Exercises: Respectful online communication

Explain why writing a message ENTIRELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS is interpreted as shouting, and rewrite this message with an appropriate tone: 'YOU HAVEN'T SENT ME THE NOTES. SEND THEM NOW, THE EXAM IS TOMORROW.'

Indicate which of these behaviors break netiquette rules and explain why: (a) replying to the class group with a classmate's home address, (b) using chat abbreviations in an email to a teacher, (c) quoting the exact message being replied to in a large group, and (d) forwarding a friend's photo without asking their permission.

The diagram shows a message sent to the class chat during a debate about group work and the space where your reply would go.

Rewrite the message expressing the same disagreement but in a respectful way, and point out which netiquette rules the original message violated.

An email to a teacher says only: 'send me yesterday's work'. Rewrite it with an appropriate greeting, polite request, and sign-off, and explain what effect each of these parts has on the recipient.

Classify these abbreviations and expressions according to whether they are acceptable in a friends' chat, in the class group, or in an email to a teacher: (a) 'ly', (b) 'please', (c) 'pls', (d) 'kind regards'. Justify your criteria for formal and informal register.

In a class video call, it is easy to interrupt each other accidentally. Explain what the 'raise hand' function and the meeting chat are used for, and draft two basic rules for taking turns to speak during your video calls.

Before forwarding a chain message claiming 'the local sports center is closing down', what three things would you check? Explain why forwarding without checking is also your responsibility even if you did not invent the news story.

Propose a reasonable time window for writing in the class chat on school days, and explain what you would do if there really were an emergency outside that time window (and what is considered a real emergency).

In the group chat, several classmates are laughing at a photo of another classmate. Explain what you should and should not do in that situation, and explain why remaining silent also communicates something.

Write two versions of the same email to a teacher asking for an extension: one badly written and one well written (subject, greeting, brief body, and sign-off). Then explain the specific differences between the two and what effect each may have on the response.

Someone in the group posts questions about the assignment at 23:30 and gets angry because no one replies until the following morning. Explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication, why an immediate response cannot be demanded in a chat, and what rules on schedules and notifications you would establish for the group.

Sarcasm and irony in written form are easily misinterpreted because the tone of voice is missing. Explain what resources exist to indicate tone in a message, when it is best to avoid irony altogether (think of the class group), and rewrite this message so there is no ambiguity: 'well, well, you're very punctual today...'.

The class group has 30 people and on some days receives 200 messages, mostly 'ok', 'haha', and stickers. Propose three rules to avoid cluttering the group (replying in a thread, reacting instead of replying, muting notifications) and explain what each achieves without preventing people from communicating.

A classmate got a date wrong in a message sent to the group, and others are already correcting them mockingly. Explain how to correct someone without humiliating them (private or public channel, wording), and write the corrective message you would send.

Someone shares screenshots of a private conversation with another person in the group 'because it doesn't say anything bad'. Analyse why sharing screenshots of private conversations without permission breaks trust even if the content seems harmless, and what should be done before sharing them.

An endless debate in the chat no longer adds anything and people are getting heated. Propose how to bring it to a polite close: what closing message you would write, what to do if someone continues to provoke afterwards, and when it is advisable to move the topic to a face-to-face conversation.

Your Technology team uses three tools to coordinate a project: a shared cloud document, an instant messaging group, and video calls. During the first week, these three problems arise:

1. In the shared document, two members edited the same section at the same time at the last minute, accidentally overwriting a third classmate's work.

2. In the chat group, more than 80 memes were sent in one afternoon, burying the link with the teacher's instructions so that nobody saw it.

3. In the video call, two people left their microphones unmuted with constant background noise, and two others kept their cameras off without answering when asked questions.

Design a specific operational or technical rule to solve each of these three cases. Justify how your solution resolves the specific conflict without simply resorting to banning the use of the tool.

In a chat, an ironic comment is taken literally and the misunderstanding ends up in an argument. Analyse why written text loses nuances compared to talking face-to-face, what resources exist to avoid these misunderstandings, and how you would repair the conflict once it has occurred.

Evaluate this statement: 'on the internet I can say whatever I want because it's my opinion'. Contrast it with other people's right to respect and with the code of conduct of digital spaces, and conclude with your reasoned position.

In some forums, participants use a pseudonym and in others their real name. Analyse when anonymity protects (asking for help without embarrassment) and when it encourages bad behavior (insults without consequences), and draft the rule on identity that you would set for your class's digital spaces.

Read this thread of three messages: (1) 'I'm not bringing the photos, let Valentina ask for them', (2) 'Valentina never brings anything, as usual', (3) 'Well, you don't do any work either, and on top of that you criticise'. Identify in which message the tone degenerates, explain what causes it, and rewrite messages 2 and 3 so that the work progresses without an argument.

You posted a hurtful comment in the chat and regret it the next day. Draft an effective digital apology that includes these elements: acknowledging what you did, making no excuses, understanding the harm caused, and proposing amends. Explain why a 'sorry if you were offended' does not work.

The same message ('ok') can be read as agreement by a teenager and as coldness or anger by an adult. Analyse why each generation interprets written tone differently and propose how to adapt your register when writing to family, friends, and teachers, with an example of each.

Design the moderation protocol for the class digital channel: who moderates, which types of messages warrant a warning, which are deleted, and which are escalated to speaking with the teaching staff. Include how a moderation decision can be appealed if someone disagrees.