Following 'netiquette' improves online experience

By BRIAN BETHEL / Abilene Reporter-News

In the fall, the Internet explodes.

A whole new crop of collegians, families getting on the Internet to help their kids in school and the regular legions of folks who've been meaning to get access anyway all sign up when the seasons change.

Inevitably, some of those new folks will fall prey to the most dreaded Net experience: the Flame.

Flaming, as the name implies, is when someone doesn't take too kindly to something you've said or done, and they tell you about it, using language their mothers wouldn't like, usually in front of millions of other Netizens.

Sometimes, to be fair, the public lashing is not your fault. Opinions differ, and naturally you will find someone willing to disagree on any subject: "The sky is BLUE!" "Actually, I think it's more of an aqua ..."

But you can do a lot to prevent the dreaded flames from burning too brightly.

DO THE RIGHT THING

Netiquette, think "network etiquette," is the key.

Around for as long as there has been an Internet, netiquette has one core rule: Remember the human.

Sometimes, the anonymity of the Internet creates problems.

In other forms of communication, you have facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and other tools in various degrees to convey meaning. On the Internet, all you have are words.

You are not writing or chatting or sharing files with some other computer. People are on the other side, and you can hurt them, make them angry or on occasion even inspire them by what you say.

So, it makes sense to think about it beforehand, and keep certain common sense concepts in mind.

THE RULES

The following guidelines are designed to be equally useful for public communication via newsgroups, e-mail lists or chat rooms, or in private communications such as e-mail.

-- First, be polite. Just do it. You may not agree with what someone says, but you don't have to call them a fool. A careful, reasoned and even witty response is much better than a fifth-grade-level name-calling session.

-- Since people can't read emotional content into just words on a screen, be sure to tell people when you're joking, or convey emotion using emoticons.

Emoticons are those little smiley faces you see on the Internet. Here's an example: :-) (Look at it sideways.)

Don't overuse emoticons, and don't assume just by putting a little smiley face on what you write people will necessarily like or find amusing what you say.

-- Use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. tu mini intrnet messigis luk lik this.

-- If you do choose to argue a point, learn a little bit about the rules of logic and use them. Several web sites are devoted to helping Internet users learn how to debate effectively rather than just resorting to name calling.

-- Assume that individuals speak for themselves and not for their workplace/organization, unless they say their information is given as an official statement.

-- Be brief and to the point. Overlong messages tend to not get read.

Nothing is more annoying than a message that quotes long passages of a message -- or even the entire original -- that has one line of reply at the bottom. It's a waste of Internet resources that are already strained.

-- Use symbols for emphasis, such as: "I *think* I know what I mean." They can go a long way toward making your message clear.

-- AND WHETHER IN E-MAIL OR IN A PUBLIC FORUM, TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK. TO PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET, THIS LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING. SEE HOW ANNOYING THIS GETS AFTER ONLY A FEW LINES OF TEXT? THOUGHT YOU WOULD.

PUBLIC PROBLEMS

If your message is to a public forum, additional guidelines apply.

Generally, it is a good idea to hang back and read a mailing list or newsgroup for a couple of months before you post anything. Kick back for 10 or 15 minutes in a chat room before you "speak."

Not only will this give you an idea of the ebb and flow of the group in question, it will give you good idea of what topics are acceptable -- and whether or not you want to participate in the first place.

Newsgroups in particular have certain topics that come up again and again. For example, on alt.folklore.ghost-stories, my favorite newsgroup, inevitably someone posts a question about the infamous ghost that supposedly appears in "Three Men and A Baby."

To try to keep people from asking the same questions over and over, newsgroups keep Frequently Asked Question files (a k a a FAQ, rhymes with "back"). If you read the ghost stories group's FAQ, you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about the "Three Men and a Baby" ghost -- or cardboard cutout, you decide -- and other popular supernatural topics.

Generally, you can search for and find FAQs for each newsgroup by name. But if you can't find it, the first question you should post to a newsgroup is "Where's the FAQ?" No one will mind telling you, I guarantee.

Always try to remain on topic and don't flood people's screens with pages of what you consider interesting comments, but what others may find of little value. Think before you post.

And for heaven's sake, don't do the "Me, too!" message: "I like (FILL IN THE BLANK)." "Me, too!" "Me, three!"

I guarantee you'll be flamed faster than you can think.

CONSEQUENCES

So, you hack off a few people on the Internet. What's the big deal?

Well, consider this: Every word you write can literally come back to haunt you. Even in e-mail.

Once you send that message out either to the 'Net at large or privately, it is out of your hands. You don't know where it went. You don't know who has it.

In public forums such as newsgroups, this potential problem is obviously a bit more acute. You send your message out and literally any of the millions on the Internet can read it: Your boss. Your next boss. Your priest. Your kids. Their kids. Everyone.

Anyone can make and save a copy of that message. Some groups even archive all the posts that come into them.

But e-mail can just as easily be used against you. Once the recipient gets his copy, he can send it to anyone he pleases. And e-mail is not secure.

Chat rooms are easily logged. You can generate an entire transcript of a chat session with no effort.

So, before you post that brilliant message decrying the lineage of that idiot who claims so and so, stop. Think. Give it a day or two, even.

You'll be a good Netizen, and you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

;-)