As a teacher, I am supposed to teach students about online etiquette. So, I do. As part of our discussions, I have had some students challenge the conventional wisdom about online etiquette. The mandate about NOT WRITING IN ALL CAPS has some students bristling. Other students think it's okay to write in text-speak in online communications. Still others think the whole thing is just "stupid" and "pointless."
So, what do I think? I'll tell you. I believe that both what I say online and how I say it matters because it is a reflection of me. If I write something in texting shorthand or in all lowercase letters, I feel sloppy and to some people it will look sloppy. That's not the message I want to convey, so I don't do it. Sure, there are people out there who don't care, but there are also people who do care. I want what I post or send to look good no matter who reads it.
Also, I know that when people do something over and over again it becomes a habit. I know from personal experience that habits are hard to break. Some students are so used to writing everything in lower case that they fail to even capitalize their own names or the letter "i" when they write online. I went to college with a guy whose name was Tim which he wrote tqim. I wonder whatever happened to him? He didn't capitalize his name, but he was creating a "persona" for himself. (He also wasn't in high school where his teachers would dock his grades for failing to use capital letters).
I am okay with uniqueness and creativity -- done at the correct time and place -- but it bugs me when someone uses poor grammar for so long that he/she doesn't even realize its wrong. That's why I think online etiquette matters.
