Forum Netiquette : Review

  • Thread starter Christian Audet
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Christian Audet

Christian Audet

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OK guys, as I mentioned in one of the forum, I am planning to have a review of the Netiquette. I would like to see if there is sugestions out there. I got some feedback over the years and from your feedback we can judge the importance of the update.

You are welcome to provide your feedback, sugestion, corection and I will read them all. The goal is to first see if updates are needed and then provide an updated release of this document.

Thanks and here is the current text :


<font color="blue">
JDELIST DISCUSSION GROUPS (FORUMS) NETIQUETTE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

INTRODUCTION:

What is Netiquette? Simply stated, it's network etiquette--that is, the etiquette of cyberspace. And "etiquette" means "the forms required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be required in social or official life." In other words, Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online.

When you enter any new culture--and the JDEList has its own culture--you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people--not just ASCII characters on a screen, but live human characters.

So, partly as a result of forgetting that people online are still real, and partly because they don't know the conventions, well-meaning cybernauts, especially new ones, make all kinds of mistakes.

This document has a dual purpose: to help JDEList newbies minimize their mistakes, and to help experienced JDEList travelers help the newbies. The premise is that most people would rather make friends than enemies, and that if you follow a few basic rules, you're less likely to make the kind of mistakes that will prevent you from making friends.

The contents of this document were originally copied from the book
"Netiquette_ by Virginia Shea
Albion Books, San Francisco, U.S.A. / [email protected]
After some modifications the below rules are offered here as a set of general guidelines for behavior within the JDEList discussion forums. They won't answer all your Netiquette questions. But they should give you some basic principles to use in solving your own Netiquette dilemmas.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

THE RULES:


RULE 1: REMEMBER THE HUMAN

Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt.

Corollary 1: It's not nice to hurt other people's feelings.
Corollary 2: Never mail or post anything you wouldn't say to your reader's face.
Corollary 3: Provide a name or nick name that you may be addressed by. It is difficult to relate to "jdecnc" as opposed to "John".


RULE 2: USE THE SAME STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR ONLINE THAT YOU FOLLOW IN REAL LIFE

Corollary 1: Be ethical.
Corollary 2: Be courteous. If you receive advice that helps you, be sure and thank those who provided the advice.
Corollary 3: Finish the conversation. If you initiated a thread/issue please update it with your final resolution.


RULE 3: ALWAYS PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CONFIGURATION

Identify your platform, OS Version, DB version, OW version, Service Pack level, etc.

Corollary 1: Use Signatures to always default this information at the end of your post.
Corollary 2: Don't assume that everyone out there has the same configuration or environment as you. This is provincial thinking.
Corollary 3: Answers may be version/environment specific, so let everyone know where you are coming from when you post an answer.


RULE 4: RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE'S TIME AND BANDWIDTH

Corollary 1: It's OK to think that what you're doing at the moment is the most important thing in the universe, but don't expect anyone else to agree with you.
Corollary 2: Before you post, search! It is highly probable that your question has been asked and answered before. Use the JDEList web site and search the forums for your issue prior to posting the same question again.
Corollary 3: Post messages to the appropriate forum. If you expect to get help here, post to the right forum. OW Programming questions go to the OneWorld / XE Developers forum. OW Technical questions belong in the One World / XE forum. Application Questions go to the One World / XE and World forum. World Technical questions belong in the World forum.
Corollary 4: Do not post virus warnings, chain letters, jokes, position openings, product advertisements, etc to the list/forum.
Corollary 5: Take private discussions offline rather than sharing with the group.
Corollary 6: Do not post subscribe or unsubscribe requests.
Corollary 7: Stay on topic. Don't start a new thread/issue by responding to a post that is completely unrelated to your issue. Just start a new one instead. This does not apply to threads that mutate - rather to totally unrelated issues.
Corollary 8: If you are on the mailing list, please do not broadcast the fact that you are out of the office to the rest of us. Set your "Out of Office" email to NOT send responses to email from jdelist.com


RULE 5: MAKE YOURSELF LOOK GOOD ONLINE

Corollary 1: Lurk before you leap.
Corollary 2: Know what you're talking about and make sense. 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.
Corollary 3: Check grammar and spelling before you post.
Corollary 4: Make sure your writing is clear and logical. Are you clearly stating the problem or its resolution? Read ALL of your post before you send it. Read it from the viewpoint of the intended audience. It may make sense to you but will it make sense to them?


RULE 6: SHARE EXPERT KNOWLEDGE

Corollary 1: Offer answers and help to people who ask questions on forums.
Corollary 2: If you've received email answers to a posted question, summarize them and post the summary to the forum.


RULE 7: HELP KEEP FLAME WARS UNDER CONTROL

Corollary 1: Do not post flame-bait.
Corollary 2: Don't respond to flame-bait.
Corollary 3: Don't post spelling or grammar flames.
Corollary 4: If you've posted flame-bait or perpetuated a flame war, apologize.


RULE 8: RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE'S PRIVACY

Corollary 1: Do not give out names/addresses of individuals on the list to recruiters and the like.
Corollary 2: Do NOT privately email questions or replies to an individual that can be addressed or read by the group. The purpose of the List/Forum is to share knowledge! Its OK to be a "newbie" here. It is not OK to bombard individuals with private emails.


RULE 9: ENGLISH IS THE "OFFICAL" LANGUAGE OF THESE FORUMS

The participants in these discussion forums come from a wide variety of countries and ethnic backgrounds. Because of this it is essential that a common language be used to accomplish the goal of "Shared Knowledge".

Corollary 1: Respect the fact that English is not the native language of all participants and excuse grammar, spelling, or vocabulary errors due to this.
Corollary 2: Avoid "colloquialisms" (informal english and slang) and big words (like "colloquialism") that are not part of "Basic English". Instead phrase your post as simply as possible. This will encourage and enable others to take part in, or benefit from, the conversation.
Corollary 3: Do not use abbreviations like BTW, IMHO, w/in, FWIW, etc. These are very difficult for non-English speakers. This rule does not apply to the JDE abbreviations such as APPL, UBE, BSFN, etc.


RULE 10: BE FORGIVING OF OTHER PEOPLE'S MISTAKES

Corollary 1: You were a newbie once too!
Corollary 2: There are no stupid questions here.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

</font>
 
Christian,

<font color="green">My comments and/or additions are in green. </font>

<font color="blue">
JDELIST DISCUSSION GROUPS (FORUMS) NETIQUETTE
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

INTRODUCTION:

What is Netiquette? Simply stated, it's network etiquette--that is, the etiquette of cyberspace. And "etiquette" means "the forms required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be required in social or official life." In other words, Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online.

When you enter any new culture--and the JDEList has its own culture--you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people--not just ASCII characters on a screen, but live human characters.

So, partly as a result of forgetting that people online are still real, and partly because they don't know the conventions, well-meaning cybernauts, especially new ones, make all kinds of mistakes.

This document has a dual purpose: to help JDEList newbies minimize their mistakes, and to help experienced JDEList travelers help the newbies. The premise is that most people would rather make friends than enemies, and that if you follow a few basic rules, you're less likely to make the kind of mistakes that will prevent you from making friends.

The contents of this document were originally copied from the book
"Netiquette_ by Virginia Shea
Albion Books, San Francisco, U.S.A. / [email protected]
After some modifications the below rules are offered here as a set of general guidelines for behavior within the JDEList discussion forums. They won't answer all your Netiquette questions. But they should give you some basic principles to use in solving your own Netiquette dilemmas.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

THE RULES:


RULE 1: REMEMBER THE HUMAN

Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt.

Corollary 1: It's not nice to hurt other people's feelings.
Corollary 2: Never mail or post anything you wouldn't say to your reader's face. </font><font color="green"> Or that would hurt your feelings if you received what you post or mail. </font> <font color="blue">
Corollary 3: Provide a name or nick name that you may be addressed by. It is difficult to relate to "jdecnc" as opposed to "John".


RULE 2: USE THE SAME STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR ONLINE THAT YOU FOLLOW IN REAL LIFE

Corollary 1: Be ethical.
Corollary 2: Be courteous. If you receive advice that helps you, be sure and thank those who provided the advice.
Corollary 3: Finish the conversation. If you initiated a thread/issue please update it with your final resolution.


RULE 3: ALWAYS PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CONFIGURATION

Identify your platform, OS Version, DB version, OW version, Service Pack level, etc.

Corollary 1: Use Signatures to always default this information at the end of your post.</font><font color="green"> The problem with this is that if the detail in your signature was current at the time you make a post, when you change your config details, it is also changed on old posts and then becomes misleading for those searching for answers/help in older posts. It would be good if the signature became part of the actual post instead of being appended when accessed.</font> <font color="blue">
Corollary 2: Don't assume that everyone out there has the same configuration or environment as you. This is provincial thinking.
Corollary 3: Answers may be version/environment specific, so let everyone know where you are coming from when you post an answer.


RULE 4: RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE'S TIME AND BANDWIDTH

Corollary 1: It's OK to think that what you're doing at the moment is the most important thing in the universe, but don't expect anyone else to agree with you.
Corollary 2: Before you post, search! It is highly probable that your question has been asked and answered before. Use the JDEList web site and search the forums for your issue prior to posting the same question again. </font><font color="green"> If you still need to post, include the results of your research and why it was not what was needed. </font> <font color="blue">
Corollary 3: Post messages to the appropriate forum. If you expect to get help here, post to the right forum. OW Programming questions go to the OneWorld / XE Developers forum. OW Technical questions belong in the One World / XE forum. Application Questions go to the One World / XE and World </font><font color="green">Applications </font> <font color="blue">forum. World Technical questions belong in the World forum.
Corollary 4: Do not post virus warnings, chain letters, jokes, position openings, product advertisements, etc to the list/forum.
Corollary 5: Take private discussions offline rather than sharing with the group.
Corollary 6: Do not post subscribe or unsubscribe requests.
Corollary 7: Stay on topic. Don't start a new thread/issue by responding to a post that is completely unrelated to your issue. Just start a new one instead. This does not apply to threads that mutate - rather to totally unrelated issues. </font><font color="green"> If in doubt, start a new thread and reference the existing thread if needed. </font> <font color="blue">
Corollary 8: If you are on the mailing list, please do not broadcast the fact that you are out of the office to the rest of us. Set your "Out of Office" email to NOT send responses to email from jdelist.com


RULE 5: MAKE YOURSELF LOOK GOOD ONLINE

Corollary 1: Lurk before you leap.
Corollary 2: Know what you're talking about and make sense. 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.
</font><font color="green"> Corollary 2.1: It is not always practical to put in the time to "know what you're talking about" but your comment may still be of use and helpful - even if it only points the questioner in the right direction. Adding the qualification, in this case, lets the questioner know that the comment may not be entirely accurate, or that it is applicable for the posters config but may not be for the questioner's config. </font> <font color="blue">
Corollary 3: Check grammar and spelling before you post.
Corollary 4: Make sure your writing is clear and logical. Are you clearly stating the problem or its resolution? Read ALL of your post before you send it. Read it from the viewpoint of the intended audience. It may make sense to you but will it make sense to them?
</font><font color="green">Corollary 5: Put in as much detail as you can, it is better to have too much than not enough - up to a point. Include screen prints, logs and code/event rules where applicable. </font> <font color="blue">


RULE 6: SHARE EXPERT KNOWLEDGE

Corollary 1: Offer answers and help to people who ask questions on forums.
Corollary 2: If you've received email answers to a posted question, summarize them and post the summary to the forum.


RULE 7: HELP KEEP FLAME WARS UNDER CONTROL

Corollary 1: Do not post flame-bait.
Corollary 2: Don't respond to flame-bait.
Corollary 3: Don't post spelling or grammar flames.
Corollary 4: If you've posted flame-bait or perpetuated a flame war, apologize.


RULE 8: RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE'S PRIVACY

Corollary 1: Do not give out names/addresses of individuals on the list to recruiters and the like.
Corollary 2: Do NOT privately email questions or replies to an individual that can be addressed or read by the group. The purpose of the List/Forum is to share knowledge! Its OK to be a "newbie" here. It is not OK to bombard individuals with private emails.


RULE 9: ENGLISH IS THE "OFFICAL" LANGUAGE OF THESE FORUMS

The participants in these discussion forums come from a wide variety of countries and ethnic backgrounds. Because of this it is essential that a common language be used to accomplish the goal of "Shared Knowledge".

Corollary 1: Respect the fact that English is not the native language of all participants and excuse grammar, spelling, or vocabulary errors due to this.
Corollary 2: Avoid "colloquialisms" (informal english and slang) and big words (like "colloquialism") that are not part of "Basic English". Instead phrase your post as simply as possible. This will encourage and enable others to take part in, or benefit from, the conversation.
Corollary 3: Do not use abbreviations like BTW, IMHO, w/in, FWIW, etc. These are very difficult for non-English speakers. This rule does not apply to the JDE abbreviations such as APPL, UBE, BSFN, etc.


RULE 10: BE FORGIVING OF OTHER PEOPLE'S MISTAKES

Corollary 1: You were a newbie once too!
Corollary 2: There are no stupid questions here. </font><font color="green">So you kept this one. </font> <font color="blue">

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
</font>
 
Thanks for your feedback Peter, good point about the signature. Not sure we have a solution to this one a the moment but it is for sure something to remember when looking at the history. I am keeping that one in my back pocket, in case we ever have a chance to use an option like this.
 
Hi Christian,

my long ago post about removing the 'No Stupid Questions here" corollary should be ignored - I must have been in one of my "negative" phases then.

Ben's excellent point re lazy questions is a good one - but is already covered under Rule 4 - Corollary 2.

Rule 4 Corollary 3 needs updating with current forum names.

There's recently been some "toxic" conversations between a vendor and some of his customers / ex-customers. I don't care who's right or who's wrong - I just don't want to see that stuff hijacking a thread.
Perhaps we can add something under Rule 7?
 
Christian -

Given the low number of posts, It would be my guess that not many people subscribe to the Off Topic/Help forum.

IMO, to have a successful Netiquette Review you should post a link to this topic in the other JDEList forums and invite people to participate in this thread...

Regards,
 
I have in the developper Forum only I will do it in all of them.
 
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