Hello Moderator!   
      
   01 May 13 00:00, you wrote to All:   
      
   Likewise.   
      
   Vincent.   
      
      
    >                     Communication Etiquette in Modern Media   
    >                                 Author *Unknown*   
      
    > When involved in communications, especially in computer echos,   
    > awareness of certain concepts make the activity more fun for everyone.   
    > Two main concepts stand out, primarily because people tend to REACT to   
    > negative messages with negative responses.   
      
    > 1. Impersonal responses to personal attacks:  Computer communications   
    > are almost always written.  Due to the fact that words carry only   
    > limited information, the noise to information ratio can become very   
    > dense, with a sentence the sender considered very mild becoming a   
    > hurricane of emotion in the mind of the receiver.  Therefore try to   
    > keep personal nouns and pronouns, like "you" and "your" out of any   
    > message that may cause disagreement among the other members of the   
    > echo or net.   
      
    > If necessary to express disagreement with an idea, couching the words   
    > of your message in impersonal terms works best.   
      
    > Bad response:   
    > "I think you are stupid to think motherboards should just be thrown   
    > away rather than fixed." This message may well cause the receiver to   
    > respond with some nasty reply, clogging the net with negative personal   
    > argument.   
      
    > Better response:   
    > "I have always found that motherboards could be fixed."  This presents   
    > an opposite view, but the receiver will less likely consider it a   
    > personal attack.   
      
    > If someone disagrees with you personally, or even attacks you   
    > viciously, you have three options on an Echo or Net.  You can simply   
    > ignore the message rather than responding.  You can respond in an   
    > impersonal but polite way, not letting the attack affect you at all.   
    > Or you can send a message to the Moderator, expressing your unease at   
    > the tone or attack of the message you received and let the moderator   
    > take care of it.   
      
    > 2. Understanding the Twit:  Occasionally, someone joins a net or echo   
    > with only one interest, to cause as much uproar as possible. They may   
    > simply personally attack every person on the net, or sometimes they   
    > attack every idea or subject thread they find, for the same purpose.   
    > They are often racist, sexist, nationist, or just plain stupid. If the   
    > rest of the members of the net refuse to communicate with the twit,   
    > s/he will usually lose interest and stop posting.   
      
    > Sometimes normally reasonable people become twits without realizing   
    > it, taking some argument or disagreement past the point of courtesy   
    > and drawing in others.  The discipline of electronic communication   
    > really requires a more detached viewpoint than normal in other   
    > communication medias, because the usual subliminal undercurrents of   
    > communication one receives in other two-way mediums do not exist.   
    > Sarcasm and humor can easily become misunderstood, and cause   
    > unintended ill feelings.   
      
    > In electronic mediums, honesty, tact, and straightforwardness are of   
    > great significance.  Without them, communication can stop cold.   
      
    > In dealing with twits, especially the more obvious ones, there are   
    > five common sense rules to always use:   
      
    > Echoer's Common Sense Rule #1 (ECSR1): If possible, never READ twit's   
    > posts. Step over manure or your shoe will stink.   
      
    > Echoer's Common Sense Rule #2 (ECSR2): Never ANSWER a twit's   
    > posts!!!!! Stirring manure makes it stink worse.   
      
    > Echoer's Common Sense Rule #3 (ECSR3): Never QUOTE a twit's posts!!!!!   
    > That's like smearing manure on your friends!   
      
    > Echoer's Common Sense Rule #4 (ESCR4): Never MENTION a twit to another   
    > echoer!!!  That's like sharing a manure sandwich!   
      
    > Echoer's Common Sense Rule #5 (ECSR5): LET THE MODERATOR HANDLE THE   
    > TWIT!!!!!  He has the right kind of manure shovel.   
      
    > With these few hints, communication over computers can become a true   
    > joy instead of a cold hassle.   
      
      
      
      
      
   Vince   
      
   --- Linux/Mbse/GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20120229   
    * Origin: Air Applewood, The Linux Gateway to the UK (2:250/1)