Listserv Netiquette Bonnie Barnes ESC Region XI “Good listserv manners are as important as good social skills.”

There are many types of discussion lists: ◦ Managed: Often moderated, these have a list manager who has the job of approving or blocking certain posts or posters. ◦ Unmanaged: Usually small, these depend on the individuals to be diligent in staying on topic. ◦ Ad Hoc: Just groups of folks in the "to" and "cc" fields.

Subject Headings Use subject headings that accurately convey the topic you wish to discuss. Everyone is very busy and an appropriate subject heading may make the difference between someone reading your message or ignoring it. This is now being described on the ‘net as “triage” for .

Post on Topic Lists are very specific about what subjects are and are not appropriate, and posting an irrelevant message is considered rude. If your list is one that deals in painting technique, it is most likely considered improper to use it to sell your equipment, discuss gallery openings, or anything else that the group is not 100% on topic for the group.

Replying to a Post Look carefully at your “TO” line when replying. If you meant to only respond to one person and the listserv address is in the “TO” line, you need to change it to that individual. This is also why it is important to include your address in the signature block, it makes it easier to address a message just to the original poster. When posting a question to the listserv request that responses be directed to you, then summarize the answers for the entire list.

Volume of Recognize that many people get s a day. It's therefore considered rude to pack people's boxes with unimportant postings.

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.

Should I really say that? Don’t use obscure “insider” abbreviations… there may be newbies to the group who need the full text. Never say anything in an that you don't want to see in tomorrow morning's newspaper.

Who will receive my ? In Real Life, one would never publicly say something nasty without first looking up to see if the object of your criticism is in front of you. But people often reply to s without checking who's in the cc line. This doesn't only apply to criticism - it also applies to company secrets, private matters, and privileged communications.

Posting questions on a ListServ It's okay to ask questions that may benefit the whole group on a ListServ. Use private to ask the questions directed to one or two people. Crossposting to more than one list is sometimes necessary to get important information out.

Think before you speak (lurk before you post) Before you post, read some others' messages. Get a sense of who the people are. Look to see if information you're about to post has just been posted by someone else. Then go ahead and post.

Forwarding NEVER NEVER NEVER pass along that was sent to you privately. The only exception would be sent by a public official or office and done so IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY. It is wrong to post a private source's address without their permission.

Plagiarism is wrong If you pass along someone else's post as your own, you are plagiarizing. Briefly credit your source. Don't list their entire address unless they've posted it to this group or they are a public official or they’ve given you permission.

Don't use ALL CAPS All-caps translates as SHOUTING. To emphasize a word or phrase, enclose it with *asterisks*.

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

Don't publicly “flame” Keeping on topic to a list also means refraining from launching personal attacks against readers or the moderators of the group. Participation in or attempts to incite a flame war is also considered a violation of netiquette. Be pleasant and polite. Don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation. Don't harass someone publicly (or perhaps even privately) over a difference in opinion.

Be forgiving of other people's mistakes If someone makes a spelling or grammatical error or makes some other typo or error, don't post just to correct them. If you feel you must educate people, do it by private . Everyone makes mistakes -- be kind about it. Having knowledge doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. Assume they just don't know any better, and never be arrogant or self- righteous about it. Pointing out a netiquette violation is, in itself, an example of poor netiquette!

How to Correct People Use Real Life as an example. One would never grab the microphone at an event simply to inform your audience that Bob ate his entree with the salad fork!! If you feel that you MUST correct someone else's seemingly bad manners, ask the moderator or list owner to do it. And if there is none, and you still must correct Bob for this terrible transgression, do it privately.