Here are some good rules to follow when posting to newsgroups.
| Things to avoid | How to prevent |
|---|---|
| You'll see the same questions day after day. How do I post a picture? How do I combine the parts of a graphic? And the infamous "test post" post. | Come on guys, please learn by reading a book, taking a class or surfing to sites which offer suggestions. Or, at the least, use the alt.newbies for these kinds of questions and alt.test for test posts. |
| Or you'll see dozens of off-topic posts which have nothing to do with the subject at hand. | Limit your posts to the topic of the newsgroup. You can find this out by reading the FAQ of the newsgroup (generally posted occasionally or by surfing to http://www.faqs.org/faqs/) |
| Then there are the pornographic images and links posted to everywhere. | This seems to have reduced as of late, but still happens occasionally. Limit your pornographic posts to the erotic newsgroups please. |
| And the advertisements for whatever having nothing to do with anything. | It's generally okay to advertise as long as it's on-topic (check the FAQ for the newsgroup first). Email signatures are always okay. |
| The demands or requests to look at sites that turn out to be just ads for something else. | Don't do this please. |
| The flame wars that occasionally flare up which, while they can be entertaining, just use up people's time with no good result. | It's best to just ignore the hostile emotions in posts. Responding just get's everybody throwing punches. |
| And of course, there is the ever present posts suggesting, recommending or demanding you join AllAdvantage, GotoWorld or whatever program is popular at the moment. | God am I tired of all of this junk. |
| It's so obnoxious to post to a group with a note like "Ps. I'm new to this group, so ... I apologize, please let me know, or better yet.. forward me to your group charter (rules and guidelines). | How about reading the rules first and don't be a jerk. |
| Typing in all caps. | Shouting is rude. |
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.