Net Etiquette (Netiquette)
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As in everyday life, good manners are welcome in the virtual world of cyberspace. Here is a brief list of things to remember when participating in
newsgroups, and in general correspondence across the Internet.
Communication by computer is new to almost everybody, and there are certain aspects that can make it a
frustrating experience until you get used to them. Refer to the guidelines below to communicate politely and
effectively and avoid common "newbie" traps.
Remember - the Person on the Other Side is Human.
People all over the world are reading your words. Don't attack people if you cannot persuade them with
your view of the facts. What goes around, comes around and abusing others (even behind the screen of email or posts) only serves to make people think less of you and
less willing to help you when you need it.
Don't Assume People Speak for Their Organizations.
Never assume that the person is speaking for the organization that they are posting their articles from (unless the person explicitly says so). Some people put explicit
disclaimers to this effect in their messages, but this is a good general rule. If you find an article offensive, take
it up with the person by direct email, or simply ignore it.
Be Careful What You Say About Others.
Information posted on the Net can come back to haunt you or the person you are talking about. Think
twice before you post personal information about yourself or others.
Be Brief.
Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer. Say it succinctly and it will have a greater impact.
Remember that the longer you make your article, the fewer people will bother to read it.
Your Postings Reflect Upon You -- Be Proud of Them.
Most people on Usenet will know you only by what you say and how
well you say it. They may someday be your co-workers or friends. Minimize your spelling errors and make sure that the
article is easy to read and understand. Take some time to make sure each posting is something that will not embarrass
you later.
Use Descriptive Titles / Subject Lines.
The subject line of an article is there to enable a person with a limited amount of time to decide
whether or not to read your article. Tell people what the article is about before they read it.
Think About Your Audience and Post Appropriately.
When you post an article, think about the people you are trying to reach. Try to get the most
appropriate audience for your message, not the widest.
One normally does not join a conversation by just walking up and talking. Instead, you listen first and
then join in if you have something pertinent to contribute. By the same token, you should be familiar with the group
you are posting to before you post! Don't post to groups you don't read, or post to groups you've only read a few
articles from -- you may not be familiar with the on-going conventions and themes of the group.
Be Careful with Humor and Sarcasm.
Without the voice inflections and body language of face-to-face communications, it is easy for a remark
meant to be funny to be misinterpreted. Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to make sure that people realize
you are trying to be funny. The net has developed a symbol called the "smiley
face". It looks like ":-)" and points out sections of articles
with humorous intent. No matter how broad the humor or satire, it is safer to remind people that you are being funny.
Frowns :-( and winks ;-) can
also avoid confusion.
Only Post a Message Once.
Avoid posting messages to more than one newsgroup unless you
are sure it is appropriate. If you do post to multiple newsgroups, do not post to each group separately. Instead,
specify all the groups on a single copy of the message. This reduces network overhead and lets people who subscribe to
more than one of those groups see the message once instead of having to wade through each copy.
Summarize What You are Following Up.
When you are following up someone's article, please summarize the parts of the article to which you are
responding. This allows readers to appreciate your comments rather than trying to remember what the original article
said.
Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from the original article. Do not include
the entire article since it will irritate the people who have already seen it.
Don't Repeat What has Already Been Said.
Before you submit a follow-up to a message, read the rest of the messages in the newsgroup to see
whether someone has already said what you want to say. If someone has, don't repeat it.
Be Careful About Copyrights and Licenses.
Once something is posted onto the network, it is *probably* in the public domain unless you own the
appropriate rights (most notably, if you wrote the thing yourself) and you post it with a valid copyright notice; a
court would have to decide the specifics and there are arguments for both sides of the issue.
You should also be aware that posting movie reviews, song lyrics, or anything else published under a
copyright could cause you, your company, or members of the net community to be held liable for damages, so we highly
recommend caution in using this material.
Cite Appropriate References.
If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from. Don't take someone else's ideas
and use them as your own. You don't want someone pretending that your ideas are theirs; show them the same
respect.
Make an Honest Attempt to Spell Correctly.
Every few months a plague descends on Usenet called the spelling flame. It starts out when someone posts an article correcting the spelling or grammar
in some article. This usually escalates into an unproductive "war of the words" and tends to cause people who used to
be friends to get angry with each other.
Since properly spelled messages are easier to read and understand, we all appreciate a good faith effort to
spell correctly. However, it is important to remember that we all make mistakes, and that there are many users on the
net who use English as a second language. There are also a number of people who suffer from dyslexia and who have
difficulty noticing their spelling mistakes. If you feel that you must make a comment on the quality of a posting,
please do so by mail, not on the network.
Use a Mixture of Upper and Lowercase Letters.
It is considered rude to "shout" by typing your post completely
in caps. Submissions in a single case (all upper or all
lower) are difficult to read, so using common capitalization is appreciated.
Don't Overdo Signatures.
Signatures are nice, and many mail programs automatically add a customized signature to email and
postings. While it is common to personalize your correspondence in this manner, don't overdo it. Signatures can tell
the world something about you, but keep them short. A signature that is longer than the message itself is considered to
be in bad taste.
Do Not Use Usenet as an Advertising Avenue.
Advertisements on Usenet are rarely appreciated. In general,
the louder or more inappropriate the ad is, the more antagonism it will stir up. Try the biz.* hierarchies
instead.
Avoid Posting to Multiple Newsgroups.
Few things annoy Usenet readers as much as multiple copies of a posting appearing in multiple
newsgroups. (called 'spamming' for historical reasons) A posting that is
cross-posted (i.e lists multiple newsgroups on the Newsgroups: header line) to a few appropriate newsgroups is fine, but
even with cross-posts, restraint is advised.
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