Recommendations for writing
* Subtlety is not communicated well in written form - especially
over a computer. Remember, most people who will read your posting do not
know you, nor they feel the same emotions as you while reading your article.
Smileys :-), frowns :-(, winks ;-) can sometimes help avoid confusion.
* Subject lines should be used very carefully. How much time have
you wasted reading articles with a misleading subject line? Keep it descriptive
and bright, but do not try to attract attention by capitalizing letters
or using multiple exclamation marks. Only moderators are permitted to use
all-caps subjects lines. Examples:
| Subject: a question... |
|
bad |
| Subject: HELP!!! |
|
bad |
| |
|
|
| Subject: News on Armenicum last week? |
|
good |
| Subject: Translating C sources to Delphi: a pointer problem |
|
good |
Place "Re:" before the original subject line when you reply to
a message. Most news readers do this automatically. If your response belongs
to some discussion thread, but you wish to change the subject line, then
move the original subject to the end with a "Was:" prefix (although
it is not absolutely necessary).
* Do not include the entire article that you are replying to. Cut
down the part that you include to the absolute minimum needed to provide
context to your reply.
* Use references, preferrably URL's, where appropriate.
* Just before you post your article, re-read it. This will ensure
that you actually wrote what you intended to write.
* Sign your message with a simple text signature at the bottom --
it is much easier to remember you by a real name than by an e-mail address.
Most mail agents and news readers may append your signature file automatically.
An Internet standard for text signatures requires two dashes and a space
"-- " as the first line of your signature. Example:
--
Ozzy Osbourne
Black Sabbath, singer
http://www.blacksabbath.com/
Or a shorter one:
--
Joe Zawinul
Rules for posting
Needless to say that rude, abusive and obscene conduct in the net is BAD.
Use plain text format only: some people are unable to read HTML or other
formats on their dumb text terminals. Non-text messages may be left unread
and unreciprocated by your potential respondents.
Binary attachements are not permitted except that in the newsgroups usually
named *.binaries, intended to exchange large binary files. Servers define
maximum allowed message size for every group, and it is usually less than
you might expect (f.ex. 50 KBytes), however, that is enough for a substantial
article!
Some newsgroups are intended for discussions, and some for announcements
or queries. It is not usually a good idea to carry on discussions in newsgroups
that are designated otherwise. It is never a good idea to carry on "meta-discussions"
about whether a given discussion is appropriate -- such traffic mushrooms
until nobody can find articles that belong. If you are unhappy with what
some user said, send him/her an e-mail, don't post it.
Be considerate with your use of network resources. Your individual usage
may not seem like much compared to the net as a whole, but in aggregate,
small savings in disk or CPU add up to a great deal. For instance, messages
offering thanks, jibes, or congratulations will only need to be seen by
the interested parties -- send these by mail rather than posting them. The
same goes for simple questions, and especially for any form of "me too"
posting.
It is generally considered rude to post private e-mail correspondence without
the permission of the author of that mail.
Keep your signature concise, do not use textual pseudo-graphics or binary
graphics. Do not use digital signatures - they cause problems in some news
readers.
