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Here's a list of pointers on how to interact online using a set of conventions usually referred to as "netiquette".

Clarity in Postings
Give all postings a clear and relevant title. Avoid using vague or ambiguous titles such as "News", "Hi", "Latest work", etc.

Remember the human
When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice to communicate your meaning (apart from using emoticons); words, lonely written words, are all you've got. When you're holding a conversation online - whether it's an email exchange or a response to a discussion group posting - it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own.

Lurk before you leap
When you enter a chat or discussion group that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate.

Respect other people's time
People seem to have less time than ever before and have a lot of information to absorb. When you send email or post to a discussion group, you're taking up other people's time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.

Know what you're talking about and make sense
Make sure your notes are clear and logical and know what you're talking about. Be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation.

Help keep flame wars under control
"Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotions. It's unfair to the other members of the group and it also can get boring very quickly to people who aren't involved in them.

Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
When someone makes a mistake (even if you feel strongly about it) think twice before reacting. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt.

Adapted from a resource developed in 2002 by the LearnScope NSW Teaching Counselling Online team, based at Relationships Australia (NSW.)