You would be hard-pressed to find someone who is getting his or her first USENET subscription but who has not already used the Internet extensively. Most people today are very familiar with the basic rules of etiquette as it applies to communicating over computer networks. USENET has some unique etiquette requirements, but it also requires that you follow basic rules of good behavior to avoid getting into trouble. These are some of the less considered aspects of etiquette that you will want to keep in mind when you are using the USENET system.
Private Means Private
One of the breaches of etiquette that just about everybody understands going into the USENET system is posting off-topic. In some cases, you'll find yourself getting into a conversation that gets very interesting but that starts to range out of the area of concern for the newsgroup in which it's taking place. In many cases, the person with whom you're having the conversation will ask if you want to talk about the issue on e-mail or over private messenger.
It's important to remember that, even though the conversation may have started out on USENET, anything discussed over e-mail or private messenger is going to be assumed to be truly private by the person with whom you're having the discussion. Do not restart the conversation on the newsgroup by taking information that was exchanged with you privately and posting it for the entire newsgroup to see. Asked the permission of the person who sent it to you first and, if they say no, do not post the private information.
If somebody gives you their e-mail address and asks you to e-mail them and you're not able to get through to them, do not reproduce the e-mail address they gave you in a post and ask them if it's the right one. Simply tell them that the e-mail address did not work and ask them to resend it. Posting it in the newsgroup is the last thing that they will want you to do if it's a private address.
Some Jokes Aren't Funny
Some USENET newsgroups cover very technical information. The computer newsgroups, as you may assume, have a lot of this information on them. Never make a joke about hacking someone's computer, sending them a virus or doing something else that's unethical, illegal or both. Remember that you might be smiling and laughing when you send it and just mean it as innocent teasing, but that the other person has no way of knowing that you're kidding. This will get you booted from a newsgroup quickly.
Remember: It's Text
If you're posting to the newsgroup, you're posting to a text format forum. This means that many of the common enhancements to conversation that people use on the Internet will not be available to you. If you're accustomed to inserting a lot of special characters in your posts, remember that they won't render correctly on many people's newsreaders and that they may not be available at all. As a general rule, keep emoticons to a minimum and only use them when you're using them for emphasis.
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