Online communities can be a great place to share information and make new friends. But, like all other areas of internet subculture, there are unwritten rules that make their usage more enjoyable and beneficial for everyone, and others that will keep you safe.
WWW Means WORLD WIDE WEB
Message boards and other online communities (like here at families.com) often feel like safe, self contained communities of friends you know. Forget that thought. A public message board is available to anyone. They are archived by search engines and external sites like the Wayback Machine making them available long after the original site may have disappeared. Be cautious with what information you make available on forum posts, personal blogs, and public profiles. If you use social networking sites, consider making your profile private. Also keep in mind the puzzle pieces effect. While individual details you post may mean nothing, what picture would they create if you put them all together? Proceed with caution. Not everyone on the net is nice, but most everyone knows how to use Google.
Mind Your Manners
America is a democracy. Online communities aren’t. If you don’t act like a grown up, expect to be treated like a child. Write something hateful? Expect to see it censored, deleted, or to be the subject of reprimand by the people you make angry. Freedom of speech doesn’t exist in privately owned communities. You are a guest in someone else’s online home. Make your best effort to play nice.
Introduce Yourself
When you’re new to an established community, it’s considered good manners to lurk (read without posting) for a short term to get a feel for the community and people in it. But don’t lurk too long–that’s considered bad manners. Introduce yourself and let people get to know you before jumping in with both feet. Be cautious about engaging in controversial discussions right away unless you’d like to be thought of as a troll.
Don’t Feed the Trolls
Trolls are people who visit online communities with deliberate intent to start trouble and incite anger. They thrive on attention and upsetting people. Read something obnoxious on a message board? Ignore it. Starving trolls will go elsewhere for sustenance.
Stay on Topic
Whether your community is built around a love of dogs, the experience of being a parent, or being married to the military, be sure to stick with the program.
Read the Archives
Nothing seems to rile up the natives like a newcomer to an online community who hasn’t bothered to scan the archives and posts the same question that’s been asked a hundred times before by other newbies. Look before you post.
Don’t Be Too Sensitive
Written communication lacks the verbal cues and body language of conversing face-to-face, and can be easily misunderstood. Don’t be too thin-skinned when participating in online communities. What you read may not be what the writer intended. And by the same token, exercise care with your own writing. There is always another person at the other end of the keyboard with feelings not unlike your own. Be kind.