Software Reference

What a joy to find succinctly formulated within one book all those things that a forum moderator struggles to say without sounding either anal or aggressive or just plain silly. If for no other reason, I am grateful to Matthew Strawbridge for writing this book, because I can now crib bits of his text whenever I feel moved to wag an e-finger or call for online order. But in addition to its usefulness to those of us who have to try to enforce the niceties of netiquette because of our roles in forums or other online communities, this book would make useful reading for anyone taking part in such a group.

Matthew’s suggestions for confortable and courteous list life include ‘if you need to discuss two or more separate topics, post a separate message for each’, ‘when replying to a digest, change the subject line to match the specific message you are responding to’ and ‘read the whole thread (so far) before posting a reply’ (we know, we know, but how often do we forget?). He also recommends that new subscribers lurk before they leap (when joining a new group, spend a little time gaining an appreciation of the tone and content of messages that are posted) but, after that, don‘t be afraid to join in (you will find groups like SfEPLine friendly and supportive, so do think of signing up if you are not already a member!).

As well as containing the section on forums that immediately caught my attention, this book contains much useful information and advice for anyone engaging in electronic intercourse of any kind, on everything from email signatures (keep yours to fewer than 70 characters, preferably in four lines and certainly no more than six, and think very carefully before including a short witty quotation or joke) and real-time messaging (if you have to leave the keyboard unexpectedly and you are in a conversation, do let the other person know) to blogs (only create a blog if you really need one) and wikis (do not participate in an edit war).

Even if you don't want to partake in any computer-based interaction beyond sending and receiving emails, you will still benefit from reading the final section of the book, which discusses advertising, sp*m and security. The chapter headed ‘Miscellany’ gives advice on, among other things, protecting your online children and – for those who belong to forums and discussion groups – avoiding flamebait (messages posted with the sole intention of causing trouble) and trolls (individuals who deliberately post flamebait).

Finally, the book contains three extremely useful appendices, covering internet-messaging abbreviations, netiquette for ISPs and a summary of etiquette rules, and a glossary. No one in possession of this book need ever again mistake a Trojan horse for a virus, or wonder whether to be gratified or offended when someone signs off to them ‘GMTA’.

Wendy Toole
Reviewed in Editing Matters: The magazine for editors and proofreaders, the magazine of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders