Community Do’s and Don'ts

DO:

• Participate. The community wants and needs your unique talent, perspective and knowledge.
• Keep an open mind - allow others "to be wrong" and "give them the win" when they are right
• Listen and learn - no need to respond to every post
• Be open and honest, as you would if speaking at a town hall meeting
• Be concise - especially with your signature. It is generally acceptable to have up to four lines for your personal signature. Any more is probably advertising and will add unwanted length to posts
• Be clear about the subject in the message subject line
• Become a better communicator as a result of the practice you get participating in community - improve your writing skills to make your point.
• Share willingly of your expertise and experience - if you reference a website, check to make sure the URL link works before you make the post to the Listserv or to the web site tool - that shows concern for the time of others.
• Follow the "Rules of the Road" of the List

DON'T:

• flame other members of the community
• USE ALL CAPS - it is considered shouting on the Internet
• Reply to a message without telling the group what your reply relates to. Usually you will copy a small amount of the original message for reference, separated by quotes or brackets.
• Reply to a message leaving the entire original message intact - the result of quoting the entire message is a long and cumbersome digest . Check your message before you hit the send button. If you see that your software has automatically included the prior message, highlight and delete all but a small portion needed to convey your point.
• Send messages in HTML format - Digests cannot handle them effectively, although they are acceptable on Immediate delivery Listservs.
• Re-publish any message sent to you privately that expresses the desire not to be published. Don't re-publish a message with a copyright without obtaining permission from the author.
• Require a "Read Receipt" to your postings. It is considered by some as a way to steal the list of participant's addresses, which is frowned upon as a member of the community. It will also subject you to multiple receipts - you will receive a receipt for every person who reads each message you post.
• Send private messages to the listserv. Limit your listserv messages to topics that appeal to the community itself. If your response only applies to the original sender, send a private message to them at their eMail address, as opposed to hitting reply and sending your message to everyone else on the list. Members often conduct very productive networking off the list as well, by means of private eMail messages.
• Hog the stage or beat a thread to death.…do let other members share their experiences. You don't have to comment on every message posted - save your best for those issues most important to you. The most effective Listservs for professionals are the ones that publish good content, as opposed to the one-line Chat-room variety.