Netiquette

[Gregory=Kushmerek%AcctgMed%FIN -at- HUMRES-SERVER -dot- NET -dot- TUFTS -dot- EDU]

Being a topic of occasional interest here, I thought that I'd forward this
little gem that came through my mbox.  Enjoy:

--gk

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      T H E  C O R E  R U L E S  O F  N E T I Q U E T T E
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Rule 1. Remember the human.
Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed,
   a person, with feelings that can be hurt.
Corollary 1 to Rule #1: It's not nice to hurt other people's feelings.
Corollary 2: Never mail or post anything you wouldn't say to your
   reader's face.
Corollary 3: Notify your readers when flaming.

Rule 2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you
   follow in real life.
Corollary 1: Be ethical.
Corollary 2: Breaking the law is bad Netiquette.

Rule 3. Know where you are in cyberspace.
Corollary 1: Netiquette varies from domain to domain.
Corollary 2: Lurk before you leap.

Rule 4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth.
Corollary 1: It's OK to think that what you're doing at the moment is
   the most important thing in the universe, but don't expect anyone
   else to agree with you.
Corollary 2: Post messages to the appropriate discussion group.
Corollary 3: Try not to ask stupid questions on discussion groups.
Corollary 4: Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document.
Corollary 5: When appropriate, use private email instead of posting
   to the group.
Corollary 6: Don't post subscribe, unsubscribe, or FAQ requests.
Corollary 7: Don't waste expert readers' time by posting basic
   information.
Corollary 8: If you disagree with the premise of a particular
   discussion group, don't waste the time and bandwidth of the
   members by telling them how stupid they are. Just stay away.
Corollary 9: Conserve bandwidth when you retrieve information from
   a host or server.

Rule 5. Make yourself look good online.
Corollary 1: Check grammar and spelling before you post.
Corollary 2: Know what you're talking about and make sense.
Corollary 3: Don't post flame-bait.

Rule 6. Share expert knowledge.
Corollary 1: Offer answers and help to people who ask questions on
   discussion groups.
Corollary 2: If you've received email answers to a posted question,
   summarize them and post the summary to the discussion group.

Rule 7. Help keep flame wars under control.
Corollary 1: Don't respond to flame-bait.
Corollary 2: Don't post spelling or grammar flames.
Corollary 3: If you've posted flame-bait or perpetuated a flame war,
   apologize.

Rule 8. Respect other people's privacy.
Don't read other people's private email.

Rule 9. Don't abuse your power.
The more power you have, the more important it is that you use
   it well.

Rule 10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes.
You were a network newbie once too!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Excerpted from _Netiquette_, by Virginia Shea, ISBN 0-9637025-1-3
Albion Books, PO Box 590594, San Francisco 94159, info -at- albion -dot- com
Copyright 1994 Virginia Shea
Feel free to make electronic copies of this document for your
personal use. Unauthorized commercial distribution prohibited.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-