2) Be relevant. Since the entire class will be reading the messages you post to the listserv, be sure that what you post is worth their time. In other words, keep your postings relevant to class topics, and save your personal interactions for private email or the dining hall.

3) Be concise. Don't ramble on and on. Some email users tend to get a bit chatty. That's fine if you are writing to an old friend or to your Mom, but your group-mate may not want to wade through every random thought you have in order to get to the point of your message. So try to make your messages direct. Keep it to one screenful if you can. Remember that some people have tons of email to read everyday.

4) Be considerate. Sometimes email gives the user a false sense of anonymity, since you cannot see or hear the person or group you are addressing. As a result, some writers will say things online which they would never say to a person in conversation. Just remember that real people are reading your message, so don't be insulting, spiteful, or condescending (that's called "flaming" online). Don't say anything that you don't want the whole class to hear.

5) Be aware of your tone. This relates to the previous point. Be aware that your audience sees only the words on the screen, without the voice tone and body language which usually accompany words in conversation. That's why sarcasm is sometimes misinterpreted, because the reader has no verbal clues to tell her that you weren't being serious. So to prevent the reader from taking an innocent comment the wrong way, you should scan your message before you send it to see if any statement you made could be misunderstood.

6) Be quiet. There is an online equivalent of shouting: writing in all capital letters. Most people consider it obnoxious. SO DO NOT USE ALL CAPS IN YOUR MESSAGES. If you want to emphasize something, put asterisks around it, like this: *Do not use all caps in your messages* And while we're here, use underscores before and after something you would normally underline, such as _Great Expectations_

7) Be humble. If you want to take advantage of a discussion group or professional listserv to find out information for a paper or project, just remember that these are often serious scholarly forums. Students have been known to jump right into the middle of a high-level discussion about Shakespeare, asking for a plot summary of Hamlet. And they wonder why they get flamed. Some of these listservs have a FAQ file (Frequently Asked Questions) to answer questions like that. Some also have archived FAQ files to answer routine housekeeping matters, such as how to unsubscribe to the list, etc. It's a good idea just to "listen in" on a listserv for a few days in order to orient yourself to the level of discussion and expertise expected of participants. Online this practice is called "lurking," though it is not nearly as ominous as the name sounds.

8) Be hip. Some savvy email users like to use acronyms and emoticons to show that they are "in" on email lingo. For example: FWIW=For what it's worth, IMHO=In my humble opinion, and ROTFL=rolling on the floor laughing. Emoticons are little faces which you have to look at sideways. They help establish or emphasize the writer's tone. For example, :-) for humor, or :-0 for shock, or :-> for sarcasm, or ;-) for a wink that says "just kidding." But don't get carried away with these.

9) Be useful. In following a listserv discussion, you will occasionally have the urge to reply to a post in order to say "yes!" or "I agree!" Please sit on your hands and suppress this urge. Such comments are called applause postings, and they add nothing useful to the discussion. By all means reply to add points and bring up objections and further the discussion, but do not force all 25 of us to read a whole message which says only "yep." If you absolutely must send such a message, reply privately to the original poster, not to the entire list.

10) Be tolerant. Some writers compose email too quickly and therefore make a bunch of errors in spelling or punctuation or grammar. This is embarrassing, but forgivable. Instead of griping about someone else's grammar, spend your time proofing your own messages.

11) Be judicious. If you want to quote material from a previous message, quote only what is relevant to what you want to say. Delete headings and any portion of the message you don't need. This will save your readers from having to swim through the Atlantic to find what you wanted to point out.

12) Be honest. When you quote something which someone else said online, give them credit. In some cases, you may even want to get their permission (which can be done pretty fast online).

13) Be quick. If you are using a computer lab on campus to send email, be sensitive to people who are waiting to use the computer to type a paper which is due in 5 minutes.

14) Be complete. Always provide a subject line so that the reader will know what the message is about and can decide if she needs to read it immediately. Use descriptive titles for subject lines, and, if necessary, edit the subject line when replying to a message. The exception to this rule is sending messages to a listserv discussion. Also, be sure to include a signature line with your name and email address so that people can find you.

15) Be reader-friendly. Make your message format inviting to the eyes: use short paragraphs, be sure to space between paragraphs, or use numbered lists which are easy to read.

16) Be happy. Lots of people love using email and participating in listserv discussions. I don't want to spoil your fun, but I should mention that using email gives you good writing practice. It is the 90s method of reviving the dying art of letter-writing. Many people who would never sit down to write a letter are willing to write online.