A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO USENET One should be meticulously courteous at all times, in particular when expressing any point of view which might prove contentious, or when disagreeing with fellow posters. Particular care should be taken to avoid seeming to patronise or belittle those who may appear to be at a lower intellectual and/or educational level than oneself. Asperity may occasionally be permissible when directed towards those whom one believes to be in possession of considerable faculties, and to be abusing them; but since this belief may be unjustified, as a rule courtesy is better. Mistakes in spelling and/or grammar should be silently passed over, although spelling errors may be unobtrusively corrected in quoted text where this is practical. One should avoid presenting personal opinion as hard fact. It is preferable to write "It seems to me that..." rather than "It is obvious that..."; not only does it offer less potential for offence to be taken, but it allows for a graceful retreat in the not infrequent case where one later proves to be wrong or ill-informed. One should apologise when the situation calls for it, whether or not one perceives oneself to be in the wrong. A graceful apology can defuse a fraught situation almost before it begins, and leave the magnanimous party with a pleasing sense of virtue. If one should inadvertently give offence by misplaced levity or implied insult, however far-fetched, then an immediate apology is mandatory. Humour is probably best avoided, since if it is possible for a joke to be misinterpreted then someone will probably do so. Sarcasm should likewise be eschewed at all costs. One should under no circumstances become involved in a flame-war. Isolated postings to a contentious thread may be made in a tone of mild reason, but one should be doubly on guard at such times against potential misinter- pretation by either side. It should be remembered that most flame-wars reflect poorly on the reputation of all participants, and also upon the cherished views they espouse therein. If flamed oneself, one should seriously consider whether or not to respond. Dignified silence or an apology for the perceived offence may well be a more appropriate move. Never be afraid to let one's opponent have the last word in order to placate his pride. If tempted to return insult for insult, remember that the flamer is likely to be far more adept at this form of attack and that humiliation is a distinct possibility. Any response to a flame should be directed toward the task of turning the subject from the personal to the abstract so that it may be discussed in a calm and rational manner. On no account should one lose one's temper in public; this is both unseemly and ill-advisable. If one can find nothing civil to say, then one should say nothing at all. Religious views and matters of conscience should neither be aired nor debated in public. Many persons hold deep-rooted and illogical convictions, but questioning these may well result in discovering oneself also to be among that number. If the answer to a question appears obvious, it may be better to consider delaying one's own response until the following day. Many others will doubtless have rushed in to provide the same information in the interim; and not only may the embarrassment of duplicating what has already been said thus be avoided, but in addition there will be the opportunity to clarify or embellish upon earlier answers if such should seem desirable. One should abide by the customary usage of Usenet with respect to snippage and quoting, but should consider well before venturing to criticise others for failing to do so. Comments, if offered, should be constructive and polite in tone. It is better to demonstrate by example than to preach, and no doubt there will be others only too eager to upbraid the culprit. Over-indulgence in the temptation to illustrate discussions with anecdote and reference to one's own life should on the whole be resisted, since one may in this manner appear somewhat self-obsessed. The subject should be kept on-topic and relevant to the newsgroup where appropriate. Above all, one should endeavour to behave in all things like a gentleman, and to gain the respect of one's peers. One may thus hope to gain their tolerance for the occasional, inevitable, blunder.