Never type something to someone that you wouldn't say to their face... Never type something to someone that you wouldn't say to them in front of your parents.

Jeanette,

You present a great question and honesty in your post. Let me add to what some others have said. By your own admission you have been on the "net for a while. You also appear to have an interest in improving your communication skills. Both of these are very large steps forward in personal growth and development.

Here is something I would recommend you do to see how this thing has played out on this particular forum: Go to the "User List" at the top of the page. When you are there sort it by number of posts. Read a good sample of posts from those who have posted over 500, 700 times or whatever you feel is a good number. I believe you will find a pattern in their responses and approaches. I have found them to be well-informed and well-reasoned. Now, that is not to suggest in any way those who have posted less are less informed or reasoned; you just have to have a method.

Another way of looking at this is to think of the person whom you respect the most. Reflect on how well you communicate with them and why. I would suppose you will find you take a measured and mindful approach when speaking with them. Do the same here. Trust me when I say we all want to have you around the campfire so we can here the questions, stories and experiences. I have had nothing but a good time and been treated very well since joining and think you will to.

My $.02

One of the problems with the internet, as pointed out various ways, is that there ARE no rules. I mean, there are guidelines specific to forums, so that gives direction, but no true "rules."

Like others on here, I think that etiquette calls for being clear when at all possible. More than once I've written something with a bit of irony or sarcasm, then re=read it the next morning and realized that my undertones didn't come through at all.

If you're going to be posting opinions on a board, be prepared to defend them if needed, or accept that others may have issue with them. If you're issuing facts, it's good to know where to direct others that want to see them. If your post mixes both, try to clarify which is which. Above all, I think the "pub" analogy is dead-on, except this is a pub without smoke, you can watch your own TV channel, and you don't get shot down by talking to the opposite sex (thank Sue for bringing that thread to mind).

Watch spelling, punctuation, CAPS, etc. Typo's can be real annoying, and I'm sure that I have a few on this right now. But try to keep them to a minimum. Nobody likes reading a run-on sentence that turns into a paragraph and sounds like a 14 y/o girl chattering into her cell phone while simultaneously watching a movie and talking to her girlfriend about the cute guy on the corner and at the same time deciding whether she wants to eat some ice cream now and has to vomit it up later or just continue to not eat and hope that her parents haven't noticed her eating disorder and maybe she's vomiting because she's pregnant and hopes that they don't know that too and....

Oh yeah, stay try not to wander off topic too far, for too long. That's what new threads and PM's are for. Speaking of PMs, don't be afraid of going into emails. Lots of time they do wonders in clarifying positions and leading to less angst and improved communication clarification.

I know, I just rehashed the entire thread.

Another tip to remember is that the Internet is a global medium, so tailor your contributions to a global audience. For example, if you post, “It’s 40° outside,” some people are going to wonder whether you are expressing how cold it is or how hot it is. Try to remove the ambiguity by indicating whether it is 40 °F or 40 °C. If you are really feeling generous, provide a conversion, e.g., 40 °F (4 °C) or 40 °C (104 °F).

Yes, In Canada we have to deal with both metric and imperial all the time.
Please remember to note the sign too, it helps to know if it is above or below freezing.

Torch in American or UK English?

English is not my first language so could you please enlighten me? What does "leet" mean? Thanks in advance.

Viejo, English IS my first language, y no se tambien.

Now, of course, if you're talking -40, it doesn't matter







(do the math)

"Leet speak" (or 1337 speak)

It's an Internet meme in the Hacker/cracker among "the elite" - "leet" which often has things like the letter e replaced with 3, and o with 0, T with 7 etc

Frankly, it's an internet form somewhat like cockney rhyming slang

see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet