JDELIST DISCUSSION GROUPS (FORUMS) NETIQUETTE

Christian Audet

Christian Audet

Moderator
Staff member
JDELIST DISCUSSION GROUPS (FORUMS) NETIQUETTE
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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.

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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.

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This Netiquette was compile by Larry Jones, Larry's contribution to the forum is really appreciated.
 
I do think the second corollary to Rule 10 should be removed ... ;)
 
Hi Larry,
:D

Larry is right, as usual. :DDD

What about to make obligatory to read carefully the Netiquette before somebody post first time onto the forum. Further, to be sure, that it had been really read (and had not been forgotten immediatelly), the first time poster has to take an examination, filling out an interactive form? If later the moderators think so, they can designate certain listers to re-take the exam, before post again onto the forum.

Don't take it seriously - I'm just kidding ;)
(...or not? ;)

Zoltán
 
Yes - I know - I am one of the newby's

Thank you for a wonderful article

I WILL remember that no stupid question remark as there may be a few coming from me
 
Larry,

In reading this thread once more, I can say I sometime agree with you on this. The question itself is not stupid but the way to ask is not always very efficient. I was planing a review of the Netiquette to ensure it is still "up to par" and I will be requesting sugestions (like the the one you made back a few years ago). Based on the sugestion I will update the Netiquette.

wink.gif
Yes I am planning to change the second corollary to Rule 10

You made such a great contribution to the original version I could not start this initiative before I talk to the "father" of the Netiquette

Christian Audet
 
I myself am not sure that Corollary to Rule 10 should be removed. I don't have the specifics on why Larry was prompted to feel that removal is necessary, but would love to have an example.

Most of the questions that I see, that would prompt this decision are questions that fall under other areas of the Netiquette 'manifesto'. The questions that I shake my head at are basically where the questioner is asking for a solution (handed to them) instead of an answer. In those cases, it is not a real question, but a request for someone else to do the work for them. Lazy questions are more the problem that needs to be addressed.

Before I prattle on further, I'd love to hear some examples of those 'stupid' questions.

Ben again,
 
I agree with the fact that there are no stupid questions. If you have researched it and still don't have the answer...Ask! There is nothing wrong with being the newbie.
 
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