Rules of the Net: Online Operating Instructions for Human Beings

Explains how to become a master of the "Twelve Essential Commandments of Good Net Behavior," learn appropriate e-mail etiquette, how to properly converse with fellow net surfers, and become a responsible cybercitizen. Original. (All Users).

Once you've entered this brave new world, you'll need to learn its customs. "When exploring new territory, veteran explorers learn the language and customs of the natives before coming out of the bush," say Thomas Mandel and Gerard Van der Leun. Coming in March from Hyperion, their Rules of the Net: Online Operating Instructions for Human Beings helps users learn both language and customs, explaining what the Net is, how it came to be, how to recognize the various cyber-species, how to use e-mail properly and the 12 essential commandments of good Net behavior. ($12 ISBN 0-7868-8135-6)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Internet sometimes seems like the Wild West, where someone is as likely to shoot you virtually as shake your hand; as the authors note, it's "rapidly becoming a real place, a vast sprawl of experimental boomtowns, inhabited by computer-literate people." Among these cybercitizens, norms of courtesy and common sense are often lacking. To instill a bit of order into this heady chaos, rules of netiquette have been developed. Pokey's Law, for example, sets down a truth: "Grammar/spelling flames usually contain grammar/spelling errors." Of course, these rules are optional, but if Net users keep getting their feelings hurt by members of groups in which they participate, they can look here for wisdom about how life operates on the Net. Each chapter concludes with a commandment of cyberspace, which encompasses "Thou shalt not blatantly seek profit" and "Thou shalt not be a bandwidth pig." Whether the reader is a newbie or a veteran traveler, this handbook will benefit all levels of cyberculture. Jennifer Henderson