Note: This story originally appeared in an IT Times issue from 1992-1993. We reproduce it here in conjunction with our 10 year anniversary issue to give you a glimpse of the past as it relates to the technology news of today. To see how IT Times is reporting on this topic today, click here.

The "Netiquette & Info Tech Culture" column is written by various authors to help persons new to networking and related information technology deal effectively with the social side of networking. This installment features a third (and final) excerpt from "A Guide to Electronic Communication and Network Etiquette," by UCD Network Administrator Joan Gargano. It suggests ways to adjust thinking and behavior to cope with the greater speed, accessibility, and permanence of electronic communication.

Be Careful with Expressions of Anger
Because electronic communication has the informal properties of conversation without the corresponding benefits of voice inflection and body language, messages are often misconstrued and generate unexpected angry responses called "flames." The ability to respond immediately to a message often leads to a hasty response.

If a message or article generates negative emotions, you should set it aside and reread it later. Or you might ask for feedback on its content from a colleague. Take time to respond calmly to the message from the stance that there may be a misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Ask for clarification on inflammatory statements.

Angry emotions are best conveyed through a coherent statement of the source of your anger with the word "flame" prominently inserted to indicate your feelings. Do not send a message or news article that may haunt you at a later date.

Be Careful What You Say About Others
Think twice before you post personal information about yourself or others. Your message gets circulated, and it could quite possibly end up in the electronic mailbox of your boss, your friend's boss, your girlfriend's brother's best friend, etc., Information posted on the network can come back to haunt you or the person you are talking about.

Spelling Flames Considered Harmful
Remember that we all make mistakes, and that there are many users on the network who use English as a second language. If you feel that you must make a comment on the quality of a posting, please do so by US mail, not on the network.

Be Aware of Differences in Machines
Be aware that other people's machines may not operate ate the same way as yours does. Keep the following precautions in mind:

Except for program source code, keep your lines under 80 characters, and under 72 if possible. For example, a terminal with an autowrap feature makes output on a simple line editor appear as if a carriage return has been insetted at the 80th character; a new line seems to have started when it actually hasn't. Be sure your editor is really inserting carriage returns, or insert them manually when typing.

• Most special control characters do not work for most readers. In fact, the tab and space characters are about the only ones you can be sure work consistently, and tabs aren't always the same from machine to machine.
• Pictures and diagrams should not use embedded tabs.
• Submissions in all upper case or all lower case are difficult to read.

Limit Distribution of Messages
Distribute an electronic message only to those individuals or groups that have a known interest in the topic. Also, consider that certain articles are of local interest (e.g., used car ads), and that it is inappropriate to post them to the whole world.

Post information of general interest to a newsgroup. Post electronic messages to individuals directly when asking for specific information or registering a complaint. Don't post to groups whose articles or messages you do not often read - you may not be familiar with the ongoing conventions and themes of the group. You don't join a conversation on the street just by walking up and talking. Similarly, you listen first to the conversation of a newsgroup and then join in if you have something pertinent to contribute.

Use Mail, Don't Post a Follow-up
One of the biggest problems on a network is that when someone asks a question, many people send out identical answers. When this happens, dozens of identical answers pour through the net. Make your answer to the person and suggest that they summarize the responses in any followup to the newsgroup. In this way, the net will only see a single copy of the answers, no matter how many people answer the question. If you post a question yourself, please remind people to send you the answers by electronic mail and offer to summarize them to the network.

Don't Post Announcements Regarding Major News Events
By the time most people receive such items, they will long since have been informed by conventional media. If you wish to discuss such an event on the net, use the "misc.headhnes" newsgroup on Usenet, for example.

Respect Copyright and License Agreements
It is perfectly legal to reproduce short extracts of a copyrighted work for critical purposes, but reproduction in whole is strictly and explicitly forbidden by US and international copyright law. The crime of theft is as serious in this context as any other.

Note that any message or article posted on the network is effectively in the public domain unless you own the appropriate rights and post it with a valid copyright notice. Material that includes or references software source code may be restricted by a license you or your company signed with a vendor. Be sure not to violate license agreements.

Encrypt Messages with Questionable Content
Some newsgroups have messages in them that may offend some readers. To make sure these messages are not read unless they are requested, you should encrypt such messages. The standard encryption method is to rotate each letter by thirteen characters so that an "a" becomes an "n." This method is known on the Usenet network as "rot13". The word "rot13" should appear in the "Subject" line when you rotate a message. Most software used to read Usenet articles has some way of encrypting and decrypting messages. Your system administrator can tell you how the software on your system works.

Spoiler in the Subject Line
When you post something (like a movie review that discusses a detail of the plot) which might spoil a surprise for other people, please mark your message with a warning so that they can skip the message. Make sure the word "spoiler" is part of the "Subject:" line.

Responsibility for Content
Posting of information on networks is similar to publication. Because of this, do not post instructions for how to do some illegal act (such as jamming radar or obtaining cable TV service illegally); also do not ask how to do illegal acts by posting to the networks.

Signatures
Please keep your signatures short. Two or three lines are usually plenty. Long signatures are frowned upon. Do not include drawings, pictures, maps, or other graphics in your signature. It is not the appropriate place for such material and is viewed as rude by other readers. Sometimes, it is appropriate to add another line or two for addresses on other major networks where you can be readied (e.g., Internet, Bitnet, CompuServe).

Canceling Articles or Messages
If you post an article and remember something you've left out or realize youve made an error, you can cancel the article and prevent its distribution (if you cancel quickly enough). Then, you can correct whatever was wrong and post a new copy. In "rn"and "readnews," an article that you posted can be canceled with the "C" command. Be aware, however, that some people may have already read the incorrect version, so the sooner you cancel and correct your article the better.

Send us your comments on this story