h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Don't put your real contact details on the net (Telephone numbers, email address etc.) unless you want them to be available to all sorts...it's so easy to get into the mindset of "small group conversations" but everything you write here can legitimately be read by anyone.

That's a fair point - it can be worthwhile setting up a free email account with someone (Yahoo, another.com etc), and then giving that address to people you don't know, and only telling your real email address to people you know and trust.

I guess I've been lucky, the people I've met on the net have become good friends. Although I advise caution for the first meeting, as in any *blind date* situation. Never give out your home address. At least until you've met the person & trust them. Don't believe everything a person tells you! The more secretive they are, the less likely what they ~are~ telling you is made up. Don't tell any lies yourself...you'd have to have an excellent memory & few of us are blessed with those...
Treat other people as you would want to be treated yourself, show respect for other cultures, beliefs and feelings.
Be friendly, be tolerant!
It's easier to walk away from the computer and avoid a bad situation, than it is in RL. There's no loss of face. Express yourself in your journal, rather than in the public forums, {you can delete them now}.
Don't SHOUT at people.
Don't post too many smileys
If someone seems fed-up, them! And a lot!

AGB, your words come also from the bottom of my heart! I couldn't have said in better.

I like to have some 'Social Firewall' between my RL and the net. This does not mean that I want to build up a kind of virtual identity that has nothing to do with my real one. I just want to have at least some kind of control how close others come to me.

There have been suggestions in the Community Soapbox to include 'private channels' for one-on-one discussions. I must admit that I do not like that idea. If it's on h2g2, leave it public, and be aware of the fact that it's public!

If you want to make closer contacts (maybe in preparation for an eventual RL encounter) there are things like ICQ or personal emails. When 'talking' on ICQ you can get a better feeling on your chat partner's real time reactions to what you say.

I don't say that RL and Net don't mix. I do not sport a significantly different behaviour on the net than I would in RL. Maybe that's tha point. Be yourself. Don't try to be the virtual Rudolfo Valentino if you aren't in RL. People may be disappointed when they meet you (it's like, ahem, stuffing a pair of socks into the certain area of your trousers before going to a date ).

When I 'meet' somebody in h2g2 forums frequently, I always have a look at their home spaces. Some are more informative than others, some make me really curious about the RL person behind the page, and some pages make me think 'Wow, these are some very mature attitudes for a 15yr old person!'

I deeply regret that I cannot come to the Chistmas meet in London, as I would really like to see some of the faces behind the nicknames. IMHO it improves the quality of online (=virtual) conversation of you know the person behind the screen. In other words, I would never continue an online contact with a person I have found out not to like IRL. I cannot make a difference between online an RL friends. Either I like a person or I don't.

For me the Net is definitely not a medium to live out fantasies of to cover up RL insufficiencies. I'm too old for that kind of nonsense. It's just a tool to share information, to keep in contact with others and to have fun. Unfortunately I cannot meet people like Archangels Galaxy Babe and Kes, or Pierce the (and others, of course) IRL as frequently as I can in h2g2. We live too far apart from each other. But I'm absolutely sure that it would be a lot of fun (provided that they didn't sport a totally alienated personality on the web, what I frankly don't believe ).


ONE DAY I WILL COME TO A H2G2 MEET!!!! I HAVE TO !!!!


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