de fast and easy access to your information and content. Don't abuse their time.50 Rules Of Business Netiquette
Business Netiquette, as its name implies, is the standard of behavior that governs the commercial development and usage of the Net. The evolving rules of conduct are particularly important in this context because the digital environment of the Net makes it impossible to separate business and consumer "real estate." Virtual town centers, virtual malls, and intranationally aggregated office parks reside in essentially the same space as personal home pages, educational and research networks, and government and nonprofit organizations.
The business community must respect that, for all its vast commercial potential, the Net is also a personal place--home, neighborhood, or city, for millions. "The rules of business Netiquette" is an attempt to provide general guidelines for keeping the relationship between consumers and businesses a healthy, happy one. The potential that makes the Net such an attractive and fertile area for commercial cultivation carries with it a responsibility. Companies would do well to remember that, on the Net, the individual user is always in control and always has choices.
In keeping with the collaborative nature of the Net, these rules represent the input of many people who have developed their own standards of business conduct on the Net.
The Rules Of Business Netiquette
1. Be sensitive to customers with older systems. Offer a text-
only option for viewing your site on the splash [home] page. 2. Remember that your customers are paying to be online. Provide fast and easy access to your information and content. Don't abuse their time.
3. Organize material logically from the customer's point of view. Ideally, the splash page will be the main page on a site. Be sure to include clear directions for navigating the site on the main page.
4. Keep in mind that the main page of a site serves a variety of functions. It's a map, a front door, and a marketing message all in one.
5. Use the splash page to set the tone and personality of the site, but do so selectively. The tone of the Web site should correlate with the personality of the company.
6. If appropriate, include a time and date stamp. It helps to keep the site current.
7. When using icons, particularly those embedded in a graphic design, make sure that they are easy to see and that their function is obvious. Test the design on 10 to 20 users to make sure your customers will understand.
8. Include alt text for all icon links.
9. Avoid offending users new to the Net by using heavily laced jargon or by adopting a hipper-
than- thou attitude. 10. Do not use bells and whistles just because you can. As bandwidth increases this issue will become less relevant. Until then, heavy use of graphics, video, and audio programs is time-
consuming for the user. 11. Disclose compatibility information, such as, "This page is best viewed by Netscape 3.0 and above."
12. Be sure to include links to the software necessary for a full appreciation of your site. If you say your site uses RealAudio, then make sure it links to a download for RealAudio.
13. Avoid useless pages that serve no purpose. If a page doesn't show or tell the user something, or provide a service, then your site doesn't need it.
14. Include an email address link where appropriate.
15. Include a Return Home link on every page.
16. Remember the three-
click rule and organize sites logically. The three- click rule states that users will not stay onsite if it takes more than three clicks to access the information they need. 17. Include a FAQ page and a company profile on your site. Links to this information should be clearly marked on the main page.
18. Make sure the profile contains all relevant information about the company, including snail mail address, telephone and fax numbers, and the appropriate contact with title.
19. If your site sponsors real-
time chats , have a system for monitoring the chats. This gives the user a sense of security, and it gives you control.20. If you use bulletin board postings, be sure to keep them updated and interesting. Design topics appropriate to your community and that will foster conversation.
21. If appropriate to your site, use current events to spice up chats and bulletin board discussions. It is the responsibility of the host, not the visitor, to initiate interactive communication.
22. Anticipate the needs of your users. If your site has databases, provide a search engine.
23. If you are using your site to launch-
and- learn your product, make sure you have a product. Users do not expect perfection in beta products, but they do expect the product to be almost fully functional. 24. Use a logical URL.
25. Register with every possible source of traffic. Search engines are the primary pathways to your corporate front door.
26. Run test searches to make sure your site comes up with each of the search engines.
27. Think through keywords clearly. Imagine how a customer would look for your service or product if they didn't know your company or Web site name.
28. Shield your site if it is still under construction. Only go live after thoroughly testing with real users.
29. Give the user a reason to stay. Use contests, trivia, and other such promotional tactics to draw users in. If they have come to access a service, provide it up front. Do not make your customers wade through pages of information if they have come to use your calculator.
30. Reward users for giving up valuable marketing information. For example, offer a company T-shirt for completing a profile.
31. Systemize your responses to email requests. An immediate response stating that the message has been received assures users that you are on the ball. Also, give the user an indication of how long it will be before they can expect a response.
32. Subtle reminders are unobtrusive. Suggest that a user, "Add this page to your bookmarks."
33. Encourage other sites, including noncommercial sites, to link to your site. Personal home pages are an often overlooked resource for directing traffic to a corporate site.
34. Use logical resources, such as PR Newswire and Business Wire, to make appropriate announcements.
35. Do not announce the launch of a new site if what's new is only an addition to an existing site.
36. If you refer to sources of information within your site, then provide hyperlinks to the appropriate site.
37. When linking to another site, link directly to the appropriate page rather than to the home page.
38. Think globally. Remember that users from other countries can easily access your site. If you want to tap into international markets, respect their culture and keep in mind that they may not be familiar with idiomatic expressions or respond to pro-
American ad campaigns. 39. When advertising, avoid misleading links. If you have a banner for a giveaway, then clicking the banner should take the user straight to the giveaway page.
40. Include the full URL so that people know the address of the resource from a paper copy of your page.
41. Include your URL in all promotional material, such as magazine advertisements, brochures, radio, television, and billboard advertisements.
42. Clearly state the copyright policy for the information and graphics available through your site.
43. Do not simply abandon a site. If you move or close or change names, alert users via email and register changes with appropriate venues, such as search engines.
44. Do not mix personal and business sites. Don't include pictures of the kids unless they are somehow relevant to the business. That's what personal home pages are for.
45. Listen to the 24-
year- olds. Frequently, those who are most in tune with the digital environment are not necessarily those who hold the highest offices. A brilliant idea might be hatched in the mailroom. 46. The Net is a collaborative environment. Reconsider strategies to work with or link to other companies.
47. Constantly question your business assumptions. Form a habit of asking, "Can we do x online?"
48. Encourage full company participation. Educate your staff, making sure they are familiar with your Web site, both in function and design.
49. Remember that not everyone understands the impact or value of the Net as you do. Use creative demonstrations to help them see the light.
50. Give something back. Provide a useful product or service that enhances the online experience. Businesses that use the Net are active participants in building their environment.
(Note: This story was excerpted from The Digital Estate: Strategies for Competing, Surviving, and Thriving In an Internetworked World, by Chuck Martin, copyright 1996 by Charles L. Martin, Jr. Reprinted by permission of the McGraw-
Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.)
3. Organize material logically from the customer's point of view. Ideally, the splash page will be the main page on a site. Be sure to include clear directions for navigating the site on the main page.
4. Keep in mind that the main page of a site serves a variety of functions. It's a map, a front door, and a marketing message all in one.
5. Use the splash page to set the tone and personality of the site, but do so selectively. The tone of the Web site should correlate with the personality of the company.
6. If appropriate, include a time and date stamp. It helps to keep the site current.
7. When using icons, particularly those embedded in a graphic design, make sure that they are easy to see and that their function is obvious. Test the design on 10 to 20 users to make sure your customers will understand.
8. Include alt text for all icon links.
9. Avoid offending users new to the Net by using heavily laced jargon or by adopting a hipper-
10. Do not use bells and whistles just because you can. As bandwidth increases this issue will become less relevant. Until then, heavy use of graphics, video, and audio programs is time-
11. Disclose compatibility information, such as, "This page is best viewed by Netscape 3.0 and above."
12. Be sure to include links to the software necessary for a full appreciation of your site. If you say your site uses RealAudio, then make sure it links to a download for RealAudio.
13. Avoid useless pages that serve no purpose. If a page doesn't show or tell the user something, or provide a service, then your site doesn't need it.
14. Include an email address link where appropriate.
15. Include a Return Home link on every page.
16. Remember the three-
17. Include a FAQ page and a company profile on your site. Links to this information should be clearly marked on the main page.
18. Make sure the profile contains all relevant information about the company, including snail mail address, telephone and fax numbers, and the appropriate contact with title.
19. If your site sponsors real-
20. If you use bulletin board postings, be sure to keep them updated and interesting. Design topics appropriate to your community and that will foster conversation.
21. If appropriate to your site, use current events to spice up chats and bulletin board discussions. It is the responsibility of the host, not the visitor, to initiate interactive communication.
22. Anticipate the needs of your users. If your site has databases, provide a search engine.
23. If you are using your site to launch-
24. Use a logical URL.
25. Register with every possible source of traffic. Search engines are the primary pathways to your corporate front door.
26. Run test searches to make sure your site comes up with each of the search engines.
27. Think through keywords clearly. Imagine how a customer would look for your service or product if they didn't know your company or Web site name.
28. Shield your site if it is still under construction. Only go live after thoroughly testing with real users.
29. Give the user a reason to stay. Use contests, trivia, and other such promotional tactics to draw users in. If they have come to access a service, provide it up front. Do not make your customers wade through pages of information if they have come to use your calculator.
30. Reward users for giving up valuable marketing information. For example, offer a company T-shirt for completing a profile.
31. Systemize your responses to email requests. An immediate response stating that the message has been received assures users that you are on the ball. Also, give the user an indication of how long it will be before they can expect a response.
32. Subtle reminders are unobtrusive. Suggest that a user, "Add this page to your bookmarks."
33. Encourage other sites, including noncommercial sites, to link to your site. Personal home pages are an often overlooked resource for directing traffic to a corporate site.
34. Use logical resources, such as PR Newswire and Business Wire, to make appropriate announcements.
35. Do not announce the launch of a new site if what's new is only an addition to an existing site.
36. If you refer to sources of information within your site, then provide hyperlinks to the appropriate site.
37. When linking to another site, link directly to the appropriate page rather than to the home page.
38. Think globally. Remember that users from other countries can easily access your site. If you want to tap into international markets, respect their culture and keep in mind that they may not be familiar with idiomatic expressions or respond to pro-
39. When advertising, avoid misleading links. If you have a banner for a giveaway, then clicking the banner should take the user straight to the giveaway page.
40. Include the full URL so that people know the address of the resource from a paper copy of your page.
41. Include your URL in all promotional material, such as magazine adve