And many news-reading programs are slow, so just opening a posted note or article can take a while. Then the reader has to wade through all the header information to get to the meat of the message. No one is pleased when it turns out not to be worth the trouble. See "Netiquette for Discussion Groups" on page 65 for detailed rules.
To whom should messages be directed? (Or why "mailing list" could become a dirty word)
In the old days, people made copies with carbon paper. (Endnote #8) You could only make about five legible copies. So you thought good and hard about who you wanted to send those five copies to.
Today, it's as easy to
copy practically anyone on your mail as it is not
to. And we sometimes find ourselves copying people almost out of
habit. In general, this is rude. People have less time than ever today,
precisely because they have so much information to absorb. Before you
copy people on your messages, ask yourself whether they really need to
know. If the answer is no, don't waste their time. If the answer is
maybe, think twice before you hit the send key.
I don't want to give the impression that the net is a cold, cruel place full
of people who just can't wait to insult each other. As in the world at
large, most people who communicate online just want to be liked. Networks -- particularly discussion groups -- let you reach out to people
you'd otherwise never meet. And
none of them can see you. You won't
be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your
age, or your clothing.
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
Take advantage of your anonymity
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