How to Behave on Online Communities/Message Boards

The internet is an amazing medium to use for the discussion of ideas. One particularly interesting type of environment you will find online is community message boards. There are communities online for everything you can possibly imagine. Whether it's gardening, death metal, fashion, or movies... the internet most likely has a large community of online users discussing it on a message board.

When participating in these online communities, sometimes you stumble upon one where the community is like a culture within itself. The members are usually pretty diverse. They are from all over the world, have different viewpoints, probably dress differently, eat differently, and may listen to different kinds of music. The thing that brings them together, though, is a place online where their ideas can come together to agree or disagree.

If you decide to participate in one of these online forums (I highly recommend you do, it's a great way to kill time and you learn A LOT) it's important to follow some rules before jumping into their discussions. Different forums have different rules, but most of these are universal, and will get you accepted into the majority of online communities:

1. Read their FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Any popular and respectable online message board should have a FAQ section. Whether it's about using the message board or the rules of the community in general (what to post, what not to post, etc.) it's always a good idea to read it. In fact, it's pretty much mandatory. About 95% of the questions new users to these forums ask are explained in the FAQ. If you ask a question that is already answered in the FAQ, you will get "flamed" (made fun of) and lose respect right from the start. Read the FAQ and be informed.