International Internet Genealogical Society™
IRC Team Policy Manual
PART IV - NETIQUETTE

GENERAL

1. The dictionary defines etiquette as being: "the conventional rules of personal behaviour in polite society; the formalities required in diplomatic intercourse; the order of procedure established by custom; and the unwritten code restricting persons in what concerns the interests of their colleagues or the dignity of their profession". We bring to our IIGS™ a broad base of the customs and professional backgrounds that develop our individual personalities. We also bring to our IIGS™ a common love of all things genealogical. It follows that we should develop a set of basic rules of conduct that will guide our individual actions within our IIGS™. The guidelines which follow are not exhaustive and should not replace good common sense. We can expect to have harmonious interaction if we try to be:

2. A broad base of additional reading material is available on the web. One site among many that is worthy of closer examination is " The Core Rules of Netiquette".

IIGS™ IRC Team Approved 23 Feb 98

IIGS™ IRC NET NETIQUETTE

3. When participating in an open chat discussion please:
   1. show respect to others. If others are not respectful to you, please ignore them rather than entering into an argument which may spoil the enjoyment of the discussion for others who may be present;
   2. remember that chat discussions are rarely private: you may rest assured that your comments may be logged and widely distributed outside of the immediate chat room;
   3. do not sit like a bump on a log. Silence often makes others in the room nervous about your intentions and this may produce inappropriate actions;
   4. do not use captitals excessively as they are often viewed as shouting; and,
   5. do not flood the room with aliases, pop-ups, and .wav's. They are all super fun but can very quickly kill a conversation.
   6. consult the Channel Operator Status section of this manual (Part III) for guidance on the use of "ops" on IIGS™ IRC Net.

4. If you don't like the way things are being run in any channel, we recommend you:
   1. turn on your IRC client logging feature (timestamping also helps);
   2. resist the temptation to challenge the host/hostess or any of the persons present in the channel;
   3. leave the channel if you feel you cannot contain your frustration: voting with ones feet is a time honoured protest tradition;
   4. discuss your concerns with the channel host/hostess in private;
   5. contact one of the IIGS™ IRC Co-Team Leaders if you are unable to resolve your difference(s) with the host/hostess; and,
   6. do not post comments to the IIGS™ IRC Discussion List.

5. The IIGS™ IRC Team will be the office of final arbitration.

IIGS™ IRC Team Approved 23 Feb 98

IIGS™ IRC LIST NETIQUETTE

6. When posting to a discussion list, please:
   1. be careful when using sarcasm and humour: if there is a remote possibility that someone may view your commentary as criticism then you may rest assured that it will be so read;
   2. capitalize only to highlight an important point or to separate headings: anything more and you will be brought to task for "shouting";
   3. resist the temptation to "flame";
   4. respond directly to a poster when the information requested is likely to produce a significant number of responses. Ask the poster to post a summary of the responses received to the List;
   5. make sure you have turned off your e-mail signature block (this is all of the "who am I" stuff at the bottom of the message) if yours is longer than the Iliad;
   6. do not just hit the "reply to all" button when replying to another individuals post. By all means hit this button to get the reply going; but please edit the TO: and CC: headers to have your reply sent only the the most appropriate list; and,
   7. edit the content of the repeated portion of your "reply to" message so that salutations, farewells, and information not relevant to the topic under discussion are not sent back to the list. Think of the trees you will be saving.

7. When you join a discussion list, please save the subscription confirmation letter that you received from the server. This letter contains detailed instructions on how to get off the List if you wish to do so at a later date. If you experience difficulty leaving the IIGS™ IRC List, please notify the listowner or one of the Executive Committee rather than simply posting a message to the List (where you might not receive a response). A list of IIGS™ IRC Team contacts can be found at "http://www.iigs.org/irc/team.htm.en"

IIGS™ IRC Team Approved 23 Feb 98