Sarah's Site

While the Internet is a recent arrival, it has quickly acquired its own standards - "do's" and "don'ts". These conventions have been developed to avoid causing inconvenience to other net users. The Internet Society of New Zealand has developed an Internet Code of Practice.

Below is a guide for the responsible use of the Internet. Breaching these common sense guidelines could cause offence to others.

Spamming

Spamming is using the Internet's ability for one person to communicate with many, in a way that is likely to annoy other users. Spamming is harmful and disruptive to the Internet community. Examples of spamming include:

Sending unsolicited e-mail
Sending of mass commercial e-mail
Posting chain letters or pyramid scheme letters
Posting "off-topic" commercial advertisements within newsgroups
Harassment of other Internet users.

Hacking

Hacking is the act of attempting to gain access to private information on other computers. It is a breach of Internet protocol.

Flaming

Be conservative in what you send, and liberal in what you receive. You should not send heated messages over the Internet (we call these "flames") even if provoked. It is prudent not to respond to other people's "flames".

SHOUTING!

Internet protocols dictate the use lowercase letters, and capitals only where necessary. Constant use of capital lettering is referred to as "shouting", and is not considered good "netiquette".

E-mail Etiquette

Never send chain mail.
Be careful when addressing e-mail. Know to whom you are sending.
Keep messages brief and to-the-point. Remember – some people pay for their Internet connections by the minute. The longer your message is, the more they have to pay.
Mail messages should have a subject heading which reflects the contents of the message.
Be careful with the use of local slang and acronyms - so as to avoid offending other users.
Know how large the e-mail you are sending is. Very large file attachments may make your message so big that it cannot be delivered. A good rule is not to send files larger than 50 Kilobytes.
Don't send large amounts of unsolicited information to other users.

Consequences

The following could happen if you fail to follow the rules set out by your Internet Service Provider (ISP):

They may give you a warning if you breach their conditions.
You may be disconnected.
The ISP may take other action as appropriate eg legal action.

Newbie Netiquette
While the Internet is a recent arrival, it has quickly acquired its own standards - "do's" and "don'ts". These conventions have been developed to avoid causing inconvenience to other net users. The Internet Society of New Zealand has developed an Internet Code of Practice. Below is a guide for the responsible use of the Internet. Breaching these common sense guidelines could cause offence to others. Spamming Spamming is using the Internet's ability for one person to communicate with many, in a way that is likely to annoy other users. Spamming is harmful and disruptive to the Internet community. Examples of spamming include: Sending unsolicited e-mail Sending of mass commercial e-mail Posting chain letters or pyramid scheme letters Posting "off-topic" commercial advertisements within newsgroups Harassment of other Internet users. Hacking Hacking is the act of attempting to gain access to private information on other computers. It is a breach of Internet protocol. Flaming Be conservative in what you send, and liberal in what you receive. You should not send heated messages over the Internet (we call these "flames") even if provoked. It is prudent not to respond to other people's "flames". SHOUTING! Internet protocols dictate the use lowercase letters, and capitals only where necessary. Constant use of capital lettering is referred to as "shouting", and is not considered good "netiquette". E-mail Etiquette Never send chain mail. Be careful when addressing e-mail. Know to whom you are sending. Keep messages brief and to-the-point. Remember – some people pay for their Internet connections by the minute. The longer your message is, the more they have to pay. Mail messages should have a subject heading which reflects the contents of the message. Be careful with the use of local slang and acronyms - so as to avoid offending other users. Know how large the e-mail you are sending is. Very large file attachments may make your message so big that it cannot be delivered. A good rule is not to send files larger than 50 Kilobytes. Don't send large amounts of unsolicited information to other users. Consequences The following could happen if you fail to follow the rules set out by your Internet Service Provider (ISP): They may give you a warning if you breach their conditions. You may be disconnected. The ISP may take other action as appropriate eg legal action.