Netiquette? I Spy a Typo...

Believe it or not, netiquette really is a word. Although it's not officially in any dictionaries at the time of writing, netiquette is understood by many Internet users. As you might have guessed, it's basically a set of guidelines for etiquette on the 'Net, and as h2g2 is on the Internet, and plays host to tens of thousands of interacting people every day, it's most certainly somewhere that netiquette is relevant.

While we have the House Rules and the Terms & Conditions, it's generally left to Researchers to work out how to behave on h2g2 - there can be no rules saying 'you must act exactly like this' because everyone's character is different. However, everyone does need to be aware of how they appear to others, and of how their comments can be interpreted - or misinterpreted. This is what netiquette addresses.

This Entry is only a guide, made up of points and personal rules raised by many Researchers, and proven to be effective when interacting over the Internet and h2g2.

The Core Rules of Netiquette

General Principles

• Show respect to other cultures and traditions, and their points of view. Yours are not necessarily any more 'right' than someone else's - just different.

• Treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself. That means, treat them with tolerance, civility and respect. Always try to give people the benefit of the doubt in ambiguous situations - they hardly ever intend to be unpleasant, and usually make it more obvious if they do.

• Unless you're in a general Conversation thread, try to stay on-topic. For example, if you're in a Conversation that is intended as a continuing storyline, don't post saying 'Hi there everyone!'. 'Appropriate' is the watch-word.

• Remember that Researchers are from all over the world, so some things you mention (say, a TV channel) might be completely unknown to them.

• Always try to make it clear who you're replying to, especially if there are intervening posts from other people on the Conversation. If you say something like 'I agree' in your post, it could look like you're agreeing with something you haven't even read yet.

• Simulposts (postings occurring at roughly the same time, where both parties miss the other's post) can happen at any time. After you post, make sure you look back a bit along the thread, just to make sure no one said anything before you made your point, and changed the course of the conversation.

• Don't spam. It's not nice, and you probably won't get any useful replies because people will just ignore it. It's also against the House Rules.

• Remember this while posting: unless it's an extreme case, a post is for life, not just for [insert appropriate cultural/religious festival here]. Whatever you say will be put into a database for all eternity, and you will always be accountable for it! Things do get forgotten in time, though, and most reasonable people will not hold grudges for long.

• Don't try to write too much in one post - people are very unlikely to read everything in a long posting. Rants and raves are best kept to your Journal, but constructive writing on your chosen subject is always welcome. In fact, if you have a lot to say about something, why not write an Entry on it?

Using Smileys

Because we're only using text to interact with each other on h2g2, there is a lot of valuable information that doesn't get carried over in conversations - namely that normally communicated by body language and facial expression. Smileys are used instead, to add emotion and intention to plain words (hence the term 'emoticon'), and they are invaluable for indicating the manner in which you're posting.

• If you're being sarcastic, make sure you use an appropriate smiley, like <winkeye>. If you don't, the plain text might look harsh, and be misunderstood by the reader. Of course, this doesn't give you carte blanche to be rude and put a smiley afterwards, any more than if you insulted someone in real life, then said 'Only joking', with a still-serious expression on your face.

• Try to smile! It always brightens up the mood of the place, and makes you look friendly.

• Try not to use too many smileys on one post. Remember that they're only there to help people understand your text, and maybe to symbolise a certain object, so don't fill your post with them for no reason.

Before Posting

• If you're in a Conversation about the entry attached to it, read the entire entry before you post. You may look underinformed if you raise a point that's already been addressed or dismissed.

• Read as much of the Conversation as possible. Try to read the last couple of days' backlog at least.

• Make sure that the point you're about to raise hasn't already been covered, and don't open a thread about one subject if there's already one open.

• Think before posting. Take your time to post, and make sure you've made your point clear, or it may be misunderstood.

• Always preview your posting. This doesn't just help with getting smileys right, but allows you to check for silly typos, and poorly structured, easily misinterpreted sentences.

• To avoid multiple postings of the same thing, only ever click the 'Post Message' button once, even if it's taking a long time. If you're certain it's not worked, copy the text you wrote in the box, click your browser's Back button until you get the thread, and refresh the page - you may find your post got there alright. If it didn't, press the 'Reply' button again and paste the text you typed.

Spelling and Grammar

• Do try to capitalise your words correctly. It looks far clearer, and gives the reader a better impression of you.

• The same goes for correct spelling. You're certainly going to make some mistakes, but stupid ones can be removed by previewing your post. Whether we like it or not, some people pre-judge us by the way we speak, in real life as well as on (virtual) paper.

• If you don't know the correct spelling of a word, you can easily look it up at any of the dictionary websites available, or type (sp?) at the end of it.

• Some people may either misinterpret acronyms or not understand them at all. LOL can mean 'lots of love', not simply 'laughs out loud'.

• Never ever use all-capitals because it's commonly interpreted to mean that you're shouting LIKE THIS! IT LOOKS TERRIBLY RUDE, AND GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THE POSTER CANNOT EVEN CONTROL THEIR OWN CAPS LOCK KEY!

• Try to punctuate your posts properly, especially when asking questions. Some phrases could mean both a statement and a question, and the reader wouldn't know which. Correct punctuation also makes it easier to read.

What to Do in a Hostile Situation

Sooner or later, even the most sweet-natured person will come across something which they find too offensive to pass over. It might be that they've misunderstood you, or you might truly have said something offensive. Here are some ways to deal with any ensuing hostilities.

• Before making your point to the person you're arguing with, carefully read what they say and try to see their point of view - it always helps. They might actually have a point!

• A situation may arise simply because someone misunderstood you. If someone has, don't shun them for it - be polite, apologise for being unclear and correct the misunderstanding.

• If someone does go on about something incessantly, it's usually best to ignore them.

• If someone has annoyed you, and has later apologised honestly, don't continue to shun them. Always keep an open mind on these matters - life's too short to bear grudges.

• Think about whether there's any point in replying, even if you think you're right. If it looks as if the other person's mind is made up already, there's no point in trying to convince them - it'll just prolong a futile argument. Just 'walk away'.

What Should All People Avoid Doing?

As well as all the Dos in netiquette, there are also a lot of Don'ts. This section lists all the things you really oughtn't to do if you're aiming to keep h2g2 a good and happy place.

• As mentioned before, avoid spamming. It's very antisocial, and breaks the House Rules.

• Similarly, flaming (the wanton posting of aggressive messages aimed at no one in general) and trolling (just trying to start 'flame wars') are also against the House Rules. People will not respect you for it, and you risk being kicked off for multiple offences.

• Abbreviations and acronyms are best left back in the world of instant messaging and mobile phones, as you can type out the words in your own time on h2g2.

• h2g2 is a public, family site, and can be seen by anyone with access to the World Wide Web. Don't ever post any offensive words or links to unsuitable websites, as... well, it causes offence, which breaks the House Rules.

• Avoid arguments as best you can. If all else fails, simply ignore the annoying person and carry on with your life.

• Always try to be yourself online (as well as in the real world). It's very difficult to make up things about yourself, as you'd need a very good memory to remember all the lies you've told! The chances are, you're probably already quite interesting enough...

What Should Newcomers do to Get Involved?

This section's simple enough: what should a newcomer to h2g2 do to make friends and get involved with the Community? There are so, so many options!

• Change your username as soon as you can. Although there's nothing wrong with being called 'Researcher 123456', it's much easier for people to talk to a name. Just click on the 'Preferences' button at the top of the page.

• Change your home page as soon as you join! It doesn't have to be much, maybe even a plain text message saying 'Hi', but it must be something, otherwise no one can post on your page to greet you.

• An ACE (Assistant Community Editor - one of the volunteers) will probably come round to greet you almost as soon as you join. Be friendly and greet them back! You can find out all sorts of fascinating facts about h2g2 from them, including where to go to get involved.

• Don't be shy about entering a Conversation. If it's a general one, just jump right in!

• People are always ready to make friends on h2g2, so if you find someone's posts in a Conversation interesting, why not check out their home page as well? If they share the same interests as you, pop along to the Conversations listed on their personal page and get stuck in there too.

• h2g2 is completely riddled with societies and special interest groups. A simple search will probably find what you're looking for, and if it doesn't, why not start your own?

Safety and Privacy on the Internet

This section covers ways to protect any real-life details you may have, and warn you of a few consequences of carelessness with them.

• Never give out any personal details on h2g2 - you don't know who will see your posting. Simple as that.

• Note that everything you write on h2g2 can be read by anyone, so don't think you can simply hide anything you've written.

• If you have to give someone an email address, why not sign up for a free webmail account? You can give anyone that e-mail address, and not be worried about getting spam mail on your own computer.

• Always use a virus checker when receiving files from people you only know over the Internet.

• Check other people's pages if you want to find out more about them. Interestingly enough, it's less likely that they're lying on their pages than in Conversation forums.

• Never believe everything they tell you! Note that people could be faking their apparent lifestyle, or just be repeating some rumour they've heard about something. Trust your intuition.

• A good way to get to know how people really are is to talk to them on instant chat services like ICQ and AIM, where you can get a feel for their personality by talking in a live situation.

• It's not nice to say, and it's not an implication that anyone on h2g2 fits this description, but there are some deeply disturbed and dangerous people out there! Whether we like it or not, giving out our details could be hazardous not only to our online personas, but also our real-life ones. Be careful.

Relating Online Activities to Real Life

By 'Real Life' (RL) we of course mean the world off the Internet. This section details the finer points with taking various things out of h2g2's control and into your own hands. It also advises on things like researcher meet-ups and the effects that RL has on relationships on h2g2.

General Principles

• RL affects relations on h2g2 quite strongly. For one thing, the fact that researchers are all over the world means that references to places could mean something different to someone somewhere else.

• Note also that everyone is in a different time zone, and keep that in mind when waiting for replies - just because you're online doesn't mean that someone else is, so you may have to wait until the next day for a reply.

• People have some good points to say about the Internet and h2g2 in particular. One point brought up is that it's breaking down barriers between cultures and traditions. As long as people on h2g2 behave with mutual respect for each other, we can prove that all cultures can live together perfectly well.

• Another point is that h2g2 is a great way to communicate - and by that we don't just mean typing messages. We can express ourselves in our Journals, and in Guide entries, put across our views on Life in general and communicate our ideas to the rest of the world with this very accessible media.

Researcher Gatherings and Meet-Ups

Many people would like to see the 'person behind the screen', as it gives a better impression of the person when they converse with them later back on h2g2. Hence, we have RL meet-ups. Many Researchers attend these official meet-ups (ie those instigated by the BBC): they are held in public places and no one is alone.

However, if you want to meet one particular Researcher, you should never go alone, and should always meet in a public place, having let friends know where you're going beforehand. Additionally, make sure you only meet them after you've known them online for a good long time, and are quite sure of them.

Continuity and Role-playing

Role-Playing Conversations are a way of having imagined adventures or other activities online in a text format. People build up a virtual identity for the thread, and express themselves accordingly. Continuity is basically what holds the thread structure together, making sure nothing goes wrong, and that no one is cheating. These are the basic rules of continuity, which all should abide by, should they wish to participate in any RPTs.

• Account for everything you do - don't just say something happened without a proper reason.

• Never contradict anything anyone says without a reason. And it has to be a good reason.

• If you fire a weapon or something like that, it is up to the character you shot at to say if it hit or not.

• If you're the character being shot at, make sure you're not always missed.

• Never control other people's characters. Especially if they have separate h2g2 researcher identities.

• Never actually kill another person's character - the character's owner will decide whether they want their character 'retired', but should be fair in doing so.

• If there are specific rules or unwritten laws in the thread, abide by them.

• Let other people interact with your characters, if it's appropriate. After all, that's why everyone's on h2g2 - to interact.