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In the professional world, all the skills which make you a good team worker, collaborator, and a good co-worker to work with, are known as Soft Skills. The most important of those are as follows:

1. Interpersonal Communication Skills (verbal & written): how well you communicate during 1-to-1 meetings, verbally and in writing.
2. Group Communication Skills (verbal & written): how well you communicate during group discussions, verbally and in writing.
3. Presentation skills: how effectively you present your ideas and express your thoughts formally before a group. 
4. Empathy: how well you understand the perspective, situation and state-of-mind of your colleagues or customers.
5. Etiquettes & Manners: how pleasing & impressive are your etiquettes & manners.

It's not hard to imagine that the soft skills of the 21st century are basically the above skills applied to the online platforms. To all the online platforms which are commonly used in corporates, such as Email, Messaging Apps (WhatsApp, Telegram etc), Video Conferencing Tools (Zoom, Skype etc), Project Management Tools (Asana, Trello etc), Team Communication Tools (Slack, MS Teams etc), Discussion Forums, Blogs and few more.

The professional world is becoming predominantly digital! The ability to collaborate effectively with others, using the above tools, has become MORE important than real-world collaboration, for you to succeed in your career. Online collaboration skills ensure increased efficiency and productivity in case of distributed teams, especially for work-from-home employees. Also, since online collaboration enables individuals to work with people from all over the world, regardless of location or time zone, it opens up new opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and can broaden one’s perspective and knowledge base.

Let's look at the specific skills and 'Netiquettes' which make a person effective at using the above mentioned tools:
 

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of Company's email:

• Writing a proper subject line that summarizes the content of the email.
• Using proper grammar and spelling, and proofreading your emails before sending.
• Communicating effectively through a professional and polite tone, and avoiding slang or informal language.
• Using a proper email signature.
• Respecting the recipient's time by keeping emails to the point.
• Not sending large file attachments unless absolutely necessary.
• Using the "cc" and "bcc" fields appropriately, and being mindful of how many recipients you are sending the email to.
• Not forwarding emails without permission from the sender.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of WhatsApp at workplace. Remember Whatsapp is for short, instant messages:

• Using appropriate greetings and salutations in messages.
• Communicating crisply but clearly. Avoiding 2 mny shrt frms.
• Staying professional in your tone. Avoiding slang, informal language or ALL-CAPS.
• Using proper grammar and spelling, and proofreading your messages before sending.
• Using appropriate emojis and emoticons, if necessary, but avoiding overuse.
• Not sending large files unless absolutely necessary, and using cloud storage or file sharing services instead.
• Using WhatsApp groups strictly for the purpose it was created for.
• Being mindful of the privacy of others, and not sharing personal or sensitive information without permission, especially through screenshots.
• Avoiding sending messages outside of work hours unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Not forwarding messages without permission from the sender.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Skype in the workplace:

• Familiarity with the video conferencing software, including its features and functions.
• Ensuring that your internet connection, computer, lighting are in good working order before the meeting.
• Dressing appropriately for the meeting and choosing a neutral (non-distracting) place or background.
• Using a professional and polite tone, avoiding slang or informal language.
• Muting your microphone when not speaking to reduce background noise.
• Paying attention and staying engaged during the meeting, and avoiding multitasking or distraction.
• Being punctual and joining the call on time and avoiding exceeding the scheduled time, if you are the host.
• Not recording the meeting without permission from all participants.
• Remaining conscious of the fact that the camera and mic are on, especially when you switch to another window on your computer.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of project management tools such as Asana or Trello in the workplace:

• Familiarity with the project management software, including its features and functions.
• Ensuring that your tasks and deadlines are up to date and accurately reflected in the system.
• Communicating effectively through a professional and polite tone, and avoiding slang or informal language in task descriptions and comments.
• Assigning tasks and responsibilities clearly and concisely, if you are the team leader.
• Collaborating effectively with team members by sharing relevant files, communicating clearly, adding comments, attaching relevant documents, and updating progress or changes etc.
• Using task labels, priority markers, and other tools within the project management system appropriately to organize tasks and streamline the workflow.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of team communication tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams in the workplace:

• Familiarity with the team communication software, including its features and functions.
• Using a professional and polite tone, and avoiding slang, informal or offensive language in team communications.
• Being mindful of the designations of co-workers and using @mentions appropriately to get others' attention when necessary.
• Being available and responsive to team members when online.
• Being respectful of others' time and avoiding excessive messaging or notifications.
• Using relevant emojis or reactions to indicate agreement, acknowledgement, or approval.
• Organizing conversations and threads in a logical and clear way for easy navigation and reference.
• Not doing 1-to-1 discussions on group channels.
• Being mindful of time zones and availability when scheduling meetings or messaging team members in different locations.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of company's internal discussion forums in the workplace:

• Familiarity with the discussion forum software, including its features and functions.
• Reading the forum's rules and guidelines before posting, and lurking around a bit to get familiar with the company's forum culture.
• Checking before posting a new thread whether it is on the right forum.
• Using a clear and descriptive subject line when starting a new thread.
• Being respectful and polite even if you disagree with someone. Avoiding offensive or inflammatory language always.
• Being specific and clear when asking questions or making requests for information.
• Being sufficiently detailed, but on-topic when responding to others.
• Using proper grammar and spelling, and proofreading your messages before posting.
• Using appropriate emojis to express your tone, but do not overusing them.
• Respecting others privacy and do not post personal information about other members without their permission.
• Following up on your posts, answer questions and thank others for their input.

Here are the skills and netiquette required for effective use of company's internal blogs in the workplace:

• Familiarity with the blogging software, including its features and functions.
• Writing sufficiently detailed articles on topics which are relevant for the company.
• Using a professional language in blog posts and proofreading your posts before publishing..
• Organizing and structuring your blog posts for easy reading.
• Using images, videos, or other media to support your blog posts and make them more engaging.
• Being respectful of others' time and avoiding excessive blogging or notifications.
• Responding to comments or feedback on your blog posts in a timely and respectful manner.
• Being open to feedback and suggestions from other blog users.
• Avoiding posting confidential information.

To master all of the above skills, a person must receive Digital Citizenship & Internet Maturity education. Since these skills are absolutely essential for all professionals in the 21st century, without which they cannot survive in their 21st century careers, DCIM education must compulsorily be provided to students in schools & colleges.