A SHORT GUIDE TO NETIQUETTE

(1) Read all unread messages in your inbox, to avoid sending
superfluous messages.

(2) Think before you write. Is your message relevant and appropriate?

(3) Think after you write. Re-read your message. Is it clear, concise
and (again) relevant? Off-topic comments (sometimes flagged OT in
the subject line) may be acceptable in some online communities,
but not in others.

(4) Write properly. Many people will not take you seriously if you write
messages without capitalization or punctuation (i dont like that). Use
abbreviations only if you are sure everyone will understand them
("imho" "btw, "for example).

(5) Break your writing into paragraphs: screenfuls of text are
off-putting. "White space" separates your ideas, makes it
easier to quote selectively (see #9 below) and encourages
recipients to read your message in full.

(6) If you have nothing to say, say nothing. Unless your fellow users
are very patient, emails that just say "me too", "me neither", "I agree"
or (worse) "I don't know anything about this subject, but ..." are likely
to irritate. Such messages might be better sent as a private email to
the sender (do this by copying and pasting the private party's
address into your mailer - most YahooGroups are set to
reply to the whole list).

(7) Give your message a clear subject title. If you read your
messages as a daily digest, try to refer to the subject of the
thread to which you are replying, rather than digest #4203,
as appropriate.

(8) Do not quote lengthy messages or entire digests in
your reply. It is more annoying than you probably realize for
users who read their messages in a daily digest, and it increases
the time and cost of downloads for others. Similarly, a two line
"signature" should suffice -- especially if you are frequent
correspodent (we all know who you are! - and put your profile
into the Yahoo Group site so we do!).

(9) Write for the lowest common denominator. Assume your reader
is using telnet across a 12k dial-up modem on a slow 386 or an
Apple II. Don't use html, don't use fancy graphics and colours and
don't assume that links are clickable. Remember that internet
access is expensive in some parts of the world, and many
people pay per minute.

(10) Break one of these rules rather than go against your
COMMON SENSE -- the best guide to (n)etiquette ever discovered.