Mailing List Netiquette Guidelines

In addition to the general email guidelines, there are other guidelines that become more important when participating in mailing lists.

Lurk Before You Leap

Lurkers are people who belong to a mailing list but rarely or never participate. Many mailing lists have more lurkers than participants. To get a feel for the personalities and acceptable topics for your list Lurk for a few days before posting a message.

Read Your Confirmation Notice

Most mailing lists send new subscribers a confirmation notice or welcome message. Read this message carefully and keep a copy for future reference. These messages contain guidelines on what topics are acceptable, information on other mailing list resources, and commands for managing your subscription.

Visit Mailing List Web Sites

An increasing number of mailing lists are setting up their own web site. These web sites may contain FAQs (answers to Frequently Asked Questions, hence the name), topic summaries, and archives of past discussions. These resources may answer some of your questions or at least give you a feel for what topics are appropriate. Check the confirmation notice that came with your mailing list subscription to see if these resources are available.

Resist "Me Toos"

All too often one person's message to the list will be followed by 10 messages that basically say "me too" or "I agree with so-and-so." Resist jumping on the "me too" bandwagon unless you have a new thought or perspective to contribute.

Ask Useful Questions

Mailing lists are a great resource because you have instant access to the experiences and expertise of everyone on the list. When asking a question to the list, make sure you include enough information so people can respond. In general, the Internet community is helpful. The more information you give people to work with, the better advice they can offer.

Avoid Advertising

A sure-fire way to get flamed is to bombard mailing lists with blatant advertising pitches. Many mailing lists generate enough email messages that people have little patience for advertisements or self-promotion. Before you send an advertisement, review the mailing list's guidelines or check with the list owner. If you can't resist the urge to advertise, keep your message short and make sure it relates to the topic of discussion.

Respond to Individuals

When scanning your mailing list messages, you notice a post signed "Joe Smith," the name of a long lost friend from high school. You hit the Reply button and type "Are you the same Joe Smith that went to Gopher High in '77?" The thrill of connecting with a former classmate changes to terror as you realize that all 1,000 mailing list subscribers just received a copy of your message.

It happens to the best of us. You mean to reply to someone individually, but instead send your message to the entire mailing list. To avoid this problem when replying to a message, always make sure the correct address is in your email program's "TO:" line.

Watch Quotations

Often you will want to respond to a message someone has sent you. By using your email program's "Reply" feature, you can automatically insert the original message into your response. The original message is usually set off with greater-than (>) signs, making it easy to distinquish your response from the original.

Although it is important to keep parts of the original message to provide a context for your response, delete sections that are not relevant. This helps reduce the size of your message and makes it easier for people to focus on the new piece of discussion.

The Master Internet Volunteer Program was developed by the University of Minnesota Extension Service and was adapted for use in North Dakota with permission. Copyright  © 2000  North Dakota State University. All rights reserved.

North Dakota State University Extension Service