Rules of Netiquette

Introduction

What is Netiquette? Simply stated, it's network etiquette -- that is, the etiquette of cyberspace. And "etiquette" means "the forms required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be required in social or official life." In other words, Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online.

When you enter any new culture -- and cyberspace has its own culture -- you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended.  So, partly as a result of forgetting that people online are still real, and partly because they don't know the conventions, well-meaning cybernauts, especially new ones, make all kinds of mistakes.

Rule 1: Remember the Human

The golden rule your parents and your kindergarten teacher taught you was pretty simple: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings.

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Be ethical - Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what you can get away with."  If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult the code you follow in real life. Chances are good you'll find the answer.  If you use shareware, pay for it. Paying for shareware encourages more people to write shareware. The few dollars probably won't mean much to you, and they benefit all of cyberspace in the long run.

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

Netiquette varies from domain to domain - What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another.  Lurk before you leap.  When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate.  

Rule 4: Respect other people's bandwidth - [ More on bandwidth theft below ]

Bandwidth is the information-carrying capacity of the wires and channels that connect everyone in cyberspace. There's a limit to the amount of data that any piece of wiring can carry at any given moment -- even a state-of-the-art fiber-optic cable. The word "bandwidth" is also sometimes used to refer to the storage capacity of a host system.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

As in the world at large, most people who communicate online just want to be liked. Discussion groups let you reach out to people you'd otherwise never meet. And none of them can see you. You won't be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing. 

You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing.  It's perfectly possible to write a paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense whatsoever. This is most likely to happen when you're trying to impress someone by using a lot of long words that you don't really understand yourself.  It's better to keep it simple.

Finally, be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation.

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

The strength of cyberspace is in its numbers. The reason asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions.  The Internet itself was founded and grew because scientists wanted to share information. Gradually, the rest of us got in on the act.

So do your part.  Don't be afraid to share what you know.  Many people freely post all kinds of resource lists and bibliographies, from lists of online legal resources to lists of popular UNIX books.  If you've researched a topic that you think would be of interest to others, write it up and post it!

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion. It's the kind of message that makes people respond, "Oh come on, tell us how you really feel." Tact is not its objective.

Does Netiquette forbid flaming? Not at all. Flaming is a long-standing network tradition (and Netiquette never messes with tradition). Flames can be lots of fun, both to write and to read. And the recipients of flames sometimes deserve the heat.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

You'd never dream of going through your colleagues' desk drawers ... Need we say more?

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are experts in every office and system administrators in every system.  Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them.

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

Everyone was a network newbie once.  When someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting.

If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely.  Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better. And never be arrogant or self-righteous about it. Just as it's a law of nature that spelling flames always contain spelling errors, notes pointing out Netiquette violations are often examples of poor Netiquette.

- The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea         

* What is Bandwidth Theft? *

There are many forms of bandwidth stealing on the web today, such as image/graphic stealing. That is when you find an image you like and you:

1. are too cheap to have server space of your own to use - and/or -
2. are too lazy to upload the image to your own server - and/or -
3. are uneducated about the crime you are committing -- or all of the above

Crime? Yes, it is a crime. The person whose site the image is on that you are linking to for the source of the image is paying to display their image on your site.

First of all, the image belongs to them, not you. What right do you have to say; "Oh, wouldn't this look great on my site?" and just copy the image URL and use it on your site. You have no right at all. It is not your graphic. Even if it is a very common graphic, for example a bullet or an arrow, and you have seen it on many sites. The operative word here is "on." Get it? It is on a site. That site owner is paying one way or another to have that graphic displayed on the web. Perhaps they pay a monthly fee. Perhaps, they use a 'free' web service, however, they have limits on the amount of bandwidth they are allowed to use. By linking to the graphic, YOU have STOLEN from them one way or another.

- phenomenalwomen.com         

Stealing bandwidth is a crime and

will NOT be tolerated!

Greece-Cafe has a token allotment of "Free Space".  In order to bring you even more information and services, such as video and audio files, we pay a fee from our pocket for more storage space. 

It is absolutely NOT acceptable to steal our bandwidth, and any offending party will be banned and reported to the proper authorities. 

No questions,

no comments,

no middle-ground.