When you talk to someone face to face, it’s easy to understand what they’re saying. After all, we don’t just speak with our mouths; in fact, we also communicate using our bodies. When face to face, you can read someone’s hand gestures, body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. All this makes it very easy to understand what the person is saying.

Online is a whole different ball game. When you communicate with someone via email, forums, or even webcasts, it’s not always that easy. After all, you can’t read any of the expressions mentioned above.

However, by following a few simple rules, you can make network communication much easier.

• Write clearly. It is often difficult to write what is actually quite easy to say. But writing neatly can be confusing for the reader. Instead, think about what you want to say and write short, clear sentences. Sentences peppered with punctuation can be read in a variety of ways and can confuse the reader; again, stick to short, clear sentences.

It also helps to close your message with a bit of humor or other “niceness.” This will help prevent your overall message from appearing dry. It is very easy for people to confuse blunt and blunt with sassy when reading.

• Learn netiquette. Online there are different rules of courtesy. Did you know that writing in capital letters means shouting? This is an easy mistake for a newbie to make and one you’ll want to avoid.

Also, using too many exclamation points can make your message seem unreasonable or a bit over the top. And on the other hand, too direct sentences without the use of humor can come across as harsh or unemotional. Try to find the balance between using expressive punctuation marks like exclamation marks and not using them at all.

You can also use emoticons online to express how you feel: a smiley face at the end of a direct message can make a big difference in the reader’s overall impression. However, if you are writing in a more professional manner or want your message to be taken seriously, too many emoticons, such as happy faces, can make you seem unprofessional or someone not to be taken seriously. Again, it’s all about striking the right balance.

• Explain yourself. Particularly when it comes to colleagues and subcontractors, it’s important that they know from the outset that when you’re writing a business message, you can do it in a very direct way. Ask them not to take it as something other than what is written in the message.

This is a particularly effective strategy when dealing with virtual helpers like writers or virtual assistants. You just may not have the time to include a chatty message with each and every email. Explain that your DMs don’t mean you’re upset or anything, you’re just communicating about the job at hand.

Hopefully these three rules will help you avoid many pitfalls of online communication. It’s also helpful to note that sometimes you can read a message differently than the writer intended. It is always best to approach these situations with caution by simply asking the writer to explain what they mean. The worst thing to do would be to go all guns blazing and then realize you didn’t really get their message: oops!