Minding your Ps & Qs

take time to read the newsgroup for a while and check the archives (or Google Groups) before posting.
read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page for the newsgroup.
when posting to a technical newsgroup, make a reasonable attempt to solve your own problem.
stick to subjects appropriate to that newsgroup. Post to a relevant newsgroup.
only cross-post to other groups when the subject is closely related to the theme of the other newsgroups. But do cross-post rather than making separate indentical posts to multiple newsgroups.

don't post commercial messages without consulting the list owner. Don't post spam.
pick an appropriate subject line for a new post that describes the topic of the post. This makes it easier for people to notice or find your post. "HELP ME!" or "URGENT!" is not helpful in a subject line.
post in plain text format. Don't use HTML.
don't attach binaries such as pictures or programs to your posts, especially large files.
quote text from the previous post to provide some context but don't over-quote.
don't ask people to reply via Email "because I don't read the newsgroup". Other people may be interested in the reply. However, if it is likely that some discussion may not be of interest, then it is Ok to use private Email as a follow-up method.
try to be polite when posting. Try to stay polite even if others aren't.
read your post before posting. Sometimes, it may not have the tone that you intend. You can't really recall a newsgroup post once sent.
when asking for help with a problem, try to provide enough detail that someone else can understand the context of a question, but not so much that no one will bother to read it.
if you wish to unsubscribe, send the request to the list server Email address, not the newsgroup.

don't post your primary Email address or that of other people. Spammers often use newsgroups to harvest Email addresses.
don't post private information about yourself or others.
- you can't recall the post once it has been sent.
- you don't know who all might read it.

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