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(May 11, 2000)
In the tradition of list
owners everywhere, USC is posting a list of recommendations
for good manners when participating in lists. In
the tradition of the Internet, we have appropriated other's
hard work for this list. Credit goes to Peter Milbury and Mike
Eisenberg, co-owners of the LM-NET listserv for School Library Media
Specialists and to Jennifer Chandler, University of South Carolina College
of Library and Information Science.
NETWORK ETIQUETTE
When sending messages to LISTSERV,
please keep the following suggestions in mind. They will help keep the
group user-friendly for everyone.
Please include a subject line
in each posting (it's a good idea for ALL e-mail).
Keep each line in your message shorter
than 70 characters. Longer lines can cause problems with some e-mail systems.
Do not include lines consisting only
of "=" signs, since they too cause some systems problems except for the
one that most mail programs generate after your header and before your
message.
When replying to another message,
try to refrain from quoting entire messages. Paraphrasing or quoting selectively
are both kinder to people's eyes and e-mail boxes.
At the end of your message, include
your name and your electronic mail address (this is your electronic
"signature".) Because it can be difficult to interpret e-mail addresses,
you are encouraged to include your institutional affiliation.
Long signatures are discouraged.
They may be humorous the first time, but get old quickly (and take up valuable
net bandwidth and computer space).
Some folks tire of the time spent
having to skim over them. 2-4 lines should be sufficient to
include any necessary information. Remember most lists are not forums
for a/social comment.
Be extremely careful when replying
to the author of a list message. The USC e-mail systems will send your
reply to the entire list if you simply use a reply command. If you
really want to send to the entire list do so.
Think before you post. Do I really
want to say this to the world (list)? Reread what you wrote. Did you really
say what you intended to? Once a message is sent, it can't be retrieved.
Flames: a "flame" is
an emotionally charged posting, and is often directed at someone. Be sure
you really want to post it, and remember than some lists don't tolerate
flames.
To signal humorous intent, use some
sort of "smiley," such as :-). Facetiousness and sarcasm can be misunderstood
easily in electronic communication.
Replies to requests for information.
Some large lists have a policy of sending information privately
to the requester. The requester then summarizes to the
list.This can cut down on traffic, but it tends to reduce
the "give and take" that some lists value.
Please be considerate of others.
Through inexperience or limited local software, list members may inadvertently
violate the above suggestions. A private message to the offender
from an experienced friend or from the list owners is more
appropriate than a public flame.
Please participate! Your ideas are
important. Just because you think everyone knows something doesn't mean
they do. If you're not sure, send the posting to an experienced
friend on the list (or the list owner) to see if the information
may be valuable.
This list has its own character,
just like any "real" grouping of people (such as a party, or
a meeting). The list functions best when people respect the
character of the list. It's also good to respect
the differences among list members and have a certain
tolerance for our individual eccentricities.
DON'T SHOUT--unless you really mean
it. The use of all uppercase letters is considered shouting, and
therefore rude. Part of the problem with all caps is that it
is harder to read than mixed case. The other problem is that
since facial expression and tone of
voice are missing from electronic communication,
some way to express strong opinions (both positive
and negative) is needed, so ALL CAPS has been designated.
Some common abbreviations found in
mail notices are: FWIW => for what it's worth; GOK => God only
knows; HHOK => Ha, ha - only kidding; HHOS => Ha, ha - only serious; IMHO
=> In my humble opinion; LOL => laughing out loud; OTOH => on the
other hand.
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