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/ philosophy.htmlIt is all too easy to become disillusioned when reading and posting on Usenet. Hopefully these pointers will help avoid some of the more common problems.
Those who have never tried electronic communication may not be aware of what a "social skill" really is. One social skill that must be learned, is that other people have points of view that are not only different, but threatening, to your own. In turn, your opinions may be threatening to others. There is nothing wrong with this. Your beliefs need not be hidden behind a facade, as happens with face-to-face conversation. Not everybody in the world is a bosom buddy, but you can still have a meaningful conversation with them. The person who cannot do this lacks in social skills.
Nick Szabo - from [Salzenburg]
Sometimes it just isn't clear what another poster meant. Rather than jump to conclusions, the best thing to do is to post a follow up asking them to clarify. If you can, explain what you think they might have meant. Usenet thrives on conversations, and this is just another way to ensure they carry on. The chances are that several others were just as unsure as yourself.
The group's users come from all walks of life, all over the globe. There are a great many cultural differences, and for some English is not there first language. Even where English is the first language there are enough differences between American, Australian, and British usage to cause confusion.
Sometimes it is too easy to forget that we all lead different lives away from the group, and inevitably anger, frustration and pain from outside events will affect the tone of posts. The surprisingly brusque reply you just read to one of your posts may be a result of one of these events rather than anger at what you wrote.
If you write and post an article to Usenet with the hope of starting a long thread, expecting many replies, or anticipating praise from the other members of the group then you could well end up disappointed.
If on the other hand you treat each post as a gift to the group, freely given, and expect nothing in return then each reply will be a bonus.
There could be several reasons for this. You may want to check that you news software is working correctly. If you have web access check to see if your post has shown up on Google Groups.
Often the most carefully researched and composed posts will receive few, and possibly no, replies. This is due to "Usenet Nod Syndrome" where others will read your post, absorb it, agree with it, nod there heads in a knowing fashion, and move on to the next article. Of course no way you can tell that the head-nodding is happening!
On the other hand, a less well composed post may receive more replies as others seek to understand what the poster meant. This doesn't mean you should write posts badly in order to ensure follow-ups. Rather recognise the success of a well-written post that requires no elaboration - this has contributed more to the group.
If you are unhappy, what are you doing reading netnews? Take a break. Stretch. Walk outside in the sunshine or the snow. Relax your brain, watch some TV for a while, listen to the radio. If you need to communicate with someone else, give them a phone call, or see them in person.It's good to not spend too much time all in the same place with a fixed focus - rest your eyes everyone once in a while by looking around at something else.
Don't worry about missing anything, it'll all get re-posted if it's any good.
[Vielmetti]