Like any other place where people interact, there are certain behavioral guidelines for the Internet. Most of them are obvious to anyone with common sense -- don't spam people, don't IM strangers with questions like "Whaddya wearin', girlie?" -- but it never hurts to make some suggestions for proper "netiquette."

E-Mail Etiquette Tips

• Give 'em a subject line. If you send them a message with a blank subject line, how do they know whether you're sending a hot stock tip that they should open right now, or a rib tickler from JokeADay that can wait a while?

• Don't type with all CAPS. It's been said before, but typing in all caps is the Net equivalent of shouting. Keep your virtual voice down.

• Replying to e-mails shouldn't necessitate returning the entire message to its sender. It's annoying for someone to send a three-page document to you, and to receive it back along with your one-sentence reply. You may have to do some tweaking of your e-mail client, or you may have to learn to break your reliance on the "Reply" button and send a fresh message. Whatever works.

• Attachments. Nowadays, attachments are looked at with suspicion, and rightly so. Don't expect someone you don't know to open just any old attachment you send along, and don't be offended if someone you know doesn't open one you send -- how do they know you aren't unwittingly sending them an electronic e-bomb? Scan everything you send with a reliable virus scanner, and do the same with attachments you receive. If you don't know an attachment's origin, don't open it. Period.

• Spamming sucks. If you sign up with someone who promises you a fortune through "the power of online mass advertising," don't plan on getting rich, but do plan on losing friends.

• Chain letters suck also. I won't even go into the superstition aspect of chain letters, except to say that if you believe these annoying little e-mails have any magical powers, then get offline and send the money you used to send to your ISP to your psychic friends instead. Chain letters are bothersome and as much of a waste of bandwidth as commercial spam.

• Signature files can be useful and sometimes cute or amusing, but don't quote a paragraph of Aristotle or a screenful of Steven Wright one-liners. If you send me more than one message, then I've already seen the thing and don't want to see it again. Use some judgment.

Chat Room Etiquette

I know, some of you look down your noses at chatters, but hey, it's a viable, and vast, area of Internet usage. Be nice. And find out what your ISP's TOS (Terms of Service) regulations are, if any. This means you, AOLers.

• Avoid all caps. Again, it's yelling.

• Be sensible with your tone of "voice." Don't come in instantly tossing insults and pet nicknames, unless you know your audience or it's that kind of chat room.

• Don't "flood" chat rooms with repeated messages. There's always the butthead who repeats the same stupid insult or movie snippet over and over and over again. Don't be that guy. Besides, chances are someone's complaining to the ISP to have his (or her) account pulled.

• Save the flirtatious comments unless you know the "flirtee." Of course, there are chat rooms where you're expected to come in talking trash, but those are the exception. If you're not in one of those chat rooms, coming in with a "Hey, baaay-bee" approach will earn you a cold shoulder and a possible TOS violation.

• Be nice to the newbies. Just because they're not computer- or chat-savvy doesn't mean they're idiots.

General Net Etiquette

• Privacy issues are paramount. Don't disclose unnecessary personal information, and don't ask for it on your own Web site. Chat mavens, anyone who wants to know too much about your personal life, particularly your finances, is a good one to stay away from.

• Remember that for many people, the Internet is one big role-playing fantasy game. That "23-year old underwear model" or "22-year old account exec with abs of steel" you're chatting up may not be what he/she/it claims to be. Be damn careful about real-life meetings with someone you've established a relationship with online. It's like meeting someone out of the personal ads -- hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Meet them in a well-lit, extremely public place; it never hurts to bring along a friend just in case.

• If your children are surfers, be very aware of where they're surfing and who they're talking to online. Younger or less sensible kids should be supervised when they're in chat rooms, and don't forget the chatting that goes on during online game playing. Every kid ought to know not to give out any personal information -- first names are more than enough. Don't depend on software programs to keep your kids safe.

• Buying online works as well as anything else, if you remember to only give your credit card information out over secure servers (HTTPS:// protocols should be in the URLs, also look for the closed padlock in the bottom of your browser window).

• Web pilfering isn't cool, and often isn't legal. Yes, you can easily steal text, graphics, layout design, and just about anything you like from public Web sites, but just because you can do it doesn't mean you should. Copyrighted Web sites are just that -- copyrighted. It's sort of like making copies of music CDs -- making copies for your personal use is one thing, but passing off someone else's work on a commercial site for any kind of profit is another. That Web graphic was designed by someone, and unless they notate it as "free for the taking," it belongs to them. Same with a Web page layout, textual content, anything. Paws off. There are plenty of freebies on the Web, if you just take the time to find them. (Does all of this apply to this site? You're damn right. Copy and paste all you want for your own personal use, but don't pass it off as your work or post it anywhere else without my permission.)