Greetings AAOLIST subscribers...

Recently a posting was placed on the AAOLIST about which another AAOLIST
subscriber replied with a comment questioning the professionalism of the
first writer, primarily because of some typographical errors.

As AAOLIST Administrator, I now have the unfortunate task of reminding
AAOLIST subscribers about some basic rules of  "netiquette".

Netiquette can be summarized as "common courtesy."  Some do's and don'ts
include:

DO:

•  Be polite and considerate.

•  Confirm that you are replying to the party intended. (I.e. Not the
whole list, if you mean a single individual only, and vice-versa.)

•  Stick to the topic under discussion.  If you want to introduce a new
topic, begin a new discussion "thread" with a fresh posting.

•  Include a descriptive subject line if you are initiating a discussion
thread.

•  Only post messages that are relevant to the group.

•  Be constructive with your criticism.  Comments should be targeted at
the issue under discussion, not targeted to the person.

•  Unsubscribe or stop the mail if you need to use an automated reply to
announce that you are absent from the office, on vacation, etc.

•  Remember that everyone makes mistakes.


DON'T:

•  Reply to the whole list if you mean to direct your note to a single
individual.

•  Use the list to criticize others in a personal way.

•  Assume that your posting is private.

•  Send an attachment when you can embed the text into the body of your
note. This reduces the risk of spreading viruses.  Include a link to a
URL instead if needed.  Recipients who don't have access to the Internet
(and therefore can't check the URL), can contact the poster privately
about getting more information.

•  Use an automated reply facility without unsubscribing from the list
first.  The whole list does not need to hear repeatedly during the
duration of your absence that you will be away, etc.  We all receive
enough email as it is.

For more detailed guidelines, check out the following web sites:

http://www.albury.net.au/new-users/netiquet.htm
http://www.bspage.com/1netiq/Netiq.html

Thank you all for your cooperation.

--
Suzanne Dubeau
AAOLIST Administrator