Our friend =Melancholic-Symphony Wrote this one for us!


Deviant Art and Netiquette

Deviant Art can be a really fun place. However, because this

site is a community, it is the People that can make or

break the harmony of the community. How can you help?

Here I will offer some advice to help you to help the

community.

Internet Etiquette (Netiquette)

Something that many don't always seem to understand is

internet etiquette. Posting comments, sending notes, basic

interaction online tends to lead people to forget that

there is actually someone on the other end. You are not

talking to a computer, you are talking to actual human

beings with a computer under their fingertips. Since it is

so easy to post a new comment, or send a note to someone,

it's also easy to forget what you're about to post. Here

are some basic rules I've gathered over the years.

Research Before Asking

While I'm writing this to help you treat others well,

others may not treat you that well. Some may think you're

just too lazy to look up the facts. One great feature to

use is the help section in this site. It has a search

feature as well, so you can type in what you remember. Even

those of us who have been here for awhile still need to

look up a thing or two.

Remember Emotion

How you type pretty much says it all online. Here's an

example:

"I THINK THE FACTS PROVE THIS POINT."


Don't use capitals unnecessarily in email -- it designates

shouting, and is considered rude. If you want to emphasize

something, use the typical html codes for italics, bold,

and such. Or, use *stars* to emphasize. For example:

"I think the facts *prove* this point."
"I think the facts prove this point."

Also, dealing with emotions, you have smilies. We have the

typical emoticons in dA, such as as

well as and so on. Unfortunately, you can't

hear the tone of voice within the typing. Sometimes you can

misunderstand someone. For example:

"I wish I'd known that before! "

As opposed to:

"I wish I'd known that before "

You can alter how you type something with emotes to "show"

the tone of voice through typing.

Also remember that if you *can* be taken wrong, you most

likely *will* be taken wrong.

[Insert by MP - It's better to apologize first, than to take offense

when none was intended. And remember, usually none was intended.]


Respect the person

Just as you would be polite and respect others as your

parents have expected you to in the past, you must do the

same online as well as offline. Because of how fast you can

send information through the internet, people tend to

forget that we're all humans using this website! It's such

a sad thing to have happen. Don't forget the other person!

If you want to be treated well, you must treat others well.

I know the issue may come up to where you will say, "Well,

he was mean to me!" or "She was very rude, I was only

giving her a taste of her own medicine." Regardless if

someone is rude, the best way to hand it is by being polite

regardless. You see, all they want is attention. Handle it

the way you probably *wouldn't* want to handle it. Respect

them anyway, and if you can help it, just don't reply back!

They may want attention, but if you don't give it to them,

who will it hurt? If they end up harrassing you, report

them to the administrators. That's what they're there for.



Here are some helpful links to help you out along the way:

Deviant Art FAQ: [link]

DA Etiquette Policy: [link]

Report abuse: [link]