From: DummiesDaily
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 00:30:49 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Internet: IM Code of Conduct
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DUMMIES DAILY: Internet
http://www.dummiesdaily.com
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TODAY'S eTIP(TM): IM Code of Conduct
Sending someone an instant message is the online equivalent of
walking up to someone on the street and starting a conversation.
If it's someone you know, that's one thing; if not, it can be an
intrusion.
Unless you have a compelling reason, don't send instant messages
to people you don't know who haven't invited you to do so. (ICQ's
random message feature is the most likely such invitation.)
Don't say anything that you wouldn't in an analogous situation on
the street. If someone's set her ICQ status to "urgent messages
only," save your non-urgent messages for later or send them as
e-mail.
For some reason, AOL is plagued with childish users who now and
then send rude instant messages to strangers or unwilling
acquaintances, which is why AIM has its Warn and Block buttons.
Not only is it rude to do that, it's silly, since AOL has chat
rooms full of people eager to converse on all sorts of topics,
rude or otherwise.
