Useful Link: For those of you interested in netiquette there is an article
here by Timothy Campbell called
"Internet Trolls". Makes an interesting read!
Important Rules of Netiquette!
Do not SHOUT to be heard. Shouting is done by using capital letters but is unnecessary
and ignorant to other users. If you feel you are not being listened to
or your views are not being understood then explain this but avoid shouting.
Following on from shouting - avoid FLAMING SPIRALS of arguments. If someone says something
that you feel is upsetting then make the point that you feel upset by this
and then ignore any further upsetting comments by the person or discontinue
reading the thread. The moderator of the conference will remove any person
or messages which they feel are offensive and not in keeping with netiquette.
Make sure when you answer a message you understand what the person you are replying
to really meant. If you are unsure write at the start of your message what
you thought they meant and ask if you are correct in your assumptions. It
is easy to misunderstand someone when you cannot see their facial expressions
or body language or hear their tone of voice!
Again, following on from this, there are a number of ACRONYMS and EMOTICONS which are used
in conferences to show how the person is reacting. Things like "lol" are
often used. If you are unsure what they mean then ask! People will gladly
tell you what they were saying. ("lol" = laughing out loud). I think my
favourite one I've heard so far is "rotflmfao" which is "rolling on the
floor, laughing my f*****g ass off!". (As an aside, it is netiquette
to avoid any SWEARING in a conference as it is deemed bad manners!)
Also you may see strange typing such as :-) or B-) These are emoticons. To understand
the message you have to think in terms of an image rather than letters.
Tilt your head to the left and :-) becomes a smiley face and B-) is a cool
dude in shades! They are a way of adding fun to a message and conveying
your emotions in text!
And last of all - have fun! Most people in the conferences or chat rooms are there
for the same reasons as you whether it be to learn something new or just
relax after studying for hours! Just enjoy yourself and netiquette should
come naturally! :-)
