Learning how to behave in the wired world

In the Wild West years of the digital revolution, people flame, shout and snub without ever even knowing it. So, as we see in this clip from CBC Television, those "clever internet cadets" have come up with "netiquette," a growing set of guidelines and politeness pointers for life in the online universe.

According to internet expert Jim Carroll, these aren't just helpful hints - such as not sending your email messages to absolutely everyone - there's also a whole new language that gives the colon, semi-colon and round bracket sentimental significance.

The term "emoticon" is a contraction of "emotions" and "icon." As we hear in this clip, they are intended to clarify the emotional context of an online message.

Since 1994, several books and websites devoted to netiquette have marked off the boundaries of polite online banter and business. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of the word "netiquette" occurred on a Usenet board in 1982. But it didn't hit the mainstream press until about the time of this 1994 clip.

CBC established its online presence through CBC.ca and at Radio-Canada.ca in 1995. The site initially just featured links to information about 65 radio and television programs. In 1996, The National followed with its own website and then began posting breaking news.

Posted on Aug 20, 2011 6:00:00 AM