TOP TEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FLAMETHROWERS
With scant apologies to Virginia Shea, whose book "Netiquette"
defines proper Net behavior, here are the rules of reverse
Netiquette presented for those of you who wish to flame
properly
Rule 10: Never forget that the person reading your mail is a
person, with feelings that can be hurt. If you see the
opportunity, hurt them.
Rule 9: Behave on-line as you do in real life. This way, you can
act like a total jerk under all circumstances.
Rule 8: Lurk until you get a feel for what's acceptable in a
particular forum or newsgroup. Then leap in and do the opposite.
Rule 7: Be aware of others' time and bandwidth. Never post
anything shorter than seven paragraphs. Ensure your sig is at
least a screen long.
Rule 6: Make yourself look good online-always post your abuse in
complete, grammatically correct sentences.
Rule 5: Share expert knowledge. If you know how to push someone's
buttons in a forum, send private email to everyone else telling
them.
Rule 4: Help keep flame wars under control: lead the charge.
Rule 3: Respect other people's privacy.if you have some dirt
about a member of a newsgroup, spread it only via private email.
Rule 2: Don't abuse your power. Flame only those who disagree
with you.
Rule 1: Remember: You were a network newbie once, too. You
deserved all the flaming you got then. The current batch deserves
no less.