there are always things that could be added, reworked, etc." and, it just so happens that I prove that right/prophetic with this article/blog, as if I had thought of it before, like I am now, THIS PIECE would have likely been a "NET-ETIQUETTE" chapter in the book - as it relates to BEING CLEAR AND PRECISE AS POSSIBLE IN OUR WRITINGS]

This is going to be an update to a piece I wrote on REDSTATE back in 2016 called “Net-etiquette” as the topic came up on RETALK Social-Media discussion…

First, let me say I’m going to do this BACKWARD to what people would likely expect. I am first going to share a RETALK Social-Media post where I shared the RedState piece; which will more or less be the “what is needing updating” or “further expressing” portion; then I’ll quote (yes, minus the quotation-marks, actually reproduce/reprint – with permission of course, since I give myself permission to re-share my own original piece) the RedState piece itself for review.

[From ReTalk Social-Media: 
https://retalk.com/c/quotes/when-a-quote-maycan-be-misinterpreted-if-we-fail-to-use-quotation-marks-to-make-quotations-clear]
 

When a quote, may/can be misinterpreted
– if we fail to use quotation-marks to make “quotations” clear…

As this Community [NOTE: ReTalk has "Communities" to which people join and converse within, versus the way most Social-Media sites may have categories but default is displaying all items in a generic "Timeline."] is all about QUOTES, I’d like to put forth something about QUOTING and clarity… NOT taking for granted that others may recognize we are kinda QUOTING someone else, when we put something forward at times, if we are NOT actually using quotation-marks or explicitly stating: SO AND SO HAS POSITED then whatever….

As @DumperMcDumpster stated in a reply of a reply…

“There’s a difference between describing a thing and supporting it.”
in https://retalk.com/c/dumpers-dumpster-fire/dumpermcdumpster-1673277038 thread.

To which I responded, and thought worthy of note to bring to the GENERAL and RETALK-COMPLAINTS (not quite what @pete was/is looking for in that “Community” but, I’m going to copy there too) Communities…

 Yes, valid point.

INTENT and TONE are things that are “open for interpretation” when it is not implicitly stated AND is a failing of most (including me, I admit) to remember to properly express when we write on social-media; as part of what we’re trying to convey; by not being clear and indeed leaving said things open.

I, again, am guilty of it too, in that I both often do not write with clear intent woven within and misinterpretation of others from time-to-time; even though I wrote about the problem long ago:

https://redstate.com/diary/jlenarddetroit/2016/09/25/net-etiquette-n235257 

and I probably should update in a https://tinyurl.com/JLDArticles piece!
[and as you're reading this, you can see I am indeed doing here]

and something I should have addressed, sadly didn’t think to, in my “How to Write a Book and Get It Published: Hints, Tips & Techniques” (HTWABAGIP) book to be clear of intent when/where expressing opinion, support/opposition, or “JUST SAYIN’” (a term I do sometimes use in writing, and certainly many use in “casual speaking form of communication” to “make clear” of a “may or may not agree, just putting it out there” (potentially even in “Devil’s Advocate” concept form) when/where we are engaging in ANALYSIS (where we do, maybe should, “add our two-cents” opinion of support/opposition) or that we are JUST REPEATING “MANY SAY” or “QUOTE” (by name) whose analysis we are “passing along” if not OUR OWN ANALYSIS (which pretty much “suggests” it’s our “position” (or the position of the person putting it forth)).

[NOTE: Addition to what was in the ReTalk response: And, as I say in HTWABAGIP book, "No book is ever really done/complete, there are always things that could be added, reworked, etc." and, it just so happens that I prove that right/prophetic with this article/blog, as if I had thought of it before, like I am now, THIS PIECE would have likely been a "NET-ETIQUETTE" chapter in the book - as it relates to BEING CLEAR AND PRECISE AS POSSIBLE IN OUR WRITINGS!]

Regards, take this in the “WE CAN ALL DO BETTER” suggestion vein it is intended,
Joseph M. Lenard (aka: JLenardDetroit) A retired IT guy
Author “Terror Strikes: Coming Soon to a City Near You”
and “How to Write a Book and Get It Published: Hints, Tips & Techniques”
https://en.everybodywiki.com/Joseph_M._Lenard

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[From REDSTATE: https://redstate.com/diary/jlenarddetroit/2016/09/25/net-etiquette-n235257]

I want to share something I found while looking at an old file-saves DVD of an old Personal Webpage posting I made ages ago that I thought was long lost. It is important with today’s TWITTER attention span and everyone’s seeming to lose grasp of the notion of CONTEXT…..

except where otherwise noted, WebSite contents © 1999,2000 Joseph M. Lenard

Page creation or last revision: 11/10/99

NETiquette

NET-Etiquette! Or How to be Email/SocialMedia friendly with little effort!

NET-Etiquette! So few have it, so let’s cover some…

— Remember – you may NOT be taking (inferring) something in the manner it was intended. If you feel offended, DO NOT over-react. Remember that you do not know the mood of the person when the Email was created, and likewise, your mood effects the manner in which you interpret Emails or Social-Media comments/posts. If there is the chance you might not understand a persons intent, write them directly and iron out your concerns, DO NOT start a flaming War over a possible miss-interpretation.

— Symbols!! We use all kinds of symbols – such as the smile-face 🙂 or the like and the like. When joking, it doesn’t hurt to put that to ensure someone, who might not share your same sense of humor, will understand you are joking and/or just poking fun at them not trying to start an argument.

— While we’re still on this courtesy thing, I try (and sometimes forget myself) to put the list identifier (if posting from/to a list – such as AFL, NFL, GOVT, POLITICS, etc…) at the beginning of the subject. Many people subscribe to SEVERAL ListServers [2023 update: As a retired IT guy, I'm not even sure these exist anymore. A ListServer is a "service" (more or less) that was, maybe some still exist and therefore is, where someone can Subscribe and receive e-mails regarding a particular subject-matter. I suppose, the concept of RSS feeds has replaced such nowadays. And/or are now just used to finding subject-matter threads at any number of online places (such as RedState, BeforeItsNews, etc., locations in article/blog categorizations (sections/sub-sections)] and this helps sort things out. So, if you (we, anyone, everyone) can think of it, it would ALSO be a nice courtesy. This helps distinguish what is from where, as people may belong to multiple e-mail ListServer subject-matter chains.

— IS THIS TRULY THE SUBJECT. If something is to become a different thread, or is a response to something unrelated, CHANGE THE SUBJECT. So if you, or anyone, get tired of the thread you/they can just hit DELETE without reading. If I’m not interested in a thread, I hit DELETE on those messages with that in the Subject. Sometimes I come into a thread late, because someone started a conversation, or made a reply, with completely unrelated Subject matter line. Is it related in any way?

— When replying to an Email or Social-Media comments/posts, consider incorporating terms/verbiage from the post (or posts) you are responding to, rather than attaching many pages of an original post (or posts of a thread) in your Email. For example, state “I disagree with the contention that __________ for the following reasons…” then post your message. Some people do still pay for Email by the Kilobyte and/or have slower connections and lengthy (repeated) information can be time consuming and expensive when retrieving their mail. There is simply know reason, other than laziness to hit reply and leave 5, 10, 25 paragraphs of previous Email text as a Quote at the bottom of your response!

Alternately, if you do wish to quote directly from an original post, select only partial passages relevant to the matter you will be commenting on. In other words, edit the original text. For example, (XXX your initials)
 

>> persons_name_you_are_quoting wrote: 
>> this is the  
>> original text 
>> or sub-section of such quotation

XXX: your text/response

Mix and match methods as appropriate.

— What else is missing??? Please add to the comments section.

IN CLOSING….
The Ten Commandments of E-mail (and I’d add: or Social-Media comments/posts)(Author unknown)

— Thou shalt include a clear and specific subject line.

— Thou shalt edit any quoted text down to the minimum thou needest.

— Thou shalt read thine own message thrice before thou sendest it.

— Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might react to thy message.

— Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy grammar.

— Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam or USE ALL CAPS.

— Thou shalt not forward any chain letter.

— Thou shalt not use e-mail for any illegal or unethical purpose.

— Thou shalt not rely on the privacy of e-mail, especially from work.

— When in doubt, save thy message overnight and reread it in the light of the dawn.

— And, here’s the “Golden Rule” of E-Mail:

— That which thou findest hateful to receive, sendest thou not unto others.

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RELATED…
“How to Write a Book and Get It Published… Want to really influence discussions, publish your thoughts, it’s easier now than ever…”
/books/2022/12/how-to-write-a-book-and-get-it-published-want-to-really-influence-discussions-publish-your-thoughts-its-easier-now-than-ever-2551972.html

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Joseph M. Lenard (aka: JLenardDetroit) 
Author “Terror Strikes: Coming Soon to a City Near You”
and “How to Write a Book and Get It Published: Hints, Tips & Techniques”
https://en.everybodywiki.com/Joseph_M._Lenard
http://JosephMLenard.us 
https://TerrorStrikes.info/reviews
https://www.book2look.com/book/FUuE4nWBqe
https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Book-Get-Published-ebook/dp/B0BQZB5WLL
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Joseph M. Lenard (aka: JLenardDetroit) 
Author “Terror Strikes: Coming Soon to a City Near You”
and “How to Write a Book and Get It Published: Hints, Tips & Techniques”
https://en.everybodywiki.com/Joseph_M._Lenard