The internet has quickly become part of our daily lives. We use it to talk to our friends, to apply for jobs, to find out what film is on at the local cinema and to buy new CDs. As a matter of fact, you are living in this virtual world right now, as you read this article on your computer. In this virtual world, distances don’t matter. We join forums to talk to people who share our interests even if we are in Germany and they are in Australia. As they grow, these new virtual communities need rules. Our parents or school taught us how to interact in the real world. We know when to greet someone, when to be quiet etc. Do we know how to behave in the virtual world though? Here are a few basic rules to help you out:

Do

Take a look around.
If you are new to a forum or a newsgroup, spend some time exploring it before starting to post. Try to get an idea of how the people who are already there act.

Wait until you have something to say.
Don’t start posting your messages just because that is what other people do. Wait until you feel you have something to say.

Read again before posting.
Don’t press 'Publish' immediately after you have finished writing. Re-read and edit your entry carefully before you post. Check the spelling and the grammar.

Stay on-topic.
If you are in a forum about cars, don’t start talking about politics. Or vice versa.


Don’t

Type in all capital letters.
Writing in all capital letters is like SCREAMING. Don’t do it.

Post in a new forum without having read the FAQs.
Before you ask a question in a forum, read through the 'Frequently Asked Questions'. Your answer may already be there.

Forget that you are talking to real people.
The fact that all we see is just a monitor makes us sometimes forget that we are interacting with real people. When posting in a forum, remember to be polite and not offensive.

Have arguments in a public forum.
If someone has posted something that upsets you, don’t reply to him/her in the public forum. Write the person an email or a private message. Don’t let everybody else be part of your argument.

to post - einen Text in einem Internet-Forum o.ä. veröffentlichen, 'posten'
edit - bearbeiten
vice versa - umgekehrt
to scream - schreien, brüllen
to have arguments - sich streiten, Streit haben