Hi. I found this on the Web and thought it might be appropriate to post
it here. Also, this is moving week for the Parkinsn list...stay tuned
for details. Barb
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette - by Arlene
Rinaldi
LISTSERVS/MAILING LISTS/ DISCUSSION GROUPS
Some mailing lists have low rates of traffic, others
can flood your mailbox with several hundred mail
messages per day. Numerous incoming messages from
various listservers or mailing lists by multiple users,
requires extensive system processing which can tie up
valuable resources. Subscription to Interest Groups or
Discussion Lists should be kept to a minimum and should
not exceed what your disk quota can handle, or you for
that matter.
When you join a list, monitor the messages for a few
days to get a feel for what common questions are asked,
and what topics are deemed off-limits. This is commonly
referred to as lurking. When you feel comfortable with
the group, then start posting.
See if there is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for
a group that you are interested in joining. Veteran
members get annoyed when they see the same questions
every few weeks, or at the start of each semester.
Follow any and all guidelines that the listowner has
posted; the listowner establishes the local
"netiquette" standards for her/his list.
Keep in mind that some discussion lists or Usenet
groups have members from many countries. Don't assume
that they will understand a reference to TV, movies,
pop culture, or current events in your country. If you
must use the reference, please explain it.
Don't join a list just to post inflammatory messages -
this upsets most system administrators and you could
lose access to the net ("mail bombing"). Keep your
questions and comments relevant to the focus of the
discussion group.
If another person posts a comment or question that is
off the subject, do NOT reply to the list and keep the
off- subject conversation going publicly.
When someone posts an off-subject note, and someone
else criticizes that posting, you should NOT submit a
gratuitous note saying "well, I liked it and lots of
people probably did as well and you guys ought to
lighten up and not tell us to stick to the subject".
When going away for more than a week, unsubscribe or
suspend mail from any mailing lists or LISTSERV
services.
If you can respond to someone else's question, do so
through email. Twenty people answering the same
question on a large list can fill your mailbox (and
those of everyone else on the list) quickly.
When quoting another person, edit out whatever isn't
directly applicable to your reply. Don't let your
mailing or Usenet software automatically quote the
entire body of messages you are replying to when it's
not necessary. Take the time to edit any quotations
down to the minimum necessary to provide context for
your reply. Nobody likes reading a long message in
quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be
followed by a one line response: "Yeah, me too."
Use discretion when forwarding a long mail message to
group addresses or distribution lists. It's preferable
to reference the source of a document and provide
instructions on how to obtain a copy. If you must post
a long message, warn the readers with a statement at
the top of the mail message. Example: WARNING: LONG
MESSAGE
If you crosspost messages to multiple groups, include
the name of the groups at the top of the mail message
with an apology for any duplication.
Resist the temptation to "flame" others on the list.
Remember that these discussions are "public" and meant
for constructive exchanges. Treat the others on the
list as you would want them to treat you.
When posting a question to the discussion group,
request that responses be directed to you personally.
Post a summary or answer to your question to the group.
When replying to a message posted to a discussion
group, check the address to be certain it's going to
the intended location (person or group). It can be very
embarrassing if they reply incorrectly and post a
personal message to the entire discussion group that
was intended for an individual.
When signing up for a group it is important to save
your subscription confirmation letter for reference.
That way if you go on vacation you will have the
subscription address for suspending mail.
Use your own personal Email account, don't subscribe
using a shared office account.
Occasionally subscribers to the list who are not
familiar with proper netiquette will submit requests to
SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE directly to the list itself.
Be tolerant of this activity, and possibly provide some
useful advice as opposed to being critical.
Other people on the list are not interested in your
desire to be added or deleted. Any requests regarding
administrative tasks such as being added or removed
from a list should be made to the appropriate area, not
the list itself. Mail for these types of requests
should be sent to the following respectively:
LISTSERV GROUPS- LISTSERV@host
MAILING LISTS - listname-REQUEST@host or
listname-OWNER@host
For either Mailing Lists or LISTSERV groups, to
subscribe or unsubscribe, in the body of the message
include:
SUBSCRIBE listname yourfirstname yourlastname (To be
added to the subscription) or
UNSUBSCRIBE listname (To be removed from the
subscription)
Return to --The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
--Index
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Last updated: 27 April 95 - URL =
http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/net/dis.html
