The following was written and posted on a site that has nothing to do with the subject of beading & jewelry making. However, many of the points made by author can be applied to any forum/discussion group on the Internet.
For the complete guide, click on the link.
Discussion Group Survival Guide
Posted by T W Duff on 17.Feb.00 at 08:05 PM.
01. Before you ask, SEARCH!!!
This is one of the single most important things you can do. In most cases, someone has had the same problem you've had before. There's a fair chance that you'll find your answer without having to post and wait if you do a search first. There IS a chance you'll do a search and not hit the right key words. Someone will probably be kind enough to point you to a prior posting. But posting "How Do I Do Sequential Numbering?" is a dead giveaway that you haven't looked first...
02. Make your topic descriptive.
Simply posting "Help me!" or "URGENT!!! NEED IMMEDIATE HELP!!!" will not get as many responses as a post titled "Mail-in Agent Not Running On Receipt". Everyone's time is valuable, and many people scan the topic titles to see if there's anything of interest. A generic posting title will be largely ignored. Also, it makes it harder to find your posting during a search. If someone is searching for help, seeing "Help me!" in the title line doesn't give them much information to go on.
03. Why is your question more URGENT!!! than anyone else's?
While it might be tempting to label your post as URGENT!!!, it really doesn't accomplish much (except to annoy others). Everyone who has a problem would like a quick resolution to it. Don't expect people to fall all over themselves to help you just because you are having a crisis.
04. If there's no answers, they don't know!
If you post a question and no one responds, you shouldn't take it personally. And you really shouldn't submit another post stating "See My Previous Post". If someone knows, they'll contribute. If they don't, they won't. There are some really valuable minds in this group, but they don't have the answers to all the problems.
07. Post a followup with your results (or at least acknowledge the help)!
If you take the time to post a question and someone takes the time to post a possible solution, PLEASE be kind enough to acknowledge the help AND post a followup to tell whether it worked or not. Many people use this board as a reference point, and it's very frustrating to find possible solutions with no hint as to what worked or not. It's just basic courtesy... Even if you've figured out the answer for yourself, please post the result as there are many who could benefit from your experience. Please don't think in terms of "Boy, was I stupid in not seeing that". Nobody is going to judge you and everyone will benefit.
08. In most cases, don't post to a specific person.
The benefit of this board is that it's a "group" discussion board. Even though it's tempting to try to get some of the "regulars" to answer by asking them specifically, don't! If they're hanging out (and they always do), they'll answer anyway. In addition, many others who may have an answer WON'T post due to the directed nature of the question. You may miss out on some really good solutions by not including everyone.
09. Continue the thread whenever possible.
If you have a followup issue within a couple of days of an original post, try to keep it with the original. If someone is trying to help, they won't want to search through days of other posts to find the original discussion. Keeping everything in a single thread makes it easier for others to help. It also makes it easier for others in the future doing searches on the same issues.
10. Don't duplicate your postings.
Posting the same question two or three times in a row will not lead to a faster response. It just clutters up the board, splits any potential responses between two (or more) threads, and frankly irritates everyone. Also when posting, if the browser displays the error message "The server connection was reset...", refresh the browser page. Your post was probably successful.
11. Remember, you're global now...
Keep in mind that this discussion board isn't restricted by national borders. English isn't the main language of everyone here, so be considerate if someone's English isn't the best. Also, keep in mind that humor and irony doesn't always translate well to email, and it REALLY doesn't translate well in a multi-cultural setting. Use it sparingly, if at all.
14. Everything you should do here you learned in kindergarten...
Here are some miscellaneous items that are important to remember in order to get along here...
Guesses and suggestions should labeled as such...
Avoid arguing unless you have a useful point to make. Avoid any objectionable language or ideas. Do not write anything that could not politely be said face to face.
Be brief without being too terse. Be descriptive without overwhelming us with too much.
Stick to the topic of the forum.