NETIQUETTE
By Wendy Nikiforuk
Netiquette Defined:
- This is etiquette for the Internet.
- These are generally simple rules of conduct that anyone who frequents the internet should know
Net Abuse - Usenet Groups
Net-abuse is an action that undermines the ability of one or more Usenet groups to serve as discussion forums. Whether or not a message is net-abuse is not a questions of the content of the article, but rather the manner or place of the posting. There is a consensus that some things are definately net-abuse:
1. "Spamming" the newsgroups. This is when a user posts one or more messages with substantially the same content to a large number of newgroups, in many of which the post is off topic. The problem is that the newreader software will not be able to determine whether the message has already been ready by another newsgroup.
2. Flooding a newsgroup. This occurs when a user posts so many messages to a group that it is rendered unusable. Although people have freedom of speech, they should not prevent others from exchaning information as well.
3. Forging articles. Articles appear under some other person's name.
4. Flaming. Sending or posting information which is slanderous to any other party.
The biggest and most well known occurance of net-abuse occured on April 14, 1994, called the "Green Card" spam. A lawyers firm, Canter and Siegel, posted an advertisement to 5000 Usenet newsgroups. The posting offered to help aliens fill out a form for the upcoming green card lottery. The Green Card lotery was a federal lottery that awarded 55,000 "green cards" extending permanent residency status to immigrants. The net community was outraged, Canter and Siegel's internet access provider, Internet Direct, repeatedly crashed as over 30,000 angry mail messages were received by the system.
What Canter and Siegel had done was not illegal in any manner, but it was wrong. Subsequently, Internet Direct suspended Canter and Siegel's account for violating the customer service agreement and the lawyers threatened with a $250,000 law suit. As well, four other Internet providers that Canter and Siegal had been linked with either restricted them from posting or had taken away their access altogether. Because of their actions, other users have been anything but polite. Ms. Siegel claims to have received obscene phone calls and 'carloads' of magazines to which she have never subscribed. Because of all the controversy, the firm has now created its own web home page.
The Net: A Users's Guidelines and Netiquette
By Arlene H. Rinaldi - 1995
A complete guide to netiquette.
The author wrote this book/on-line document after she found that there was no information of this type available for new and unexperienced internet users, called newbie's. This guide has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Japanese. Before this book had been written, the only types of netiquette guides pertained only to E-mail and Usenet, but there are so many other areas of the internet that can be explored. The book was written only as a guide to help newbies, it should not be misconceived as laws, nor rules that detract from the concepts of free speech. They are just good standards that all users should follow.
E-Mail
- Check E-mail daily.
- Delete unwanted mail so as to keep messages in your mailbox to a minimum.
- Be sure to delete messages you do not want others to read, as a preventive measure.
Disk Storage
- keep files to a minimum, store excess files on floppy disks or your personal computer.
- routinely and frequently virus scan your system.
- do not keep anything private in your disk storage area.
Telnet
- Be courteous to others, remain on the system only long enough to retrieve the information needed, then exit.
- Download online documentation and review instructions so as not to type up system time.
Anonymous FTP - File Transfer Protocol
- Users should respons to the PASSWORD prompt with their Email address.
- Limit large downloads, (1 Meg+) for after normal business hours.
- Adhere to time restrictions as requested by archive sites.
- Copy downloaded files to your personal computer hard drive or disks to remain within disk quota.
- It's the user's responsibility when downloading programs, to check for copyright or licensing agreements. If unsure on agreement, do not copy it.
Electronic Communications - Email, LISTSERV groups, Mailing lists and Usenet
- Keep messages short and to the point.
- Focus only on one subject per message, use a descriptive subject line
- Include your signature at the bottom of Email messages.
- Capitalizing means shouting in internet language, so keep to a minimum.
- Limit line length.
- Follow chain of command procedures for corresponding with superiors.
- Be professional and careful what you say about others. Email is easily forwarded.
- Cite all quotes and references.
- It is considered rude to forward personal email to mailing lists or Usenet groups without the authors permission.
- Be careful when using sarcasm and humor.
- Acronyms can be used to abbreviate when possble.
:-) = happy face, BTW = by the way, FYI = for your information
ListServs/Mailing Lists/Discussion Groups
- Monitor a newsgroup for a few days to know what topics they are currently discussing.
- Follow any and all guidelines that the listowner posts.
- Remember that list or Usenet groups have members from many countries.
- Keep questions and comments relevant to the discussion group.
- When quoting another person, edit out whatever isn't directly applicable to your reply.
- If sending or posting a long message, place a warning letting the users know.
- Resist the tmeptation to "flame" others on the list.
- When posting to a discussion group, request that responses be directed to your personally.
- Use your own personal Email account, don't subscribe using a shared office account.
- If a person SUBSCRIBES or UNSUBSCRIBES directly to the list itself, be tolerant and send them useful advice opposed to critical.
- Learn to subscribe or unsubscribe correctly
World Wide Web
- Do not include very large graphic images in your html documents.
- When including video or voice files, include next to the description the size of the file.
- Keep naming standards for URL's simple and not overly excessive with changes in cases.
- When in doubt of a URL, try accessing the domain address first, then navigate from there.
- Have consideration for users who do not have graphical browsers, include text links.
- URL authors should include an email address at the bottom of all HTML documents.
- Include the acutal URL in the document, users will know where to access the information in the future.
- URL authors should include the date of the last revision.
- Authors should not violate copyright laws or include obscene, harassing or threatening materials on their Web sites.
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
Top 10 Core Rules of Netiquette
These rules come from a book written just on netiquette. It is roughly 160 pages in length, and sells for $19.95 for the paper back version, or $6.95 for the online version. The book takes you through all of the issues that pertain to good etiquette on the net.
Rule 1: Remember the Human
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace.
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
Rule 6: Share expert Knowledge
Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control.
Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
Core Rules of Netiquette
Emily Postnews
If going through all of these lists of netiquette rules, and you are still unclear, there is an online Netiquette authoriy, Dear Emily Postnews, who will answer any question you have. As well as answering questions in English, Dear Emily Postnews can also answer questions in French, Italian, and German. The creator, Brad Templeton had created Emily Postnews of course using the pun from Emily Post, who in her day was one of the foremost authories on etiquette.
Dear Emily Postnews
Netiquette Comic Strip
If you haven't had enought of the netiquette yet, you can take a look at the Netiquette Comic Strip Home Page. The comic strip was created by Dave Menter in the hope of providing a commentary regarding behavior, protocol and diversity of electronic life on the Internet.
The comic strip has two characters, Newbie - which is a nickname for a naive new Internet user and his pet goldfish Scuzzy - a fish philosophers who helps Newbie understand his human faults.
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References
Netiquette Comic Strip Home Page
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
Dear Emily Postnews
The Usenet Site Administrator's Guide to Netiquette
Law, Ethics, and Society on the Information Superhighway
Core Rules of Netiquette