Where I take the time to explain netiquette to the newbies.

Usenet has always been a self-policing, chaotic forum for exchanges of
information & points of view. Anarchy has pretty much been accepted as the
norm, with flames, threats, & snide remarks being as common as threads
actually worth reading. However, cross posting, foul language, attaching
images, & flooding, have always been frowned upon.

The thing that ALWAYS raises the hackles of group regulars is the posting
of self-promoting commercial posts in non-commercial groups. These articles
are distinguishable from posts about bargains & such by the self-promoting
nature of the post.

"Hey, I found a great deal on a 50 pound widget at www.50lbwidget.com/." is
obviously intended to pass along information of possible interest the
group. If it's repeatedly posted it would be considered flooding. "Hey, I
make 50 pound widgets & sell them for $56.95 on my website,
www.50lbwidgets.com/." is a self-promoting commercial post. If it happened
that the author posted this very infrequently there would probably be very
little said about it. But if the author inserted that same off topic
message into new articles & existing threads, there would certainly be
caustic replies.

The long accepted means of including such information is to place it in
your message signature. This enables one to get their self-promoting
information into a thread without causing undue angst. What one should
never do is post an article or reply to one without adding something of
value to the group.

example:

------
OP: "I'm looking for a way to attach a 50 pound widget to the gizmo on my
whatchacallit. Any suggestions?"

------
Acceptable reply:
"I've tried it but the thing is too hard to drive a nail into. I've had
some luck attaching it with special glue. Check out my web site for more
info."
--
widget maker
www.50lbwidgets.com

------
Problematic reply:
"No, you can't do it, but I can do it for a fee if you'll ship it to me."

75 50 pound widgets installed
--
widget maker
www.50lbwidgets.com

Note that the first & second reply are basically the same. The first is
intended to share information & oh, by the way - also points out that help
is but a click away. The second offers nothing of help & in fact is nothing
more than an off topic & self-promoting commercial.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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