Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
#66326 04/21/02 05:56 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Computer-illiteracy strikes again...I didn't even know we *were* in cyberspace. What does that mean? Aren't we at AWADtalk? And me in my basement family room, in the middle of the night, unable to sleep?


#66327 04/21/02 03:47 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

This one in particular takes a certain amount of education. Most of USns are unaware that many others on this board are paying strictly by connect time and don't want to be running around looking at just anything that gets posted. Specifically, this relates to the feature in which a person gets email notification of posts that have been responded to. This is the point that was brought up elsewhere with the phrase, read flat, post threaded. If you are responding to a specific post in a thread, click on the Respond icon to that post and not just the one at the end of the thread.


#66328 04/21/02 04:22 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Even if it isn't speaking literally it assumes some specific agreement of 'good'. There are plenty of perspectives as to what qualifies - AWAD has *proven that.

Faldage - Just keeping things chronological!


#66329 04/21/02 05:17 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
since I chose to put emphasis on Rule 3, here is the elaboration:

Netiquette varies from domain to domain

What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. For example, in most TV discussion groups, passing on idle gossip is perfectly permissible. But throwing around unsubstantiated rumors in a journalists' mailing list will make you very unpopular there.

And because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are. Thus the next corollary:

Lurk before you leap

When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate.


()

#66330 04/21/02 05:42 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
K
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
K
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
tswum, your cite is marvelous! How about elaborating?, asks byb.

Bob, you'll find each rule elaborated if you you click forward in tsuwm's link. For even more detail, click to the "complete online edition" of the book from which the rules are taken.

Repeating tsuwm's excellent citation: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

[Jackie, there's your alb root again! ]





#66331 04/22/02 02:22 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
OP Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
'Third Rule of Net Etiquette: Know where you are in cyberspace.' (see: tsum's two posts to this thread)

And

"Why reinvent the wheel" (also in tsuwm's first post to this thread)

Indeed. I think these rules are pretty comprehensive. The only thing I might want to look at is something more specific for rule 3. That is, a note about where exactly we are. -- Cyberspace, belM, is "virtual reality." Where we are, apart from in your basement, is AWAD Talk -- Like anywhere else, this place has its peculiar mores. They probably do not need to be codified. More I think about it, more I find tsum's periodic reminders of the purpose of the board exactly on target. It is a place to talk, teach and learn about words, to play with words. And when focused thereon, it tends to be a pretty congenial place to spend time. It might suffice to suggest that our administrator simply refer participants who may be straying a little wide to the rules of etiquette, especially to no. 3 in some AWAD-appropriate formulation. She might also refer those new comers to the same rules who may be having difficulty mixing. Lifers here might simply inform her in a PM of any such new comer-related difficulties they may be having, and the whole thing can be kept friendlier. As to inter-lifer strife, I would recommend the same, with the added suggestion that the lifer in question take a breath before continuing -- that cooler heads might prevail.

And the bandwidth business is something people might be reminded of from time to time.

Why not just refer newcomers to the advice for newcomers threads? Speaking as a former newcomer myself, this appears daunting. If they were referred there at the end of a message, the body of which were the simple rules of etiquette with the specialized rule no. 3, they would get at least that far.

IP,
Recovering Newcomer




#66332 04/22/02 02:33 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Recovering Newcomer

Yes! Aren't we all?

She might also refer those new comers to the same rules who may be having difficulty mixing. Lifers here might simply inform her in a PM of any such new comer-related difficulties they may be having, and the whole thing can be kept friendlier. As to inter-lifer strife, I would recommend the same, with the added suggestion that the lifer in question take a breath before continuing -- that cooler heads might prevail.

I really like this idea, insel, of channeling difficulties or grievances through the administrator, if Jackie's okay with it. A much friendlier approach to the problems of residents or the confusion of newcomers. I know it would have helped to cushion my sensitivities when I first came around.



The Only WO'N!

#66333 04/22/02 02:30 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 184
E
member
Offline
member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 184

#66334 04/22/02 02:53 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
is cyberspace really different?

Couple of issues here.

The original was know where you are in cyberspace (EA). The rules of conduct are going to change somewhat from venue to venue. Conduct common here will get you censored on the Vocabula Review Forum, for example.

That notwithstanding, cyberspace is different from face to face conversation, for example, in that body language is completely missing. Some of us stubbornly resist the use of emoticons. They don't completely fill the shoes of body language anyway, since body language is largely involuntary and emoticons are anything but. Be that as it may, the possibility of misunderstanding is much greater in cyberspace than it is in real life; this must be taken into account, both from the persepctive of the giver and of the receiver.


#66335 04/22/02 03:00 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
J
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
>Be that as it may, the possibility of misunderstanding is much greater in cyberspace than it is in real life; this must be taken into account, both from the persepctive of the giver and of the receiver.

Add in the factor of different nationalities, some people writing in a language that is not their own, different types of humour and you've got an extra layer.

I remember some time ago I discussed with someone how people in the USA speak so much more "nicely" to their children than we do in Britain. You'll often find British people reaching for the sick bag especially when faced with Barney (don't you just love him???!). The same words can mean different things to different people, without the context of a twinkle in the eye, a lot of humour is lost and wrongly interpreted as anger.


Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,372
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 767 guests, and 1 robot.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,561
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,919
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5