Core Rules of Netiquette

THE RULES IN BRIEF:

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!

An Albion FreeText excerpted from
_Netiquette_ / by Virginia Shea / Foreward by Guy Kawasaki
160 pages / $19.95 / ISBN 0-9637025-1-3