The Internet is a great place to interact with and learn from all kinds of people, but remember: there’s still another person on the other side of the computer — just like you.

Etiquette applies everywhere, including on the Internet. Do your part to create a safe and fun online environment for everyone by being a good netizen (Internet + citizen), starting with the netiquette (Internet + etiquette) tips.

“What’s Your Name?”
On social media and forums, your best friend might be known as 'KewlGirl2002', but in the real world, she's probably just Ani or Lisa or Miriam. Some girls find a whole new creative side of themselves when they go online, and the shyest person might suddenly become the most chatty person you’ve ever met.

Just remember: be careful with your personal information! You never know who is really behind that other screen name, so don’t share photos and personal information with people you don’t know. Just like in the real world, 99% of people are just nice, normal people — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to stay safe!

Also, be nice. Your online persona might be very different from the real you, but never say something to someone you that wouldn’t say in person.

"I’M JUST SO ANGRY!"
Sometimes people will be rude and mean on the Internet. Don’t let them get to you. Using strong and violent language online is no better than using it in real life. Online, messages in all caps with exclamation points mean you’re yelling and really angry all of the time. You wouldn’t yell at someone at school, so don’t do it on the Internet.

But what should you do if you’re caught in an online argument? Take a moment to breathe deeply and cool down. Think about how you would respond if you were talking to that person in real life instead of online.

Journalist Najwa Shihab is a great example on how to handle digital confrontation. As a journalist, she’s a public figure and there are people that disagree with her — and those people aren’t always nice about it. Even when people Tweet awful comments to her, she never resorts to name-calling, profanity, or personal attacks. She even has the courage to ignore many of the people who attack her online. She’s a great example for girls everywhere on how know when to express your opinion and when to just let it go — become sometimes haters are gonna hate, and you’re better than that, right?