Jo sent me a link to a strange FAQ regarding Godwin's Law, which I won't go into here (it doesn't seem germane to our situation); but it does reference "UseNet Rules", some of which seem to resonate:
Rule #nonumber: There are no hard-and-fast Rules on UseNet, only Guidelines, which are more or less strictly enforced (and differ) from group to group; this is why it's generally wise to read any group for a bit before ever
posting to it.
Rule #17: Go not to UseNet for counsel, for they will say both `No' and `Yes' and `Try another newsgroup'.
Rule #2: "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it."
Rule #7-B: There is no topic so thoroughly covered that noone will ever bring it up again.
Rule #90120: Applying your standards to someone else's post *will* result in a flamewar.
Rule #1: Spellling and grammer counts.[sic] So do grace, wit, and a sense of humor (the latter two are different), as well as a willingness to meet odd people, but these are lesser considerations.
Rule #x^2: FAQs are asked frequently. Get used to them.
Rule #29: no rational discourse can happen in a thread cross-posted to more than two newsgroups.
Rule #547: When people know they're wrong they resort to ad hominems.
Rule #37: Read the thread from the beginning, or else.
Rule #5: Nobody ever ignores what they should ignore on Usenet.
Rule #3: For every opinion there is at least one equally loud and opposing opinion; sometimes stated as:
Rule #27: "In cyberspace, *everyone* can hear you scream."
