From: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: Two new FAQ panels (for editing): Panel 1 for dealing with flamewars
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 00:52:10 GMT
Distribution: ca

Newsgroups: ca.general,ba.general
Subject: [l/m 12/1/92] Hints for avoiding (or encouraging) flame wars
Expires: 
Reply-To: eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Followup-To: poster
Distribution: 
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Keywords: 

 Panel X

	 Table of Contents of this Chain

 1	 Reminders on use of the *.general news.groups
 7	 General Help Reading News
 14	 Posting headers and cross-posting
 15	 Distribution Fields
 21	 Killfiles (with extreme prejudice)
 28	 Canceling posted news articles
 X								<This panel>


Avoiding and Handling Flame Wars


Want to avoid flame wars?  The information contained here isn't perfect,
but it will help the novice reader to avoid flame wars.
The information in this post should at best be considered fuel containment
or brush clearing.
The raw Usenet is not a place for the weak at heart.

1) Minimize crossposting.
Crossposting isn't evil (unless you are talking to the Aytollah), but
it is usually used poorly.  Consider your choice of news.groups carefully.
Do not post separate copies of the same article to different groups.
That shows that you don't know how to use news and fills disk space needlessly.
If you have questions, ask some one knowledgeable like your postmaster
or news administrator.

2) Crosspost intelligently, use a Followup-To: line
Know your news groups.  If a follow up is going to generate specific traffic:
anticipate it.  The *.general groups are fine news groups for first posts,
but we create other groups for purposes of specialization and expertise.
Otherwise we will go into one giant amorphous news.group.

2a) Use "poster."  This sometimes helps.

2b) Use a Sender: line.  The sender is an email address and not a news.group.

3) Watch your language.  Understand how news works before posting.
I don't mean the software; I mean the news community.

4) Cut out all extraneous material: snip off the signature lines,
just use the gist, not the whole post. (This is getting into regular
netiquette.)  This will avoid "me too" posts/flames.  Of course
instead of posting "me too," you should email "me, too."

5) As always read news.announce.newusers, FAQs, and all prior posts on
a given topic before responding.


To encourage flame wars, just reverse all of the above.
Sprinkle liberally an controversal statements: racist, pro/anti-feminist,
religious.  Twist some logic.


How to flame well:

Joe or Joan Schmoo have just posted something you regard as highly
assinine.
1) Get all the facts.  Provide references.  Have indisputable proof.
   Provide examples.  Edit posts.  Review.  Takes time, but works.
   Jerks who post trash will probably have weak cases
   and typically don't do research beyond their finger tips.
   Beware the truly smart man.  Then, you appear the jerk.

2) Call in Marshall McCluan when appropriate.  (See Annie Hall.  This is
   doable.)

3) If the question/topic is frequently occurring, build FAQs.  Summarize
   all sides of any argument.  Have the arguments all canned.  Add new
   ones as they appear.  Say, "Ok, what else is new?"

This post will self destruct in ......*