Guestbook Netiquette

Signing guestbooks is fun, and I believe it is an important part of the surfing experience. Leaving a quick note that you were around and perhaps saying what you liked about the site is very much appreciated by virtually all webmasters.

I've been finding, however, that many people commit some serious offenses while signing guestbooks. Some of the are listed here.

Things to avoid	How to prevent
Blatant advertising	It certainly is okay to leave your web site address and perhaps even a banner, but please don't leave just an ad. This is a guestbook, not a classified advertising section.
Leaving HTML entries in a non-HTML guestbook	Please check before you post. It's pretty tacky to leave HTML code in a guestbook which does not accept it.
Swearing	Guestbooks are not the place to flame anyone.
Leaving nasty comments	My opinion is you should keep your negative comments to yourself. If you have some criticism which you must communicate to the webmaster, please use a more private means.
Typing in all caps.	Shouting is rude.
Inviting someone to sign your own guestbook	It's rude to link directly to your own guestbook from someone else's guestbook.
Incoherent messages	Please actually leave something. Just a message like "ok" or "swell" does not communicate much. How about something like "loved your site, especially the page about ...". Much better, eh?

One cool activity to engage in as you surf the web is guestbook signing. Look at it this way, you are examining a site anyway, checking out what it has to offer. Perhaps it's a Star Trek fan site, a WWF site or a person showing off her Barbie Doll collection. The point is you've spent some time there and presumably you've gained some enjoyment, knowledge or at least idled away some time.

So why not take an extra two or five minutes and sign the site's guestbook? Remember, there is a person or two behind every website, and they have feelings. It's always great to get an entry from someone who gained something, however small, from the hard work that has been put in.

A good guestbook entry has, in my opinion, a few simple elements. First, when I sign a guestbook I always thank the person for his efforts and for taking the time to put together the site. I also try to point out something (anything) that I liked about the site and why. Just a couple of sentences saying something like "thanks for creating your stationery site! My wife and I will be using some of your stationery in our emails from here on out! The horse background was especially well done."

I also include a graphic logo if the guestbook accepts HTML (most do) with a link back to my site. That way the webmaster can return the favor if desired, but it's not a blatant advertisement.

One thing I really hate is someone who just leaves an advertisement in my guestbook. Look, at least tell me you like my site. At least thank me for the effort. Don't just put a big 'ole ad or banner with nothing else. There is a word for this ... it's called SPAM.

Rude comments should also be avoided. I mean, if you really do want to deliver some criticism to the webmaster, please do it privately in a one-to-one email. There is no need to tell someone he messed up the navigation in public to the whole world --- and a guestbook is public.

So please, take a few minutes to sign guestbooks as you surf the web. You will make some webmasters very happy.