idnits 2.17.1 draft-ietf-run-netiquette-guide-01.txt: Checking boilerplate required by RFC 5378 and the IETF Trust (see https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info): ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** Cannot find the required boilerplate sections (Copyright, IPR, etc.) in this document. Expected boilerplate is as follows today (2024-04-27) according to https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info : IETF Trust Legal Provisions of 28-dec-2009, Section 6.a: This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. IETF Trust Legal Provisions of 28-dec-2009, Section 6.b(i), paragraph 2: Copyright (c) 2024 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. IETF Trust Legal Provisions of 28-dec-2009, Section 6.b(i), paragraph 3: This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License. Checking nits according to https://www.ietf.org/id-info/1id-guidelines.txt: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** Missing expiration date. The document expiration date should appear on the first and last page. ** The document seems to lack a 1id_guidelines paragraph about Internet-Drafts being working documents. ** The document seems to lack a 1id_guidelines paragraph about 6 months document validity -- however, there's a paragraph with a matching beginning. Boilerplate error? ** The document seems to lack a 1id_guidelines paragraph about the list of current Internet-Drafts. ** The document seems to lack a 1id_guidelines paragraph about the list of Shadow Directories. == No 'Intended status' indicated for this document; assuming Proposed Standard == The page length should not exceed 58 lines per page, but there was 13 longer pages, the longest (page 2) being 60 lines Checking nits according to https://www.ietf.org/id-info/checklist : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** The document seems to lack a Security Considerations section. ** The document seems to lack an IANA Considerations section. (See Section 2.2 of https://www.ietf.org/id-info/checklist for how to handle the case when there are no actions for IANA.) ** The document seems to lack an Authors' Addresses Section. == There are 1 instance of lines with non-RFC2606-compliant FQDNs in the document. Miscellaneous warnings: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- == Line 244 has weird spacing: '...ed case and p...' == Line 374 has weird spacing: '... of wide va...' -- The document seems to lack a disclaimer for pre-RFC5378 work, but may have content which was first submitted before 10 November 2008. If you have contacted all the original authors and they are all willing to grant the BCP78 rights to the IETF Trust, then this is fine, and you can ignore this comment. If not, you may need to add the pre-RFC5378 disclaimer. (See the Legal Provisions document at https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info for more information.) -- Couldn't find a document date in the document -- date freshness check skipped. Checking references for intended status: Proposed Standard ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (See RFCs 3967 and 4897 for information about using normative references to lower-maturity documents in RFCs) -- Missing reference section? '1' on line 79 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '23' on line 825 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '25' on line 834 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '27' on line 840 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '9' on line 391 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '13' on line 779 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '15' on line 788 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '2' on line 451 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '8' on line 451 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '22' on line 820 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '14' on line 784 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '28' on line 847 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '10' on line 769 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '11' on line 773 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '12' on line 776 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '16' on line 792 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '17' on line 796 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '18' on line 800 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '19' on line 805 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '20' on line 809 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '21' on line 813 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '24' on line 829 looks like a reference -- Missing reference section? '26' on line 837 looks like a reference Summary: 9 errors (**), 0 flaws (~~), 5 warnings (==), 25 comments (--). Run idnits with the --verbose option for more detailed information about the items above. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 IETF RUN Working Group Sally Hambridge 3 Internet-Draft Intel Corp. SC3-15 4 draft-ietf-run-netiquette-guide-01.txt 2880 Northwestern Pkwy 5 Expires January, 1996 Santa Clara, CA 95052 6 sallyh@ludwig.sc.intel.com 8 Netiquette Guidelines 10 Status of This Memo 12 This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working 13 documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its 14 areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also 15 distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Comments on this 16 draft should be sent to ietf-run@mailbag.intel.com. 18 Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six 19 months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other 20 documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet- 21 Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as 22 ``work in progress.'' 24 To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check 25 the ``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet- 26 Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), 27 nic.nordu.net (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), 28 ds.internic.net (US East Coast), or ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast). 30 Abstract 32 This document provides a minimum set of guidelines for Network 33 Etiquette (Netiquette) which organizations may take and adapt for 34 their own use. As such, it is deliberately written in a bulleted 35 format to make adaptation easier and to make any particular item 36 easy (or easier) to find. It also functions as a minimum set of 37 guidelines for individuals, both users and administrators. 39 Table of Contents 41 1.0 Introduction page 1 43 2.0 One-to-One Communication page 2 45 3.0 One-to-Many Communication page 5 47 1.0 Introduction 48 In the past, the population of people using the Internet had "grown 49 up" with the Internet, were technically minded, and understood the 50 nature of the transport and the protocols. Today, the community of 51 Internet users includes people who are new to the environment. These 52 "Newbies" are unfamiliar with the culture and don't need to know about 53 transport and protocols. In order to bring these new users into the 54 Internet culture quickly, this Guide offers a minimum set of behaviors 55 which organizations and individuals may take and adapt for their own 56 use. Individuals should be aware that no matter who supplies their 57 Internet access, be it an Internet Service Provider through a private 58 account, or a student account at a University, or an account through 59 a corporation, that those organizations have regulation about 60 ownership of mail and files, about what is proper to post or 61 send, and how to present yourself. Be sure to check with the 62 local authority for specific guidelines. 64 We've organized this material into three sections: One-to-one 65 communication, which includes mail and talk; One-to-many 66 communications, which includes mailing lists, and NetNews; 67 and Information Services, which includes ftp, WWW, Wais, Gopher, 68 MUDs and MOOs. Finally, we have a Selected Bibliography, which may 69 be used for reference. 71 2.0 One-to-One Communication (electronic mail, talk) 73 We define one-to-one communications as those in which a person is 74 communicating with another person as if face-to-face: a dialog. In 75 general, rules of common courtesy for interaction with people should 76 be in force for any situation and on the Internet it's doubly 77 important where, for example, body language and tone of voice must be 78 inferred. For more information on Netiquette for communicating 79 via electronic mail and talk, check references [1,23,25,27] in the 80 Selected Bibliography. 82 2.1 User Guidelines 84 2.1.1 For mail: 86 - Unless you have your own Internet access through an Internet 87 provider, be sure to check with your employer about ownership 88 of electronic mail. Laws about the ownership of electronic mail 89 vary from place to place. 91 - Unless you are using an encryption device (hardware or software), 92 you should assume that mail on the Internet is not secure. Never 93 put in a mail message anything you would not put on a postcard. 95 - Respect the copyright on material that you reproduce. Almost 96 every country has copyright laws. 98 - If you are forwarding or re-posting a message you've received, do 99 not change the wording. If the message was a personal message to 100 you and you are re-posting to a group, you should ask permission 101 first. You may shorten the message and quote only relevant parts, 102 but be sure you give proper attribution. 104 - Never send chain letters via electronic mail. Chain letters 105 are forbidden on the Internet. Your network privileges 106 will be revoked. Notify your local system administrator 107 if your ever receive one. 109 - A good rule of thumb: Be conservative in what you send and 110 liberal in what you receive. You should not send heated messages 111 (we call these "flames") even if you are provoked. On the other 112 hand, you shouldn't be surprised if you get flamed and it's 113 prudent not to respond to flames. 115 - In general, it's a good idea to at least check all your mail 116 subjects before responding to a message. Sometimes a person who 117 asks you for help (or clarification) will send another message 118 which effectively says "Never Mind". Also make sure that any 119 message you respond to was directed to you. You might be cc:ed 120 rather that the primary recipient. 122 - Make things easy for the recipient. Many mailers strip header 123 information which includes your return address. In order to 124 ensure that people know who you are, be sure to include a line 125 or two at the end of your message with contact information. You 126 can create this file ahead of time and add it to the end of your 127 messages. (Some mailers do this automatically.) In Internet 128 parlance, this is known as a ".sig" or "signature" file. Your 129 .sig file takes the place of your business card. (And you can 130 have more than one to apply in different circumstances.) 132 - In general, most people who use the Internet don't have time 133 to answer general questions about the Internet and its workings. 134 Don't send unsolicited mail asking for information to people 135 whose names you might have seen in RFCs or on mailing lists. 137 - Remember that people with whom you communicate are located across 138 the globe. If you send a message to which you want an immediate 139 response, the person receiving it might be at home asleep when it 140 arrives. Give them a chance to wake up, come to work, and login 141 before assuming the mail didn't arrive or that they don't care. 143 - Verify all addresses before initiating long or personal discourse. 144 It's also a good practice to include the word "Long" in the 145 subject header so the recipient knows the message will take time 146 to read and respond to. Over 100 lines is considered "long". 148 - Know who to contact for help. Usually you will have resources 149 close at hand. Check locally for people who can help you with 150 software and system problems. Also, know who to go to if you 151 receive anything questionable or illegal. Most sites also 152 have "Postmaster" aliased to a knowledgeable user, so you 153 can send mail to this address to get help with mail. 155 - Remember that the recipient is a human being whose culture, 156 language, and humor have different points of reference from your 157 own. Remember that date formats, measurements, and idioms may 158 not travel well. Be especially careful with sarcasm. 160 - Use mixed case. UPPER CASE LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING. 162 - Use symbols for emphasis. That *is* what I meant. Use 163 underscores for underlining. _War and Peace_ is my favorite 164 book. 166 - Use smileys to indicate tone of voice, but use them sparingly. 167 :-) is an example of a smiley (Look sideways). Don't assume 168 that the inclusion of a smiley will make the recipient happy 169 with what you say or wipe out an otherwise insulting comment. 171 - Wait overnight to send emotional responses to messages. If you 172 have really strong feelings about a subject, indicate it via 173 FLAME ON/OFF enclosures. For example: 174 FLAME ON: This type of argument is not worth the bandwidth 175 it takes to send it. It's illogical and poorly 176 reasoned. The rest of the world agrees with me. 177 FLAME OFF 179 - Do not include control characters or non-ASCII attachments in 180 messages unless they are MIME attachments or unless your mailer 181 encodes these. If you send encoded messages make sure the 182 recipient can decode them. 184 - Be brief without being overly terse. When replying to a message, 185 include enough original material to be understood but no more. It 186 is extremely bad form to simply reply to a message by including 187 all the previous message: edit out all the irrelevant material. 189 - Limit line length to fewer than 65 characters and end a line 190 with a carriage return. 192 - Mail should have a subject heading which reflects 193 the content of the message. 195 - If you include a signature keep it short. Rule of thumb 196 is no longer than 4 lines. Remember that many people pay for 197 connectivity by the minute, and the longer your message is, 198 the more they pay. 200 - Just as mail (today) may not be private, mail (and news) are 201 (today) subject to forgery and spoofing of various degrees of 202 detectability. Apply common sense "reality checks" before 203 assuming a message is valid. 205 - If you think the importance of a message justifies it, immediately 206 reply briefly to an e-mail message, to let the sender know you got 207 it, even if you will send a longer reply later. 209 - Delivery receipts, non-delivery notices, and vacation programs 210 are neither totally standardized nor totally reliable across the 211 range of systems connected to Internet mail. They are invasive 212 when sent to mailing lists, and some people consider delivery 213 receipts an invasion of privacy. In short, do not use them. 215 - "Reasonable" expectations for conduct via e-mail depend on your 216 relationship to a person and the context of the communication. 217 Norms learned in a particular e-mail environment may not apply in 218 general to your e-mail communication with people across the 219 Internet. 221 - The cost of delivering an e-mail message is, on the average, paid 222 about equally by the sender and the recipient (or their 223 organizations). This is unlike other media such as physical mail, 224 telephone, TV, or radio. Sending someone mail may also cost them 225 in other specific ways like network bandwidth, disk space or CPU 226 usage. This is a fundamental economic reason why unsolicited 227 e-mail advertising is unwelcome (and is forbidden in many contexts). 229 - Know how large a message you are sending. Including large files 230 such as Postscript files or programs may make your message so 231 large that it cannot be delivered or at least consumes excessive 232 resources. A good rule of thumb would be not to send a file 233 larger than 1 Megabyte. Consider file transfer as an alternative. 235 - If your mail system allows you to forward mail, beware the dreaded 236 forwarding loop. Be sure you haven't set up forwarding on several 237 hosts so that a message sent to you gets into an endless loop from 238 one computer to the next to the next. 240 2.1.2 For talk: 241 Talk is a set of protocols which allow two people to have an 242 interactive dialogue via computer. 244 - Use mixed case and proper punctuation, as though you were typing 245 a letter or sending mail. 247 - Don't run off the end of a line and simply let the terminal wrap; 248 use a Carriage Return (CR) at the end of the line. Also, don't 249 assume your screen size is the same as everyone else's. A good 250 rule of thumb is to write out no more than 70 characters, and no 251 more than 24 lines. 253 - Leave some margin; don't write to the edge of the screen. 255 - Use two CRs to indicate that you are done and the other person may 256 start typing. (blank line). 258 - Always say goodbye, or some other farewell, and wait to see a 259 farewell from the other person before killing the session. This 260 is especially important when you are communicating with someone 261 a long way away. Remember that your communication relies on both 262 bandwidth (the size of the pipe) and latency (the speed of light). 264 - Remember that talk is an interruption to the other person. Only 265 use as appropriate. 267 - Talk shows your typing ability. If you type slowly and make 268 mistakes when typing it is often not worth the time of trying to 269 correct, as the other person can usually see what you meant. 271 2.2 Administrator Issues 273 - Be sure you have established written guidelines for dealing 274 with situations especially illegal, improper, or forged 275 traffic. 277 - Handle requests in a timely fashion - within 24 hours. 279 - Respond promptly to people who have concerns about receiving 280 improper or illegal messages. Requests concerning chain 281 letters should be handled immediately. 283 - Explain any system rules, such as disk quotas, to your users. 284 Make sure they understand implications of requesting files by 285 mail such as: Filling up disks; running up phone bills, delaying 286 mail, etc. 288 - Make sure you have "Postmaster" aliased. 290 3.0 One-to-Many Communication (Mailing Lists, NetNews) 292 Any time you engage in One-to-Many communications, all the rules 293 for mail should also apply. After all, communicating with many people 294 via one mail message or post is quite analogous to communicating with 295 one person with the exception of possibly offending a great 296 many more people than in one-to-one communication. Therefore, it's 297 quite important to know as much as you can about the audience of your 298 message. 300 3.1 User Guidelines 302 3.1.1 General Guidelines for mailing lists and NetNews 304 - Read both mailing lists and newsgroups for one to two months before 305 you post anything. This helps you to get an understanding of 306 the culture of the group. 308 - Do not blame the system administrator for the behavior of the 309 system users. 311 - Consider that a large audience will see your posts. 312 That may include your present or your next boss. Take 313 care in what you write. Remember too, that mailing lists and 314 Newsgroups are frequently archived, and that your words may be 315 stored for a very long time in a place to which many people have 316 access. 318 - Assume that individuals speak for themselves, and what they 319 say does not represent their organization (unless stated 320 explicitly). 322 - Remember that both mail and news take system resources. Pay 323 attention to any specific rules covering their uses your 324 organization may have. 326 - Messages and articles should be brief and to the point. Don't 327 wander off-topic, don't ramble and don't send mail or post 328 messages solely to point out other people's errors in typing 329 or spelling. These, more than any other behavior, mark you 330 as an immature beginner. 332 - Advertising is welcomed on some lists and Newsgroups, and abhorred 333 on others! This is another example of knowing your audience 334 before you post. Unsolicited advertising which is completely 335 off-topic will most certainly guarantee that you get hate mail. 337 - If you are posting a reply to a message or a posting be sure you 338 summarize the original at the top of the message, or include just 339 enough text of the original to give a context. This will make 340 sure readers understand when they start to read your response. 341 Since NetNews, especially, is proliferated by distributing the 342 postings from one host to another, it is possible to see a 343 response to a message before seeing the original. Giving context 344 helps everyone. 346 - Again, be sure to have a signature which you attach to your 347 message. This will guarantee that any peculiarities of mailers or 348 newsreaders which strip header information will not delete the 349 only reference in the message of how people may reach you. 351 - Be careful when you reply to messages or postings. Frequently 352 replies are sent back to the address which originated the post - 353 which in many cases is the address of a list or group! You may 354 accidentally send a personal response to a great many people, 355 embarrassing all involved. It's best to type in the address 356 instead of relying on "reply." 358 - If you find a personal message has gone to a list or group, send 359 an apology. 361 - If you should find yourself in a disagreement with one person, 362 make your responses to each other via mail rather than continue to 363 send messages to the list or the group. If you are debating a 364 point on which the group might have some interest, you may 365 summarize for them later. 367 - Don't get involved in flame wars. Neither post nor respond 368 to incendiary material. 370 - Avoid sending messages or posting articles which are no more than 371 gratuitous replies to replies. 373 - There are Newsgroups and Mailing Lists which discuss topics 374 of wide varieties of interests. These represent a diversity of 375 lifestyles, religions, and cultures. Posting articles or sending 376 messages to a group whose point of view is offensive to you 377 simply to tell them they are offensive is not acceptable. 378 Sexually and racially harassing messages may also have legal 379 implications. There is software available to filter items 380 you might find objectionable. 382 3.1.2 Mailing List Guidelines 383 There are several ways to find information about what mailing 384 lists exist on the Internet and how to join them. Make sure you 385 understand your organization's policy about joining these lists and 386 posting to them. In general it is always better to check local 387 resources first before trying to find information via the Internet. 388 Nevertheless, there are a set of files posted periodically to 389 news.answers which list the Internet mailing lists and how to 390 subscribe to them. This is an invaluable resource for finding lists 391 on any topic. See also references [9,13,15] in the Selected 392 Bibliography. 394 - Send subscribe and unsubscribe messages to the appropriate 395 address. Although some mailing list software is smart enough 396 to catch these, not all can ferret these out. It is your 397 responsibility to learn how the lists work, and to send the 398 correct mail to the correct place. Although many many mailing 399 lists adhere to the convention of having a "-request" alias for 400 sending subscribe and unsubscribe messages, not all do. Be sure 401 you know the conventions used by the lists to which you subscribe. 403 - Save the subscription messages for any lists you join. These 404 usually tell you how to unsubscribe as well. 406 - In general, it's not possible to retrieve messages once you have 407 sent them. Even your system administrator will not be able to get 408 a message back once you have sent it. This means you must make 409 sure you really want the message to go as you have written it. 411 - The auto-reply feature of many mailers is useful for in-house 412 communication, but quite annoying when sent to entire mailing 413 lists. Examine "Reply-To" addresses when replying to messages 414 from lists. Most auto-replys will go to all members of the 415 list. 417 - Don't send large files to mailing lists when URLs or pointers 418 to ftp-able versions will do. 420 - Consider unsubscribing or setting a "nomail" option (when it's 421 available) when you cannot check your mail for an extended 422 period. 424 - When sending a message to more than one mailing list, especially 425 if the lists are closely related, apologize for cross-posting. 427 - If you ask a question, be sure to post a summary. When doing so, 428 truly summarize rather than send a cumulation of the messages you 429 receive. 431 - Some mailing lists are private. Do not send mail to these lists 432 uninvited. Do not report mail from these lists to a wider 433 audience. 435 - If you are caught in an argument, keep the discussion focused on 436 issues rather than the personalities involved. 438 3.1.3 NetNews Guidelines 439 NetNews is a globally distributed system which allows people to 440 communicate on topics of specific interest. It is divided into 441 hierarchies, with the major divisions being: sci - science related 442 discussions; comp - computer related discussions; news - for 443 discussions which center around NetNews itself; rec - recreational 444 activities; soc - social issues; talk - long-winded never-ending 445 discussions; biz - business related postings; and alt - the alternate 446 hierarchy. Alt is so named because creating an alt group does not go 447 through the same process as creating a group in the other parts of the 448 hierarchy. There are also regional hierarchies and your place of 449 business may have its own groups as well. Recently, a "humanities" 450 hierarchy was added, and as time goes on its likely more will be 451 added. For longer discussions on News see references [2,8,22,23] 452 in the Selected Bibliography. 454 - In NetNews parlance, "Posting" refers to posting a new article 455 to a group, or responding to a post someone else has posted. 456 "Cross-Posting" refers to posting a message to more than one 457 group. If you introduce Cross-Posting to a group, or if you 458 direct "Followup-To:" in the header of your posting, warn 459 readers! Readers will usually assume that the message was 460 posted to a specific group and that followups will go to 461 that group. Headers change this behavior. 463 - Read all of a discussion in progress (we call this a thread) 464 before posting replies. Avoid posting "Me Too" messages, 465 where content is limited to agreement with previous posts. 466 Content of a follow-up post should exceed quoted content. 468 - Send mail when an answer to a question is for one person only. 469 Remember that News has global distribution and the whole world 470 probably is NOT interested in a personal response. However, don't 471 hesitate to post when something will be of general interest to the 472 Newsgroup participants. 474 - Check the "Distribution" section of the header, but don't 475 depend on it. Due to the complex method by which News is 476 delivered, Distribution headers are unreliable. But, if you 477 are posting something which will be of interest to a limited 478 number or readers, use a distribution line that attempts to 479 limit the distribution of your article to those people. For 480 example, set the Distribution to be "nj" if you are posting 481 an article that will be of interest to New Jersey readers. 483 - If you feel an article will be of interest to more than one 484 Newsgroup, be sure to CROSSPOST the article rather than individually 485 post it to those groups. In general, probably only five-to-six 486 groups will have similar enough interests to warrant this. 488 - Consider using Reference sources (Computer Manuals, Newspapers, 489 help files) before posting a question. Asking a Newsgroup where 490 answers are readily available elsewhere generates grumpy "RTFM" 491 (read the fine manual - although a more vulgar meaning of the 492 word beginning with "f" is usually implied) messages. 494 - Although there are Newsgroups which welcome advertising, 495 in general it is considered nothing less than criminal 496 to advertise off-topic products. Sending an advertisement 497 to each and every group will pretty much guarantee your loss of 498 connectivity. 500 - If you discover an error in your post, cancel it as soon as 501 possible. 503 - DO NOT attempt to cancel any articles but your own. Contact 504 your administrator if you don't know how to cancel your post, 505 or if some other post, such as a chain letter, needs canceling. 507 - If you've posting something and don't see it immediately, 508 don't assume it's failed and post it again. 510 - Some groups permit (and some welcome) posts which in other 511 circumstances would be considered to be in questionable taste. 512 Still, there is no guarantee that all people reading the group 513 will appreciate the material as much as you do. Use the Rotate 514 utility (which rotates all the characters in your post by 13 515 positions in the alphabet) to avoid offense. 517 - In groups which discuss movies or books it is considered essential 518 to mark posts which disclose significant content as "Spoilers". 519 Put this word in your Subject: line. You may add blank lines to 520 the beginning of your post to keep content out of sight, or you 521 may Rotate it. 523 - Forging of news articles is generally censured. You can protect 524 yourself from forgeries by using software which generates a 525 manipulation detection "fingerprint", such as PGP (in the US). 527 - Postings via anonymous servers are accepted in some Newsgroups 528 and disliked in others. Material which is inappropriate when 529 posted under one's own name is still inappropriate when posted 530 anonymously. 532 - Don't get involved in flame wars. Neither post nor respond 533 to incendiary material. 535 3.2 Administrator Guidelines 537 3.2.1 General Issues 539 - Clarify any policies your site has regarding its subscription 540 to NetNews groups and about subscribing to mailing lists. 542 - Clarify any policies your site has about posting to NetNews 543 groups or to mailing lists, including use of disclaimers in .sigs. 545 - Clarify and publicize archive policy. (How long are articles 546 kept?) 548 - Investigate accusations about your users promptly and with an 549 open mind. 551 3.2.2 Mailing Lists 553 - Keep mailing lists up to date to avoid the "bouncing mail" problem. 555 - Help list owners when problems arise. 557 - Inform list owners of any maintenance windows or planned downtime. 559 - Be sure to have "-request" aliases for list subscription. 561 3.2.3. NetNews 563 - Publicize the nature of the feed you receive. If you do not get 564 a full feed, people may want to know why not. 566 - Be aware that the multiplicity of News Reader clients may cause 567 the News Server being blamed for problems in the clients. 569 - Honor requests from users immediately if they request cancellation 570 of their own posts or invalid posts, such as chain letters. 572 3.3 Moderator Guidelines 574 3.3.1 General Guidelines 576 - Make sure your FAQ is posted at regular intervals. Include your 577 guidelines for articles/messages. If you are not the FAQ 578 maintainer, make sure they do so. 580 - Make sure you maintain a good welcome message, which contains 581 subscribe and unsubscribe information. 583 - News groups should have their charter/guidelines posted 584 regularly. 586 4.0 Information Services (Gopher, Wais, WWW, ftp, telnet) 587 In recent Internet history, the 'Net has exploded with new and varied 588 Information services. Gopher, Wais, World Wide Web (WWW), Multi-User 589 Dimensions (MUDs) Multi-User Dimensions which are Object Oriented 590 (MOOs) are a few of these new areas. Although the ability to find 591 information is exploding, "Caveat Emptor" remains constant. For more 592 information on these services, check references [14,28] in the 593 Selected Bibliography. 595 4.1 User Guidelines 597 4.1.1. General guidelines 599 - Remember that all these services belong to someone else. The 600 people who pay the bills get to make the rules governing usage. 602 - If you have problems with any form of information service, start 603 problem solving by checking locally: Check file configurations, 604 software setup, network connections, etc. Do this before assuming 605 the problem is at the provider's end and/or is the provider's 606 fault. 608 - Although there are naming conventions for file-types used, don't 609 depend on these file naming conventions to be enforced. 611 - Information services also use conventions, such as www.abc.com. 612 While it is useful to know these conventions, again, don't 613 necessarily rely on them. 615 - Know how file names work on your own system. 617 - Be aware of conventions used for providing information during 618 sessions. FTP sites usually have files named README in a top 619 level directory which have information about the files available. 620 But, don't assume that the files are necessarily up-to-date and/or 621 accurate. 623 - Do NOT assume that ANY information you find is up-to-date and/or 624 accurate. Remember that new technologies allow just about anyone 625 to be a publisher, but not all people have discovered the 626 responsibilities which accompany publishing. 628 - Remember that unless you are sure that security and authentication 629 technology is in use, that any information you submit to a system 630 is being transmitted over the Internet "in the clear", with no 631 protection from "sniffers". 633 - Since the Internet spans the globe, remember that Information 634 Services might reflect culture and life-style markedly different 635 from your own community. Materials you find offensive may 636 originate in a geography which finds them acceptable. Keep an open 637 mind. 639 - When accessing a popular site, be sure to use a mirror that's 640 close if a list is provided. 642 - Do not use someone else's FTP site to deposit materials you 643 wish other people to pick up. 645 4.1.2 Real Time Interactive Services Guidelines (MUDs MOOs IRC) 647 - It's not necessary to greet everyone on a channel or room 648 personally. Usually one "Hello" or the equivalent is enough. 649 Using the automation features of your client to greet people is 650 not acceptable behavior. 652 - Warn the participants if you intend to ship large quantities 653 of information. If all consent to receiving it, you may send, 654 but sending unwanted information without a warning is considered 655 bad form. 657 - Don't assume that people who you don't know will want to talk to 658 you. If you feel compelled to send private messages to people you 659 don't know, then be willing to accept gracefully the fact that they 660 might be busy or simply not want to chat with you. 662 - Don't badger other users for personal information such as sex, age, 663 or location. After you have built an acquaintance with another user, 664 these questions may be more appropriate, but many people 665 hesitate to give this information to people with whom they are 666 not familiar. 668 - If a user is using a nickname, respect that user's desire for 669 anonymity. Even if you and that person are close friends, it 670 is more courteous to use his nickname. Do not use that 671 person's real name online without permission. 673 4.2 Administrator Guidelines 675 4.2.1 General Guidelines 677 - Make clear what's available for copying and what is not. 679 - Describe what's available on your site, and your organization. 680 Be sure any general policies are clear. 682 - Keep information, especially READMEs, up-to-date. Provide READMEs 683 in plain ascii text. 685 - Present a list of mirrors of your site. Make sure you include 686 a statement of copyright applicable to your mirrors. List 687 their update schedule if possible. 689 - Make sure that popular (and massive) information has the bandwidth 690 to support it. 692 - Use conventions for file extensions - .txt for ascii text; .html 693 or .htm for HTML; .ps for Postscript; .pdf for Portable Document 694 Format; .sgml or .sgm for SGML; .exe for executables, etc. 696 - For files being transferred, try to make filenames unique in the 697 first eight characters. 699 - When providing information, make sure your site has something 700 unique to offer. Avoid bringing up an information service which 701 simply points to other services on the Internet. 703 - Remember that setting up an information service is more than just 704 design and implementation. It's also maintenance. 706 - Make sure your posted materials are appropriate for the supporting 707 organization. 709 - Test applications with a variety of tools. Don't assume everything 710 works if you've tested with only one client. Also, assume the low 711 end of technology for clients and don't create applications which 712 can only be used by Graphical User Interfaces. 714 - Have a consistent view of your information. Make sure the look 715 and feel stays the same throughout your applications. 717 - Be sensitive to the longevity of your information. Be sure to 718 date time-sensitive materials, and be vigilant about keeping 719 this information well maintained. 721 - Export restrictions vary from country to country. Be sure you 722 understand the implications of export restrictions when you post. 724 5.0 Selected Bibliography 725 This bibliography was used to gather most of the information in the 726 sections above as well as for general reference. Items not 727 specifically found in these works were gathered from the IETF-RUN 728 Working Group's experience. 730 [ 1] Angell, David; Brent Heslop. _The Elements of E-mail Style_. 731 New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994. 733 [ 2] "Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet" 734 Original author: jerry@eagle.UUCP (Jerry Schwarz) 735 Maintained by: netannounce@deshaw.com (Mark Moraes) 736 Archive-name: usenet-faq/part1 738 [ 3] Cerf, Vinton. "Guidelines for Conduct on and Use of 739 Internet" at: 742 [ 4] Dern, Daniel. _The Internet Guide for New Users_. New York: 744 McGraw-Hill, 1994. 746 [ 5] "Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette" 747 Original author: brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) 748 Maintained by: netannounce@deshaw.com (Mark Moraes) 749 Archive-name: emily-postnews/part1 751 [ 6] Gaffin, Adam. _Everybody's guide to the Internet_. Cambridge, 752 Mass. : MIT Press, c1994. 754 [ 7] "Guidelines for Responsible Use of the Internet" 755 from the US house of Representatives gopher, at: 756 759 [ 8] How to find the right place to post (FAQ) 760 by buglady@bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Aliza R. Panitz) 761 Archive-name: finding-groups/general 763 [ 9] Hambridge, Sally, Jeffrey C. Sedayao. "Horses and Barn Doors: 764 Evolution of Corporate Guidelines for Internet Usage." 765 LISA VII, Usenix, November 1-5, 1993, pp. 9-16. 766 769 [10] Heslop, Brent D; David Angell. _The instant Internet guide : 770 hands-on global networking_. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley, 771 1994. 773 [11] Horwitz, Stan. _Internet Etiquette Tips_. 774 776 [12] Internet Activities Board. "Ethics and the Internet". January, 777 1989. RFC 1087. 779 [13] Kehoe, Brendan. _Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's 780 Guide_. Netiquette information is spread through the chapters 781 of this work. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 782 1994. 784 [14] Kochmer, Jonathan. _Internet passport : NorthWestNet's guide 785 to our world online_. 4th ed. Bellevue, Wash.: 786 NorthWestNet: Northwest Academic Computing Consortium, c1993. 788 [15] Krol, Ed. _The Whole Internet: User's Guide and 789 Catalog_. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 790 1992. 792 [16] Lane, Elizabeth S.; Craig Summerhill. _Internet primer for 793 information professionals : a basic guide to Internet networking 794 technology_. Westport, CT: Meckler, c1993. 796 [17] LaQuey, Tracy.; Jeanne C. Ryer. _The Internet Companion_. 797 Chapter 3 "Communicating with People" pp 41-74. Reading, 798 MA: Addison-Wesley, 1993. 800 [18] Mandel, Thomas F. "Surfing the Wild Internet". SRI International 801 Business Intelligence Program, Scan No. 2109. March, 1993. 802 805 [19] Martin, J. "There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for 806 Treasure in all the Wrong Places." January, 1993. RFC 1402, 807 FYI 10. 809 [20] Pioch, Nicolas. "A short IRC primer." Text conversion 810 by Owe Rasmussen. Edition 1.1b, February 28, 1993. 811 813 [21] Polly, Jean Armour. "Surfing the Internet: an Introduction", 814 Version 2.0.3. Revised May 15, 1993. 815 817 820 [22] "A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community" 821 Original author: chuq@apple.com (Chuq Von Rospach) 822 Maintained by: netannounce@deshaw.com (Mark Moraes) 823 Archive-name: usenet-primer/part1 825 [23] Rinaldi, Arlene H. "The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette". 826 September 3, 1992. 827 829 [24] "Rules for posting to Usenet" 830 Original author: spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford) 831 Maintained by: netannounce@deshaw.com (Mark Moraes) 832 Archive-name: posting-rules/part1 834 [25] Shea, Virginia. _Netiquette_. San Francisco: Albion Books, 835 1994?. 837 [26] Strangelove, Michael; with Aneurin Bosley. _How to Advertise 838 on the Internet_. ISSN 1201-0758 840 [27] Tenant, Roy. "Internet Basics". ERIC Clearinghouse of Information 841 Resources, EDO-IR-92-7. September, 1992. 842 844 847 [28] Wiggins, Richard W. _The Internet for everyone : a guide for 848 users and providers_. New York : McGraw-Hill, c1995.