netiquette

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2008 is: netiquette • \NET-ih-kut\ • noun : etiquette governing communication on the Internet Examples: "On the end-user side, unsolicited e-mail advertising has long been considered a breach of netiquette." (Al Bredenberg, Internet World, July 1996) Did you know? When the first computer networks were being developed in the 1950s and 60s, few people could have predicted the extent to which the Internet would revolutionize our culture -- and our language. These days, you don't have to be a "computernik" (a computer expert or enthusiast) or a "mouse potato" (someone who spends a great deal of time using a computer) to be familiar with words like "blog," "download," or the verb "google." And even "computerphobes" are likely to know that in modern jargon, a "mouse" isn't necessarily a small furry rodent and the newest "virus" may be more of a threat to your computer than to your health. "Netiquette," a blend of "net" (as in "Internet") and "etiquette," joined our language in the late 1980s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.