Reflecting on online ethics

The whole concept of online ethics made me think about my interactions with people both in and out of the online world. The many faceless communications that occur online lead to considerations that should really be taken - and are often neglected - with our face-to-face communications as well.

Online interactions - particularly those that we are facilitating - require a proactive consideration of all aspects of communication to help ensure a successful result. Taking the time upfront to clarify expectations and methods of communication can help limit the potential for many, many misunderstandings and also help to keep learners motivated and engaged.

Imagine if we took the same time to regularly make these types of upfront clarifications in our every day face-to-face communications...all sorts of good would most likely come of it. In any case - we can really thank the Internet for forcing us to all work on our styles of communication and pushing us to check that our statements both written and oral are coming across to others as we think we are.