
Ä Area: TRADEWARS DI ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
  Msg#: 65              Rec'd                        Date: 03-16-94  04:18
  From: Bill Wynne @1:130/402*4                      Read: Yes    Replied: No 
    To: Y'all @1:124/3114*4                          Mark:                     
  Subj: additional guidelines
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
     Although not Rules, per se, the following guidelines are to be
              considered "desirable conduct" suggestions.
=======================================================================
                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 curtesy 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 I 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.
=======================================================================

When replying to an apparent perceived "flame" in this echo, count
slowly to 10 before replying.  If you still feel like answering in the
same mode, count to 10 again.  Keep repeating the above.

Thanks for your Co-operation,
Bill Wynne
Co-Moderator
TRADE-WARS

-!- RoboBoard/FX v1.03b
 ! Origin: Revelstone Ft. Worth,TX. (817)732-1767/735-9473 (1:130/402)
