The Internet are an crucial part of everyone’s lives, including our children .  With the internet and the computer as ubiquitous as TV , how do you teach your children to use the it properly?  After all, with the interactive nature of the internet, your kid will come into contact with many other people if you allow him to browse online or send email.  So how can you teach your son proper internet and email etiquette ?

Email is not quite like snail mail .  Often E-mail comes across differently than a letter and its real-time back and forth nature can lead to some misunderstandings .  Here is some advice you can review with your kid to make sure she understands how to use email effectively.

1. Update Your Address Book Regularly – people change Email addresses all the time now , so be sure to update your address book with new emails and delete the outdated ones.
2. Send messages with care – with the auto-fill option and confusing screen names, you want to stress that your child should be careful when filling out the To section of the email.  They’ll want to double and triple check that the email is only going to the people they want it to. 
3. Beware the Reply All function – teach your children the difference between the Reply option – where the email only goes to the person who sent it and the Reply All option, where the mail will go to everyone on the list.  Very often it’s not appropriate to reply to everyone.
4. Say no to Spam – Sure your kids may know about the processed meat in a can, butSpam just ins't somehting in a can, so   teach them about spam on the internet.  Urban legends, chain letters and jokes  have been circulaating their way around the internet for years, but there is no reason you children need to keep the chain going.  Before they forward something they think is funny to their whole address book have them stop and think if it’s appropriate to do so, and if it’s just spam that will clutter up an in box
5. Emails Get Around – More so than a physical letter , E-mail can be forwarded to anyone, anytime .  Be sure to coach your kids on the importance of not putting anything in an email they wouldn’t want anyone else to see – like “I can’t stand so and so…” They may think emails are personal , but as parents well know, that’s not really the case at all.
6. Watch out for Cyberbullying – sometimes, your son will be the victim of hurtful things on email or the Internet – make sure your teen feels comfortable telling you about anything inappropriate – from peers making rude comments to emails from strangers .  Don't be afraid to do something about it – contact the email sender, the website, even school officials.  Suggest your child change his or her email or social networking account, or better yet, take a rest from email and internet until the situation blows over or you have gotten to the bottom of it.

Internet etiquette can be tricky for both parents and kids , but it’s important that you teach your children the dos and don’ts of email and social networking so they learn the proper way to use these great technological tools.