Network etiquette (often referred to as “netiquette”) are informal rules and procedures established for users of e-mail and listserv lists (a.k.a. mailing lists) to provide some simple guidelines to make these electronic communication tools more enjoyable and less annoying or bothersome.

1. Be sure to include a descriptive subject line. E-mails received with no subject line may likely be perceived as spam by an email filter and be deleted before reaching the recipient's inbox.

 

2. Responses to many listserv list questions and discussion topics are of interest to the entire list. In these cases, it is appropriate to reply to the listserv list address. 

    

3. Personal replies should be directed to specific individuals rather than to the entire list. Remember to cut and paste the sender’s e-mail address when replying rather than simply hitting the “Reply” button which sends the response to the entire list. Below are some examples of replies sent to an entire list in the past, which would have been more appropriate sent directly to the individual whose message prompted the reply. 
   • "Thanks."
   • "Thanks. Hope you are well. All the best."
   • "Yes." or "No, unfortunately." (Both were sent in response to a reply also sent to the list as to whether an individual had a specific software program.)
   • "I would also." (Sent as response to whether additional info was desired)
   • "I would like more information. Could you e-mail me directly?"
   • "Thanks, this will be very helpful. Sorry for the delay in replying."
   • "Welcome!" (Response to someone introducing themselves as a new subscriber.)

 

4. If you receive a notice that your original e-mail was "rejected" or you received a "delivery error", find out the reason for the rejection before resending the message so people do not receive duplicate e-mails. Often times, the error was in response to a problem with a single recipient's email and the message was indeed sent and received by many other list subscribers.

 

5. NACADA listserv lists may not be used for the solicitation, promotion, or sales of commercial products or services. Violation of this rule will result in being removed from the listserv list(s).

 

6. NACADA listserv lists may not be used for campaign purposes by NACADA members running for an elected leadership position. Violation of this rule will also result in removal from the listserv list(s).

 

7. NACADA listserv lists should not be used for posting job announcements or position descriptions. For an online form to submit a job announcement for posting on the NACADA web site, visit www.nacada.ksu.edu/PositionAnnouncements/index.htm.
   
   
8. NACADA listserv lists are not to be used as personal blogs. There are many free online sites that are designed specifically for posting those random thoughts and ideas and offering others the opportunity to follow those postings. Listservs, on the other hand are intended for distributing topic-related information that the list members as a group might benefit from sharing.
9. Be respectful and considerate of your colleagues in your postings. If you disagree or become upset with someone's response or use of the list, reply to that person directly when appropriate.

 

10. Become familiar with the features, settings, options and other capabilities of your e-mail client system. For more information on various e-mail clients and managing your incoming electronic mail, visit www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/folders.htm on the NACADA Clearinghouse web site.

 

11. If the amount of mail from any particular list becomes cumbersome, rather than leaving that list,consider receiving the digest form of the list. Instead of getting each email individually, you will receive a summary email at the end of each day. Individual subscribers need to request this function directly for each listserv list to which they are subscribed. 

To set up "digest" mode, from the e-mail address used to subscribe to the listserv list(s), send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.ksu.edu using the following command format in the body of the message (where listname is the list's ID):

SET listname DIGEST         Example: SET ADVTRANSFER DIGEST

 

12. Be aware of the problems caused when using auto-responders or auto-replies to messages received via a mailing list. Our listserv system will generate error messages to the mailing list owners about each auto-reply received and will eventually result in your being "served off" the list, disabling your ability to send messages to the list. Please remember to either temporarily turn off your mailing list messages, or set your email auto-replies to not respond to messages from our listserv lists (i.e. listname@listserv.ksu.edu).
    
    
13. Turn off mail from the list(s) when going on vacation. NOMail is the command that stops mail but leaves you subscribed to the list. Please note, if you use an auto-responder while on vacation without setting your subscription options to NOMail, your "out of office" messages may bounce back to LISTSERV and you may be "served off" from LISTSERV when you return.
    

     

To change your mail delivery options, from the e-mail address used to subscribe to the listserv list(s), send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.ksu.edu using one of the following commands in the body of the message (where listname is the list's ID):


• Turn off email delivery - - SET listname NOMAIL         Example: SET ADVTRANSFER NOMAIL
• Restore email delivery - -SET listname MAIL              Example: SET ADVTRANSFER MAIL
  
  For more information on changing your mail settings visit our Listserv Mail Settings page.

Many members realize that mistakes do happen and choose to simply hit the "delete" button when many e-mails are received that are of no interest or do not apply to them. However, if everyone would consider the guidelines above regarding e-mail and listserv use, cyberspace might be a more pleasant experience for everyone!  Thank you for your cooperation and consideration of these guidelines.