8. NETWORK ETIQUETTE ( NETIQUETTE )

The following guide is taken from many of the groups around the network, please take note!! ***This maybe why you received this file***

It is 'network etiquette' not to join a group and ask questions straight away. You would not break into someone's conversation without first hearing what is being said. To save you the embarrassment of being flamed please wait until you have been receiving mail for a couple of weeks before asking a question. You could be asking a question that is already, or has just been under discussion. Many groups would flame you down before your fingers left the keyboard!

Even if you already belong to various groups, you will find that they all have their own rules. Some of them post the rules regularly (not this one). Once again, don't start replying to everything until you get a 'feel' for how each group works.

It's a good idea to post unrelated questions in separate articles, so that people can keep different discussions separate. It's also a *very* good idea to include a line or two like this:

"Please mail your answers to me and I'll summarize what I get and post the results to.....AND MAKE SURE YOU DO!!

This prevents many identical responses from different users to the same question from clogging up the newsgroup. And make sure you really summarize what you get - don't just concatenate all the mail you've received.

It's also a good idea to read the group for at least a couple of weeks after you post your article to see what followup articles are posted.

Should I Post an Answer to a Question?

It's very tempting to post an answer to a question you read on the net, especially when you think "Aha, finally - a question I can answer!" Consider though that when a simple question is asked, such as 'where can I find so-and- so program' many other people around the world already know the answer and may be posting their own reply. In order to avoid dozens of replies to simple questions, please wait a day or so and see if anyone else has already answered the question. If you have something special to contribute, please do so, but make sure you're not duplicating something someone else has already done.

As I monitor the I-AMIGA list, it is not worth sending an answer to a question that is dealt with in this document. When such a question is posted, I (and others) will send the individual a copy of this document (this may be how you're reading it now)

You should feel free to reply to any question direct by email. Even if the user gets 200 responses to his question, at least the load on the rest of the net and list is minimized.

Please don't send 'I'd like a copy too' type of messages to the list, your message will be aimed at one person not the entire list, so send it direct to him.

Please also be aware of the rules of the net regarding signatures. It is good manners to keep your signature to around 4 lines. Don't forget many people have to pay for all incoming mail. They don't really want to pay for unwanted cartoons and the like. Some mailers will actually cut a signature file that carries over 4 lines

What About Posting Source Code?

Posting small amounts of example code is fine but please make sure that your code runs (or at least compiles) properly. Don't just type it in while editing your posting and hope it will work, no matter how sure you are that it will. We all make mistakes.

It seems that the LISTSERV servicing I-AMIGA, does not like people to include original postings when replying. The server tends to reject these postings. Here are a few rules, from Matti Aarnio (mea@utu.fi) the I-AMIGA list master, to remember when replying to mail:-

If you include original message, you must render its headers such way that LISTSERV won't consider your reply to be a convoluted error report from some mailer, and therefore junk your message before it gets to anybody.

Preferrably you should use format:

        "In message message-id/other id on date person wrote:"

and remove whole original header bundle. (Very least "From:" or "To:", if they have references to any of I-AMIGA list peers.

What About Those People
Who Continue to Ask Stupid or Frequently Asked Questions
In Spite of The FAQ and Startup Documents?

Just send them a polite mail message, possibly referring them to this document. Or even send them a copy of this document. There is no need to flame them on the net - it's busy enough as it is.

The main thing to remember is that in general, the list is designed as a `last resort' for questions you can`t find answers to. Don`t just ask questions without at least attempting to find the answers from a different source.

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