Ethics for BBS users - By Steve King
The following are a few points of general BBS etiquette. If you wish
to maintain your welcome on whatever system you happen to call, it
would be to your advantage to observe these few rules. (Sysops - feel
free to download this & display it on your BBS)
1. Don't habitually hang up on a system. Every Sysop is aware that
accidental disconnections happen once in a while but we do tend to get
annoyed with people who hang up every single time they call because
they are either too lazy to terminate properly or they labor under the
mistaken assumption that the 10 seconds they save online is going to
significantly alter their phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an
acceptable excuse for long. If you have it and intend to use the line
to call BBS systems, you should either have it disconnected or find
some other way to circumvent it.
2. Don't do dumb things like leave yourself a message that says "Just
testing to see if this thing works". Where do you think all those
other messages came from if it didn't work? Also, don't leave whiny
messages that say "Please leave me a message." If ever there was a
person to ignore, it's the one who begs someone to leave him a
message. If you want to get messages, start by reading the ones that
are already online and getting involved in the conversations that
exist.
3. Don't use the local equivalent of a chat command unless you really
have some clear cut notion of what you want to say and why. Almost
any Sysop is more than happy to answer questions or offer help
concerning his system. Unfortunately, because about 85% of the people
who call want to chat and about 99% of those people have absolutely
nothing to say besides "How old are you?" or something equally
irrelevant, fewer Sysops even bother answering their pagers every day.
4. When you are offered a place to leave comments when exiting a
system, don't try to use this area to ask the Sysop questions. It is
very rude to the other callers to expect the Sysop to carry on a half
visible conversation with someone. If you have a question or
statement to make and expect the Sysop to respond to it, it should
always be made in the section where all the other messages are kept.
This allows the Sysop to help many people with the same problem with
the least amount of effort on his part.
5. Before you log on with your favorite pseudonym, make sure that
handles are allowed. Most Sysops don't want people using handles on
the system. There is not enough room for them, they get silly games
of one-upmanship started, it is much nicer to deal with a person on a
personal basis, and last but not least, everyone should be willing to
take full responsibility for his actions or comments instead of
slinging mud from behind a phony name.
6. Take the time to log on properly. There is no such place as RIV,
HB, ANA or any of a thousand other abbreviations people use instead of
their proper city. You may think that everyone knows what RIV is
supposed to mean, but every BBS has people calling from all around the
country and I assure you that someone from Podunk Iowa has no idea
what you're talking about.
^L
7. Don't go out of your way to make rude observations like "Gee, this
system is slow". Every BBS is a tradeoff of features. You can
generally assume that if someone is running a particular brand of
software, that he is either happy with it or he'll decide to find
another system he likes better. It does nobody any good when you make
comments about something that you perceive to be a flaw when it is
running the way the Sysop wants it to. Constructive criticism is
somewhat more welcome. If you have an alternative method that seems
to make good sense then run it up the flagpole.
8. When leaving messages, stop and ask yourself whether it is
necessary to make it private. Unless there is some particular reason
that everyone shouldn't know what you're saying, don't make it
private. We don't call them PUBLIC bulletin boards for nothing,
folks. It's very irritating to other callers when there are huge
blank spots in the messages that they can't read and it stifles
interaction between callers.
9. If your favorite BBS has a time limit, observe it. If it doesn't,
set a limit for yourself and abide by it instead. Don't tie up a
system until it finally kicks you off and then call back with another
name. This same rule applies to downloading or playing games. Only
one person at a time can be logged on to a BBS and it isn't fair to
everyone else if you overstay your welcome. Remember, a BBS is best
when it can be left wide open. If you try and cheat the rules you
just hurt everybody by forcing the Sysop to adopt more stringent
policies. I can't count the number of systems that are now locked
tighter than a drum because of people who cheat and abuse.
10. Don't call a BBS just to look at the list of other BBS numbers.
Most especially don't call a system as a new user and run right to the
other numbers list. There is probably very little that's more
annoying to any Sysop than to have his board completely passed over by
you on your way to another board.
11. Have the common courtesy to pay attention to what passes in front
of your face. When a BBS displays your name and asks "Is this you?",
don't say yes when you can see perfectly well that it is misspelled.
Also, don't start asking questions about simple operation of a system
until you have thoroughly read all of the instructions that are
available to you. I assure you that it isn't any fun to answer a
question for the thousandth time when the answer is prominently
displayed in the system bulletins or instructions. Use some common
sense when you ask your questions. The person who said "There's no
such thing as a stupid question" obviously never operated a BBS.
12. If by some chance you should encounter an error while you are
online (Heaven forbid!), ALWAYS take the time to leave the Sysop a
message describing the circumstances. Don't just say "There was an
error". That is not helpful in the least. Chances are that he knows
there was an error. What he needs to know is what you were doing when
the error occurred so that he can have some chance of finding and
correcting it. If the error happened after you input something, tell
him what it was. Remember that a BBS can't improve unless you're
willing to help.
^L
13. Don't be personally abusive. It doesn't matter whether you like
a Sysop or think he's a jerk. The fact remains that he has a large
investment in making his computer available, usually out of the
goodness of his heart. If you don't like a Sysop or his system, just
remember that you can change the channel any time you want. Calling a
Sysop names or making uninformed comments about his lifestyle only
shows you for the child you really are.
14. Keep firmly in mind that you are a guest on any BBS you happen to
call. Don't think of logging on as one of your basic human rights.
Every person that has ever put a computer system online for the use of
other people has spent a lot of time and money to do so. While he
doesn't expect nonstop pats on the back, it seems reasonable that he
should at least be able to expect fair treatment from his callers.
This includes following any of the rules for system use he has laid
out without grumping about it. Every Sysop has his own idea of how he
wants his system to be run. It is really none of your business why he
wants to run it the way he does. Your business is to either abide by
what he says, or call some other BBS where you feel that you can obey
the rules.
Steve King is Sysop of Commnet-80 Riverside (714 359-3189) as well as
the author of the Commnet-80 Bulletin Board System.
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