The Importance of Cybermanners

The Do's and Don'ts of Life on the Information Highway

All those kindergarten rules about playing nicely with others still apply. Here's a primer to help you avoid committing Internet faux pas.

If you enjoy igniting the wrath of thousands and thousands of people and being the recipient of their hatred, try committing some serious breach of netiquette. This somewhat transitory concept is, basically, the unspoken rule that governs the anarchic nature of the Internet. Just as you wouldn't spit across the Sunday dinner table, or borrow a neighbor's car and run it through the mud and out of gas, there are several things you shouldn't do on the Internet, ever. Netiquette is essentially peer pressure -- do something wrong and you may find real fire coming out of your computer.

Keep a Lid on It

The overriding rule is, quite simply, don't make an ass of yourself -- or a pest. Don't monopolize conversations, don't post five messages when one would do, don't call someone a bloody idiot for expressing a viewpoint you don't quite agree with, don't download GIFs of your favorite rock star from remote computers during business hours. You get the picture.

The Internet is a great resource to enjoy, but it's also easy to abuse. Believe it or not, people on the Internet have important things they're trying to accomplish, and the minute someone stands between them and their getting those things done, they get pissed off. Bonehead maneuvers may piss them off even if they're not working.

Be Lively, but Restrained

The best way to avoid netiquette breaches is to keep one thing firmly in mind: The Internet thrives on cooperation. Yes, you can have lively discussions, even drag-'em-out flame sessions, and yes, you can at times post overly long files or use excessively cute e-mail signatures. But do these things constantly, or without reason, and you're abusing that spirit of cooperation. You're infringing on other users' time, energy, and bandwidth. On the Internet, that's simply unforgivable.

You may be wondering what bandwidth could possibly have to do with netiquette. Actually, a lot. Computer networks are based on the idea that many people use the network simultaneously. But even the most advanced network has a limited capacity for carrying data, so it's important that users don't commandeer more than their fair share of its capacity. This capacity, called bandwidth, varies across the Internet. Send too much data repeatedly, and you slow things down for everyone else.

If lots of people do this, bad things start to happen. For instance, e-mail may not reach its destination for several hours. So, if you routinely answer every posting that meets your approval with, "I agree, Donna"or "Me, too!," or if your signature file contains a full ASCII graphic of the Starship Enterprise, then you're guilty of chewing up unnecessary bandwidth. This is destructive, and it's frowned upon. Make an effort to avoid doing this, and others on the Internet will appreciate you for it.
-- Neil Randall

Do's of Netiquette

  1. Keep your eyes and ears open as you approach e-mail contact with someone new.
  2. Promptly respond to messages.
  3. Identify yourself and your affiliations.
  4. Post brief messages.
  5. Be sure to identify any strongly worded statements as being your opinion only.
  6. Throw in some friendly words.
  7. Don't assume your sense of humor, sarcasm, and satire will be appreciated by others.
  8. Let the sun set on a message that "gets your goat."
  9. Organize your thoughts before sending off an e-mail.
-- Dr. Donald Rose, Minding Your Cybermanners on the Internet (Alpha Books)

DON'T BE RUDE!

The Top 5 Paths to Net Boorishness

  1. Engage in flame wars about whether a Mac is better than a PC.
  2. Use an e-mail signature that is larger than most messages.
  3. FTP large files from corporate or academic computers during their business hours.
  4. Reply to newsgroup or mailing-list postings by including the entire original message or by sending personal messages to each member of the group.
  5. Decorate your Web pages with huge, gratuitous graphics.
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