Internet Etiquette For Newbies (Ten Internet Commandments)

An short, sweet, long, rambling article on Internet Etiquette

By erathoniel Posted April 17, 2008 21:11:42

Welcome to my article about getting on the internet and not looking like a total ignorant biased jerk. I'm gonna make a list of no-no's.

No name calling. Not even if they deserve it.
If you do have to call someone something, use references to make sure it does not have any worse meanings than what you wish to imply.
Don't start flame wars, nor carry them on. You may mediate them, though. It's unlikely you'll get anywhere.
Most people, once anonymous, say whatever they think. Do not attack them solely for this.
Keep your language clean. It's a major problem, and makes you look like a barbarian. Seriously, you don't have to swear if you can think before you post.
Accept any criticism for face value. Do not retaliate.
Do not say anything to start a flame war. You will annoy somebody by directly attacking them.
If you keep your own site, remain impartial to your users.
The same runs true for blogs and forums. Be fair. Though odds are if you're new, you will have no problem here.
Take any advice, they're just trying to help you out.

So, what do you think?

0 Karma 62 Replies 7 Referrals

Do not say anything to start a flame war. You will annoy somebody by directly attacking them.

Essentially that's the same as...

Don't start flame wars, nor carry them on. You may mediate them, though. It's unlikely you'll get anywhere.

Mediation doesn't quell a flame-war...by definition.

The only solution is to close the thread...

Or remove either combatant...or both....

EddyKating a 'Newbie' is no different to Eddykating a regular.....except the regular has seen how flames are handled and is [usually] already aware of the consequences...

I wonder if it would have been better to post the Ten Commandments of Internet Etiquette of what you should do instead of what you shouldn't.

Seems like a negative approach here. Just my thoughts.

Yeah, but you have problems directing guidance with the positive. I leave that for crummy self-help books.

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Yeah, but you have problems directing guidance with the positive. I leave that for crummy self-help books.

I direct through example, positive example preferably.

Best advice for Newbies is to 'LURK'.

If you sit back and watch what/how this new [to you] community does/says/handles itself you can hop in and not appear quite 'odd' to the regulars.

Now and then someone pops into view suggesting some wonderous solution to a WB issue, say, but he's replying to a chap called 'Neil Banfield'. Now, if he had lurked just a wee bit he may have discovered it was probably worse than teaching his grandmother to suck eggs...

When I 'got into skinning' and joined my first forum I lurked for quite a while....working out who was who and maybe what they were like....but particularly the appropriate way to interact. OK, that was a while ago now....on Customize.org and skinz.org ....[and #skinners and #litestep on efnet].

It was a whole new world/experience...and I didn't really want to get off on the wrong foot...

Lurking helps, but I find that newbies wanna get in as quick as possible. I lurked for a long time on the GH Forums, but others may not.

my mom always said, before you speak consider this :
is it relevant?
is it constructive?
is it helpful?
wil it harm anyone (literally and figuratively )to speak it?
would you like to hear it coming back at you?
if you answer no the first three, you might want to reconsider your words or number five will be very painful in the end.

my mom always said, before you speak consider this :is it relevant?is it constructive?is it helpful?wil it harm anyone (literally and figuratively )to speak it?would you like to hear it coming back at you?if you answer no the first three, you might want to reconsider your words or number five will be very painful in the end.

Wise woman, your mom.

Moms are pretty good with advice but then my father left me with this one, carefull when you start pointing your finger at someone, there are always three pointing back at you. Took me awhile to understand that one.

EddyKating

Eddykating? I guess that really is the state of "EddykateShun" in the US today.

Jafo is an Aussie.

(and it was a joke)

Long live edumacation!!

my mom always said, before you speak consider this :is it relevant?is it constructive?is it helpful?wil it harm anyone (literally and figuratively )to speak it?would you like to hear it coming back at you?if you answer no the first three, you might want to reconsider your words or number five will be very painful in the end.

if my mum had told me all that.........i would have snapped out of my daydream and replied ..."can you write that down ?'

.....no memory ........

I agree...good advice from erathoniel....... wish id lurked a bit more before i jumped in the deep end here so to speak...... but i had my tickbath this january.....nicities and help from now on.....no more taking the bait from me.... its not worth the tormenture of my soul.

ive now learnt to sit back, read, shake my head...smoke a few cigs and move on.......

I direct through example, positive example preferably.

He's still working on that!

ive now learnt to sit back, read, shake my head...smoke a few cigs and move on.

What I do a lot of the time is vent a reply in notepad to get it out...then I just delete it.

I'm not too good at that. It takes me forever.

Webgizmos, I do the same thing!! It's very therapeutic, and usually by the time I'm done and re read, I reallize it's either not worth the effort, or would be more harmful than good.

Jafo is an Aussie. (and it was a joke)

Being an Aussie is never a joke....however being John Howard is....

Yeah, but you have problems directing guidance with the positive. I leave that for crummy self-help books.

Yeah, Jesus was nothing but an early Dr. Phil.

Jesus led by positive example, erath...why shouldn't His followers do the same?

Jafo is an Aussie. (and it was a joke)

Long live edumacation!!

I Liked it! My laugh was not at Jafo, but at the joke. I had not seen it spelled that way before, and really liked it! SOrry if I came across as critical of Jafo!

Jesus led by positive example, erath...why shouldn't His followers do the same?

Quite the assumption that we are (h/H)is followers.

Being an Aussie is never a joke....however being John Howard is....

Yesterdays news. Now it is Kevin Rudd.

I try, I swear. Also, I would like to anounce that you can abbreviate my name just to Era. It's smoother than Erath.

I'll just call you Niel.

It's just like Neil, but the middle letters are reversed.

Take any advice, they're just trying to help you out.

So if you find the forums moving too slow, try pressing Alt-F4. It speeds it up in no time.

I Liked it! My laugh was not at Jafo, but at the joke. I had not seen it spelled that way before, and really liked it! SOrry if I came across as critical of Jafo!

Ah...if you were laughing AT me you'd now be walking with a limp...

Actually....Aussies never take themselves seriously....gets in the way of enjoying the beer and/or the footy...

Wasn't 'edumacation' a Bush-ism? I seem to remember it that way.

Jafo prefers eddykayshun ...cos it's fon et ick ...