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Journal Surak's Journal: Weekly Recap(tm) is delayed and is currently in process... 27

Journal by Surak

But in the meantime, a poll:

Is netiquette dead?

Do you think, in light of the September That Never Ended[*], that netiquette is dead? I recently had an e-mail I sent to someone in private -- containing informatino of a private nature -- posted on a public forum without my permission. Call me an old fart, but in my day, you didn't do that. You asked permission before you forwarded such mails, and certainly before you posted them in a public forum.

This person may or may not know that that is improper netiquette, as they haven't been on the Net as long as some of us here.

So...is netiquette dead?

A) Yes. What kinda cave have you been living in?
B) No. Netiquette is just common sense.
C) I hope not. If you're in the cave, I'm in there with you!
D) I have NO IDEA what you just said.

[*] September that never ended: If you have no idea what I'm talking about look it up. No, it's NOT a 9/11 reference. But if you have to look that up, you're probably clueless anyway and should just answer D. ;)

Update: I'm extending the definition of the September that Never Ended to include e-mail and Internet forums at large, not just USENET.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Weekly Recap(tm) is delayed and is currently in process... More

Weekly Recap(tm) is delayed and is currently in process...

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  • I started posting on Usenet back in 1988. That was the Internet and it was good. Most of the people posting there were poeple that had Internet access for a purpose (read: adults with jobs or comp sci majors) and knew what proper netiquette was. Everyone had read Dear Emily Postnews [fu-berlin.de] and understood it.

    I gave up Usenet in the mid-90's. The signal-to-noise ratio is just too low for me.

    Damn AOLers...
    • Clarification: I'm extending the definition of the September that Never Ended to include Web forums as well, as this was in an MSN group, which, honestly, MSN and Yahoo groups are the next generation of USENET.
    • I started posting on Usenet back in 1988. That was the Internet and it was good.

      I started in 1991. And it was good. I was a frequent reader of alt.folklore.urban, alt.religion.kibology among others (rec.arts.erotica?).

      Before AOL, the whiping boy ISP was delphi, though in those days anyone posting from a .com domain was suspect.

      • Before AOL, the whiping boy ISP was delphi

        Ehh, piss off. My school didn't hand out usenet access to ANYONE. Bastards. Delphi was the only choice.

        Seriously, I'm familiar with the idea, but not the term 'sept. that never ended'. I'm not sure that things are any worse. And the S:N ratio on Usenet... Just gotta pick the right groups.

    • Re:A... (Score:2)

      by Tet ( 2721 ) *
      I started posting on Usenet back in 1988. That was the Internet and it was good.

      Couldn't agree more. I too first found the net in 1988, and yes, it was good. The funny thing is, I (and many of my friends) used to long for the time when everyone would be on the net -- it was such a civilised place to be, and a great way to communicate. Now they're all here, I'm pining for the days when they weren't. What we were all too naive to see at the time was that it was only such a great place because we were all ed

  • I think that it's not so much less signal to noise, as just more overall volume. There were plenty of asshats out there back in the day - the difference was, there was less passing traffic to hide behind back then.

    Those newsgroups and mailing lists that have survived do so because the majority of the participants share a common interest in ensuring the group's continuation. And I should probably know by now, having participated in several newsgroups and mailing lists for extended periods over the last deca
    • Those newsgroups and mailing lists that have survived do so because the majority of the participants share a common interest in ensuring the group's continuation

      This is true with the comp.lang.c++ and comp.lang.c groups (the only two I still post on). Since my beginnings in 1994, I've always found these groups to have excellent moderators and regular posters that helped newbies. They helped me understand netiquette and the whole usenet culture.

      It's sad that those with experience would rather flame or dis
  • And i still write thank you notes on actual paper in an actual envelope with a stamp? In fact, i buy thank you cards by the box, and send them for dinner gatherings and so on as well...

    I like when people are polite and civil, i like it when people remember to use common sense. And when they don't, i shoot to kill... (mostly kidding.)

    Honestly. More villages would be spared if the residents had thought to send their relatives thank you notes. (who did you think sent me round to visit?) i'm aghast at the

    • Thankyou - you've just saved me typing that rant myself :P

      And I'm *incredibly* strong with hating 4u and shit - I run a website for the assorted youth at my church, and I'm seriously thinking about adding a lameness filter to it which is triggered by crap like that.
    • or should that be "M3 t00! M3 t00!" ??? Is that what leet AOLers say now?
    • Well, I'm some kind of bunny... if you want to call it "snuggle" that's OK by me. :-)

      ....Bethanie....

      • Re:C? (Score:2)

        by Surak ( 18578 ) *
        Well, I'm some kind of bunny... if you want to call it "snuggle" that's OK by me. :-)

        Yeah...you know your times tables!

        (Get it? Rabbits? Multiplication? What?)
        • Hrm. That's pretty weak.

          But pretty much what I had in mind, yeah. :-)

          ....Bethanie....
          Dirty minds think alike?
  • Yes, netitique is "common sense", but common sense is not common.

    but in any event, sometimes forwarding stuff you get in a private method is just too good to not forward.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • You're supposed to... well, lurk for a bit to get a feel for the group and read the FAQ(if there is one) before posting.

      Exception of course for NANAE, that's a continuous flame war.

      Oh, and Surak. I'd have to say C. I'm in my own little internet cave, I don't go out there into AOL land. They scare me with their pitchforks and torches.

  • When you send someone an e-mail, you're implying that there is permission to redistribute unless you specifically request that it isn't [redistributed].

    This is the same with 'traditional' mail, once they've recieved your communique you have no control over what is done with it, and who reads it. Therefore you should have no expectation of privacy once it's been recieved.

    This isn't to say, that I condone redistribution of personal information, nor that I would redistribute it, but that I don't feel that it
    • Well, I'm telling you what the commonly-understood netiquette is: you are supposed to ask permission before redistributing an e-mail that contains obviously-private information.

      Ask anyone who's been on the Internet longer than sayyy...10 years, before the endless september, and they will agree with me.
      • That's the rub though, I _have_ been on the Internet for more than 10 years and I think that isn't real etiquette. The only way you can expect privacy is to request it, and even then you aren't sure it's been redistributed.
  • ... you made me feel old, because I knew what the "September that never ended" means. *sigh*

    By the way: C is the answer! Most people do accept netiquette once you have enlightened them. Of course I don't frequent AOLers.

  • there are just places you can go where people don't use it. places that use it are still there, too. back in the day it was limited to people who respected the internet. now everyone's on it.
  • I hate AOL! The only benefit to society ever provided by that company was an unlimited supply of free floppies, back when I used such things. Now they serve only to flood landfills with useless CDs.

    I started on the 'net back in 1989 when most accounts were .gov, .mil, or .edu. Most of the .com accounts at that time were people at places like ibm.com who helped build the internet, so you couldn't complain about them being there. It may be pure nostalgia, but it certainly seems like the general level of

  • I work in a facility with two "areas" in the building. The office area, and the manufacturing area. Most people in the office area have at least an associates degree. Most have a Bachelors or higher. In the manufacturing area, it is a high school diploma, with maybe one or two degrees. Now in the manufacturing area, I would expect that the people behave like adults, because they are. However they do not. They gossip, backbite, fuss, and flat out lie. If they don't like a new procedure or program, th
  • B, but part of B is picking and choosing who you associate with in ways that require this. Some people can handle this, most cannot. Just be careful who you associate with in an electronic sense and you should be fine
  • Not so much nettiquette, but more about quality, common sense etc. Just compare old USENET postings to the spams you have now.

    Progress, sadly, is inevitable.

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