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NETWORK NEWS
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                             NETIQUETTE
                           by Janet Sakell
 
As more and more people become acquainted with the wonders of
electronic mail (both on the PCs and larger machines), the Postmaster
would like to remind users of some of the rules of electronic mail
``netiquette.''  Electronic mail networks are intended for their users'
scholarly and professional communications, not for random mailings of
chain letters, casual contacts (``Who are you?'' messages), or random 
or non-random harassments.
 
The sending of chain letters is strictly forbidden on all electronic
mail networks (BITNET, the Internet, etc.).  If you get a chain letter,
do not pass it on. The most recent chain letter on our systems caused delays
which interfered with the delivery of legitimate e-mail messages.
Receiving these chain letters can also affect your ability to read
your mail quickly - it takes longer to bring a big mailbox into a system
like PCMail than one that is kept ``tidy.''  Should you receive chain letters,
unsolicited or random junk mailings, or blatant commercial advertisements,
forward a copy of the offending message to postmaster@virginia.edu.
Persons who use the network for inappropriate mailings will lose their 
electronic mail and network privileges.
 
As to harassing mail messages, we caution you to be as careful in replying 
to an unsolicited mail message as you would to an unsolicited telephone
call.  How much do you want the person on the other end to know
about you?  Electronic Mail is not usually an anonymous medium; names 
can be attached to userids very easily. Most computing centers
do not support ``unlisted'' e-mail addresses so if you do become in-
volved in an electronic conversation which becomes unpleasant, you may 
find the only way to avoid the harassment is to give up your
electronic mail privileges.  (NOTE:  Besides e-mail, there exist other 
electronic communication media (bulletin board systems, USENET news, 
etc.) where discussion can be of a very explicit and graphic nature and 
where there are even fewer rules of decorum; again,
think carefully before you contribute.)
 
Electronic mail is a cross between making a phone call and writing a letter;
like these forms of communication, you lack the ability to communicate
with a wave of the hand or a sly smile!  Messages may not be received
in the same spirit as they were sent.  Reread each message before you send it;
if you think it might be misinterpreted, wait some time before sending it.  
Edit the message to make your points more understandable.  It is considered 
bad form to send messages in all CAPITAL letters (the equivalent of 
``shouting''); many people emphasize portions of their text by enclosing 
them in asterisks.  Likewise, using all lowercase letters makes
a message difficult to read.  Observe rules of grammar, and use punctuation!
 
The Post Office charges you more to deliver longer, heavier letters;
the same can be said for long distance phone conversations.  However, 
large electronic messages do not cost more for you to send than smaller
ones.  As a courtesy to others, please limit the length of your files to 
around 300,000 bytes.  Large files sent over the network can cause traffic 
slowdowns and problems.  If you have large files, divide them up and 
transmit them independently at appropriate intervals.
 
Lastly, the mail network is not a secure network, and should not be relied 
upon for the transmission of confidential or sensitive data.  Even though 
someone reading or tampering with your electronic mail is extremely unlikely, 
the possibility does exist.  Most postmasters and other e-mail facilitators
are honest folk and will look at as little of an undeliverable message 
as necessary to get it on to its proper destination; however, if
headers are stripped out, the contents of a message may give the
only clues as to who the recipient might be.  Again, think twice before
sending something you wouldn't want to be viewed by others.

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