THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE

• Rule 1. Remember the human. -- Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt.
  • Corollary 1 to Rule #1: It's not nice to hurt other people's feelings.
  • Corollary 2: Never mail or post anything you wouldn't say to your reader's face.
  • Corollary 3: Notify your readers when flaming.
• Rule 2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.
  • Corollary 1: Be ethical.
  • Corollary 2: Breaking the law is bad Netiquette.
• Rule 3. Know where you are in cyberspace.
  • Corollary 1: Netiquette varies from domain to domain.
  • Corollary 2: Lurk before you leap.
• Rule 4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth.
  • Corollary 1: It's OK to think that what you're doing at the moment is the most important thing in the universe, but don't expect anyone else to agree with you.
  • Corollary 2: Post messages to the appropriate discussion group.
  • Corollary 3: Try not to ask stupid questions on discussion groups.
  • Corollary 4: Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document.
  • Corollary 5: When appropriate, use private email instead of posting to the group.
  • Corollary 6: Don't post subscribe, unsubscribe, or FAQ requests.
  • Corollary 7: Don't waste expert readers' time by posting basic information.
  • Corollary 8: If you disagree with the premise of a particular discussion group, don't waste the time and bandwidth of the members by telling them how stupid they are. Just stay away.
  • Corollary 9: Conserve bandwidth when you retrieve information from a host or server.
• Rule 5. Make yourself look good online.
  • Corollary 1: Check grammar and spelling before you post.
  • Corollary 2: Know what you're talking about and make sense.
  • Corollary 3: Don't post flame-bait.
• Rule 6. Share expert knowledge.
  • Corollary 1: Offer answers and help to people who ask questions on discussion groups.
  • Corollary 2: If you've received email answers to a posted question, summarize them and post the summary to the discussion group.
• Rule 7. Help keep flame wars under control.
  • Corollary 1: Don't respond to flame-bait.
  • Corollary 2: Don't post spelling or grammar flames.
  • Corollary 3: If you've posted flame-bait or perpetuated a flame war, apologize.
• Rule 8. Respect other people's privacy. -- Don't read other people's private email.
• Rule 9. Don't abuse your power. -- The more power you have, the more important it is that you use it well.
• Rule 10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes. -- You were a network newbie once too!