To: Lorne and the rest.... What do you think of the following "Code of Conduct" for e-posters? Personally I'd suggest to insert them in SI's Term of Use <g>
techdirections.com
Excerpt:
People have been making mistakes like this online since the beginning of the online era. "The Guide for Posting to Newsgroups" and "The Usenet Guide to Power Posting," which have both been around for years, are designed to prevent these mistakes, or at least shed humorous light on them.
Various people have contributed tidbits to these documents. Both are tongue-in-cheek, yet wise. Here are edited highlights from each, plus additional tidbits.
* If you post and pretend to be a fool, people will believe you.
* Lurk until you get a feel for what's acceptable in a particular discussion group, then leap in and do the opposite.
* When people post deliberately inflammatory messages, they have no control over whether they succeed. You do.
* A person who says, "Sorry, I had to point that out to you," is always telling two lies.
* People always start out equal in internet discussion groups. The playing field is level, and if you object to it, you reveal your inferiority.
* You are a vibrant, intelligent, and unique individual with a great deal to contribute. So is everyone else.
* If you post something funny or clever or wise, keep in mind that you're about the 4,000th person to do so.
* The exclamation point denotes emphasis. The double exclamation point denotes that you think your concerns are more important than anyone else's.
* Use the smiley --which looks like this :-) and is a sideways representation of a smiling face-- to your advantage. You can call anyone just about anything as long as you include the smiley. With really nasty attacks add "No flames, please."
* If you can't say something nice about someone, say it on the internet.
* When in doubt, insult.
* Saying "grow up" or "get a life" always does just the reverse. You don't stop a flamewar by poring on gasoline.
* The best way to quash a flamewar is to ignore it. If a flame happens in a vacuum, it won't burn.
* If you want to win a flamewar, look good in the eyes of a reasonable person. Instead of invective, use logic; instead of mindless bravado, use mindful self-deprecation; instead of fury, use humor.
* Fabricate things about your opponent. You can make your lies sound true by prefacing your statements with the word "clearly."
* The more interesting your life becomes, the less you post . . . and vice versa.
* Internet discussion groups at times appear to be founts of perspicacity and wisdom, at other times the ultimate refuge for sociopaths releasing years of pent-up frustration.
* The demise of internet discussion groups is imminent-and always will be.
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