Netiquette

Due to the recent upset in the yahoo group and my own experience with running forums I think this needs to be said. I put it here in introductions hoping new members can read it and understand a forum a little better.
I originally made this for nurtural horses online university but it can apply to ANY forum. I edited it.

Maybe it can be stickied? I hope it helps, I know it's helped my internet forums.

Netiquette

The common courtesy etiquette rules on an internet forum.


If you are new or inexperienced in the cyber community you
are likely to make a mistake and upset someone at least once. Remember when you
converse electronically you are blind to other peoples body language. You
cannot hear tone of voice, see gestures or know how they are feeling other than from what they type.
Here are some guidelines to help you survive an online forum and make the
experience pleasant for you and other people participating in the same
discussion.

1.
Be polite. Offensive language, swearing or being
confrontational in an online forum can make the experience un-enjoyable for
other participants. Before posting anything of this manner think to yourself- Would
I say this to a persons face? Treat everyone as an equal to yourself no matter
how bad you may dislike them. If you have a problem with a certain participant
it’s best to bring it up in private message or with an Administrator.

2.
Would you say it in person? If you answered no to
this question re-write your post and then submit it. You will end up with more
friends and less enemies this way.

3.
All rules in school… Apply to this internet forum. No
fighting, no plagiarism, no offensive topics. If you were not allowed to do it
in school when you were young please do not do it here.

4.
Stick to the appropriate forum. Discuss topics in
forums relevant to the thread. Discuss topics of the day/week in their proper
forum and leisurely chat in the general forum.

5.
Respect other participants time. Not all participants are
going to be in the same time zone or on a high speed internet connection.Please
keep topics that you could explain in a small paragraph to only that. No need
to elaborate where it is not needed. Having to read through multiple posts of a
generous length can be very time consuming.

6.
No flaming. Flaming is described as expressing an
opinion without holding back on emotion. The comments are often not based upon
fact but out of anger. Comments of this type towards another member is never tolerated.

7.
Tell us what you have to say. The internet
does not know skin hue, hair colour, weight, ethnicity or age. Representing
yourself in a mature, collected manner will get you further in discussions. We
care about spelling, grammar and learning experiences you will have here. We
encourage you to reply to posts, create new threads and research and share
findings. Don’t be a lurker (A person that just reads posts, rarely replying)
we will never get to know you that way.

8.
Be forgiving. Just like when working with horses we
must learn to forgive them for their mistakes just like they forgive us for
ours. Be forgiving of other members mistakes. Spelling, flaming, something
said that was inappropriate can be forgiven. Remember: treat other members how
you would like to be treated.

Great point Sydney well said

useful information - thank you.

I'm sure we can make it a sticky just as soon as I figure out how to do it We've also got forum rules on the main board but it doesn't hurt to have something here for people to see when they do their introduction

Thanks for the tips for halting. Unfortunately all ponies out and its getting dark or I would rush out and try. I've never been on a forum before and think I've ended up in the wrong place. I meant to post in 'introductions'. Thanks Maz