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Manners on the Internet |
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Manners on the Internet |
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| Copyright 1997 by the Feather River Canyon News - All rights reserved - The information contained herein is supplied where is/as is. You accept all responsibility by entering this site. Although we have edited this material, we accept no responsibility for this information and no warranty as to this information's applicability or safety is expressed or implied. No responsibility or liability is or will be assumed by the author or the Feather River Canyon News for any loss or damage due to its use. |
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If you are new to the Internet then learning how to 'get along' with your Internet neighbors can go a long way towards making your visits on the Net more pleasant and productive. The Internet has its own set of guidelines that help it operate smoothly and help everyone get along. Here are a few basic rules of Internet Etiquette- 'Netiquette,' to help.
1) BE PATIENT- In these times of 'instant this' and 'immediate that' it seems that people are always in a hurry to get what they want, and are quick to lash out at those who do not fulfill the need for instant, personal service. Many websites take some time to load into your browser. It may be because of Net congestion or the page you are loading is quite large, but the page may just be what you are looking for, so be patient while it loads. Although sixty seconds may seem like a long time for a website to download, remember how long it takes to drive to the library! 2) BE COURTEOUS and FRIENDLY- Be kind in what you type. Many things you say can be taken more than one way, and you have no idea who you may be communicating with at the other end. Typing 'I don't think so,' can be interpreted as, 'I Don't Think So!' Use phrases like 'IMHO' (in my humble opinion), and the words 'Please' and 'Thank You' can go a long way on the Internet just as they do in non-electronic life. When you enter a chat room say, 'Hello" and before you leave excuse yorself by saying something like, 'Good bye- CU soon. THANKS!' 3) READ- The Web is a language based media and it contains a lot of text (few illiterate people buy computers, and fewer still have websites). I can personally suggest that you 'RT*M' (Read The *$%@ Manual)! Instructions on websites and those included with downloads almost always contain pertinent information to make you visit to the site of the use of the download far more effective. When you think that you have read enough, refer to rule #1. Also look for FAQ pages (Frequently Asked Questions). Odds are if you are having a problem you are not the first. The people who wrote this information did not spend their time including these files just to slow your download. 4) THINGS HAPPEN- Don't assume that your problem is the fault of the person to whom you are talking. If you are having trouble with your connection or connecting to a web site, there could be a lot of reasons- a cut telephone cable, power outages, servers down for maintenance, work being done on local phone lines, equipment failures, net congestion, websites removed for updating or maintenance are just a few examples. When you write to a webmaster or call your Internet Service Provider, be kind- honey catches more flies than vinegar. It also could be a software failure on your end, and you will get a lot more help by using rule #1, 2, and 3 then you will by being angry or frustrated. Some of these things can take some time to resolve, so be patient. 5) BE HELPFUL- If you run across someone having a problem that you can solve, take the time to share your level of expertise. I have met quite a few wonderful people from all over the world this way. And remember, next time it may be you who needs the help! 6) STAY ON TOPIC- This applies mainly to the Newsgroups and on Internet Relay Chat. When first entering a group or chat room 'lurk' about for a bit- watch what is going on or read a number of posts to the group to see where the general flow of conversation is going before posting a message or joining the conversation. It seems that every Newsgroup has one anti-social type that just has to complain about the others in the group. Just ignore them. If you get into an area that you find offensive (and believe me, there are some offensive chat rooms and Newsgroups out there!)- just leave. Additionally, when you reply to a Newsgroup post, check to be sure that the post is only posted to the specific group to which it is intended- Don't Spam! 7) BE CONCISE- When replying to an E-Mail message, delete all but the most important parts of the original message from your E-Mail reply. Better yet- if you can send the reply without any part of the original post, do it! There is no reason for the person who sent you the letter to get back a copy of it, and it takes up bandwidth unnecessarily. Unless you are writing a personal letter to a friend, keep your letter concise. When posting to Newsgroups or chatting on IRC keep comments brief. They take less time to post, take less space on the servers, and people are more likely to read them. 8) BE RESPONSIBLE- Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it. I have seen one person ruin an entire chat room for everyone else by posting rude and offensive comments to the group. There are few restrictions on the Internet and it takes some responsibility to use it in a way that it will be there for all of us in the future. With freedom comes responsibility. 9) BE TOLERANT- Remember that the WWW is truly a WORLDwide communication tool, and some of the people that you will be communicating with do not speak English as their primary language. Also, some people may not know as much about the current subject as you do- don't berate them, educate them! 10) PLAY NICE-Don't Yell- Yelling is typing in all capital letters (typing with the caps lock down) LIKE THIS. It is considered quite rude, can get you kick/banned from an area, and besides it is difficult to read. It is also considered polite to type with capital letters where they belong- that is, don't type in all lower case letters either. 11) PLAY NICE-Don't Flame- Flaming is basically a rude reply aimed at someone with the purpose to insult and/or starting a verbal fight. Flames are generally rude and often contain personal attacks. A flame war is a back and forth set of posts that are part of some sort of war of words. The usually start with a comment like, 'You don't know what you are talking about,' and escalate to a lot of ugly statements concerning a person's genetics, and worse. If you find yourself somehow involved in a flame war, the best thing is to ignore it and let it fizzle out as they almost always do. The flames just take up bandwidth and server space, and being involved in a flame war is a good way to get banned from an area. 12) DON'T SPAM- Spam is a term used to designate unwanted or unsolicited E-Mail or Newsgroup posts, usually of a commercial nature. They often begin with phrases like, 'How would you like to make $20,000 a week?' or, 'This is not illegal! Read on!' Spam usually is sent to a wide number of E-Mail addresses, and often cross-posted to many Newsgroups as well. Some 'Spammers' have had their Online accounts cancelled.
Here are some further resources on the Net if you would like to read more about Netiquette: |