Good email manners are as important as good social skills. As email has developed quickly, many people aren’t aware of the small subtleties that have developed in email-based communications.

This guide isn’t a list of commandments. People won’t (usually) harass you if you violate netiquette. Just like in "real life," it’s considered rude to correct people for netiquette violations.

Recognize that many people (like me) get 100+ emails a day. It’s therefore considered rude to pack people’s email boxes with unimportant materials. If you violate this, you could wind up being thrown off the listserv or placed on people’s "bozo" (auto-reject) lists.

Stay on topic
Don’t use a medical discussion group to sell your bicycle or baseball tickets. Most discussion groups are very specific about what subjects are and are not appropriate, and posting an irrelevant message is considered rude. If a given subject begins to meander from the group’s focus, move the discussion to another group or to private email. Keeping on topic also means refraining from launching personal attacks against readers or the moderators of the group.

Avoid lengthy email "intros" or "sigs"
(Those automatically inserted lines at the beginning or end of your message). While funny or interesting the first time, it can result in people skipping your post. Think of it like this... imagine how tedious it would be if *every* comment someone made in a live conversation were prefaced with the same lengthy introduction and ended with the same lengthy sig?

Think before you speak
If you don't, the readers will probably think you are stupid and/or thoughtless, not to mention all kinds of other bad things. When you first enter a list, read a few days worth of posts. Get a sense of who the people are. Look to see if the submission you’re about to post has just been posted by someone else. Then go ahead and post.

Respect the culture
Most posters to groups look down on those with poor manners. Always be civil, don’t use profanity. Don’t be lewd, abrasive, argumentative, or rude.

Look your best
Without visual cues, people will view your grammar, spelling, and punctuation just as people view your attire and cleanliness. Be sure your text is clear and logical. It's possible to write a paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense. That’s why many people prefer to compose offline. If you have language difficulties, compose offline and use your word processor’s spell/grammar checker. If English is not your first language, or if you have typing difficulties, do your best. Other posters will respect your efforts.

Respect the group’s culture. Only use terms, abbreviations, and buzzwords which are common knowledge – or accompanied by a definition.
Most people know:
IMHO - in my humble opinion
AFAIK – as far as I know
LOL – laughing out loud
ROTFL – rolling on the floor laughing
OT – off topic
BTW -- by the way
IIRC -- if I remember correctly
FWIW -- for what it's worth

Don’t crosspost:
Crossposting to additional groups is seen as improper. (This does not apply to the Usenet where some crossposting is acceptable.)

Don’t post code
This includes HTML, binaries, uuencoded, mime encoded, ROT13/15, executables, or graphics. Although HTML files may be permitted in your group, many people will not be able to read your post. If your group has a digest option, readers of the digest will get see unreadable garbage. For this reason, posting in HTML is generally discouraged.

Don't send unsolicited attachments
Attachments, including Word/Excel files, html, executables, binaries (pictures), should never be sent unless the recipient has agreed to receive them. The Melissa Virus has proven that even supposedly innocuous attachments can pose a threat. Of course, sending a photo of your newborn to your parents would NOT be considered bad netiquette!

Should you respond to the group or directly to the author?
Reply only to the one person to whom you are speaking – not to the whole list – unless it is truly of concern to the entire list. If you've read enough threads, you've already learned how annoying it is to go through "Me Too" posts. A "Me Too" is a post that says "I agree with what the other guy said" and otherwise does not add to the content. A good thread should read like a thoughtful discussion. If you like someone else’s post, compliment them via private email.

Don’t post personal messages.
If you have a message for one poster, use private email.

What if their address is bogus or munged?
Some people do not want to get unsolicited email and therefore put a spam blocker in their address. This may look like this "David@nospam.xyz.net" In most cases, just removing the nospam will provide you with the correct address. Some others deliberately provide bogus addresses. This can be for a variety of reasons, perhaps they are not permitted to receive email (at work, for example). Even if this is the case, posting personal messages is still a violation of netiquette; having a bogus address is not.

Is this post legal?
Breaking the law is bad netiquette If you're tempted to do something that's illegal, chances are it's also bad netiquette. This applies to copyright, forgery, slander, defamation, threats of violence, and advocating violence.

Forwarding a message you got via email
NEVER NEVER NEVER pass along email that was sent to you privately. The only exception I can think of is email sent by a public official or office, and done so IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY. It is wrong to post someone else’s email address to the Usenet. Giving credit to your source ("from Mary M in Rochester") is good form – but NOT their whole email address.

Plagiarism is wrong
If you pass along someone else’s post without attribution, you are plagiarizing. Briefly credit your source. For example "sent to me by IrvingT". Don’t list their entire email address unless they’ve posted it to this group (see above). If someone sends you an unattributed lengthy and beautifully written ‘column’, consider doing a quick web search before posting it. You may find that it appeared in a newspaper or magazine and has copyright protection.

Respect others’ beliefs and culture
Recognize that others have beliefs which may differ from yours. Unless it is within the culture of the group, conversion activity, or using the group to promote your beliefs is very bad netiquette. Don’t take other to task for not knowing certain aspects of your religion or culture. Do feel free to politely enlighten them.

Don’t force political correctness on others
It is politically incorrect to criticize another’s political correctness.

Post in English
If English is the lingua franca of the group, don’t post using quotes in Latin, phrases in French, or any other non-English language – unless those words have been adopted by English (e.g.: déjà vu).

Don’t use ALL CAPS
All-caps translates as SHOUTING.

Adhere to the same high standards (or higher) of behavior online that you follow in real life.
In real life, most people are fairly polite and law abiding. The same rules of behavior are expected in RHJ.

Don’t swear
The group is not your personal toilet. Many people are offended by swearing. If you feel that cursing in some form is required, it's preferable to use amusing euphemisms like "effing" and "sugar." You may also use the classic asterisk filler -- for example, s***. And everyone will know exactly what you mean.

Don’t use racial, ethnic, or gender slurs
Use of slurs needlessly offends people – whether or not they’re a member of the group you’ve insulted.

Quoting messages
It is bad netiquette, for example, to quote a 50 line message with only a few words of original text. It is also bad form to fail to quote a message on which you are commenting. And lastly, it is bad form to delete sections or text from a message to which you are responding – unless you use phrases like [snip], [cut], [text deleted], an ellipsis […] or something like that.

Know what you're talking about and make sense
Pay attention to the content of your writing. Be sure you know what you're talking about -- when you see yourself writing "it's my understanding that" or "I believe it's the case," ask yourself whether you really want to post this note before checking your facts. You can always ask "is it true that…?"

Don't post flame-bait. Don’t publicly flame
While "flaming" (publicly berating) is acceptable in some groups, it is not accepted in most. Be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation. Don’t harass someone publicly or privately over a difference in opinion.

Don't abuse your power
Some people in the internet have more power than others. Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them. If you disagree with someone, it is Very Bad netiquette to forge their header, complain to their ISP, flame them, post their name and home address, or place them on emailing lists.

Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
If someone makes a spelling or grammatical error, errs in the title of a song, or makes some other minor typo, don’t post just to correct them. If you feel you must educate people, do it by private email. Everyone was a network newbie once -- be kind about it. Having knowledge doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better. And never be arrogant or self-righteous about it. Pointing out netiquette violations are in themselves examples of poor netiquette!

Don’t harass the moderators
If your group is moderated, and you disagree with a moderators decision, you can appeal it. It is perfectly acceptable to question or appeal a decision. But if you lose the appeal, accept it as a misunderstanding and go on. Moderation is not omniscience nor possessing Solomon-esque judgement capabilities. It is volunteering to do one's best.

Don’t use the subject "post"
Use descriptive and specific subject lines. This helps others decide whether your particular words of wisdom relate to a topic they care about.

Unofficial Archives
Unless you are the moderator of a group, it is considered improper to have a publicly-accessible archive.

Reply to current threads
If you’re replying to message more than a week or two old, treat it as a new thread or be sure to include a copy of the message you’re referring to.

And lastly, comparisons to Nazis
As soon as you compare someone to Hitler or the Nazis, you will most likely receive what’s known as the "Internet Death Sentence". People will add you to their "bozo" filters and never read your messages again.

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This document is in the public domain. It can be freely copied, amended, posted. Don’t claim it as your own. It isn't.