From: Bill Nelson  <nelsonb@aztec.asu.edu>
Date: 22 Jun 1996

                         *** ETIQUETTE GUIDELINES ***

Before reading any further, please go to the newsgroup 
'news.announce.newusers' and read the posting: 'Rules for posting 
to Usenet'.   

This article describes some of the preferred rules for posting
on Usenet.  People posting to the rec.scouting groups are expected to 
know and abide by these rules.

It is also recommended to review RFC 1855 "Netiquette Guidelines" 
which can be found at: 
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc1855.html

The best starting place for learning about Usenet is Indiana
University's Usenet Resources page, at:
http://scwww.ucs.indiana.edu/NetRsc/usenet.html

The following guidelines are in addition to the above.

o  It is expected that scouts, guides and scouters adhere to the 
    principles of their organization's oath, promise or law pertaining
    to proper behavior.

o  Before asking a question, check the Frequently Asked Questions
    (FAQ) here and in the FAQ file for your rec.scouting.* group.  
    Chances are the answer is there.

o   Please do not "flame" (insult) anyone in these newsgroups.  
    Discussions will naturally bring disagreements, however, rebuttals 
    should always be made in a rational, logical and mature manner.
    A good rule of thumb:  Be conservative in what you send and
    liberal in what you receive.  You should not send heated messages
    even if you are provoked.  On the other
    hand, you shouldn't be surprised if you get flamed and it's
    prudent not to respond to flames.  Don't get involved in flame wars.  
    Neither post nor respond to incendiary material.  

o  If an inappropriate, or off subject note is posted to a group 
    please send a private email to the poster informing them of
    the appropriate subject matter for the group.  Such action should
    be taken with all due respect and in a polite (Scout-like) manner.
    Please do not post a reply to the group.  A posted reply only adds to
    the clutter in the group.

o The rec.scouting hierarchy is international in scope, Readers not
   familiar with your specific organization may have difficulty
   understanding some of your terminology.  In fairness to these
   people, please define terms and expressions in your posting so all
   can understand exactly what you are writing about.

o If you post concerning a specific organization (e.g., Scouts Canada)
   Please put the name of the organization (e.g., SC:)
   in the subject line since many organizations share the same
   names for their particular programs (e.g., Cub Scouts).

o  English is not the only allowed language on rec.scouting.*;
   however, it is the most widely understood. So if you're posting
   a message in another language, please, if possible, add a short 
   abstract of its content at the beginning.
   
o  Please limit the amount of material included from previous
   postings and try to be concise.  
   However, make sure that you include enough of the original
   post so as to make your follow-up sensible.  
   
o  If you state any facts, please cite a reference where interested
    people can find further information, and verify the citation.
    Please refrain from making global generalizations, such as
    "The xxxx organization is the only organization in the world
     that does such and such."

o  Please re-edit your Subject and Newsgroup lines before sending
   a follow-up. Replies in the third round rarely have a direct
   relation to the original subject.

o  Please remember the charter of each newsgroup.  
   If you find that your discussion is going outside of this charter, 
   please take it to another group or off-line.  

o  The bottom line: post intelligently, and make this newsgroup
   worthwhile to read through.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Where to Go From Here
----------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) files
posted on the individual news groups as well as archived at:
  http://www.faqs.org/faqs/scouting/
  http://www.faqs.org/#FAQHTML

The next FAQ we recommend you read is:
 [rec.scouting.*] About the Scouting newsgroups (FAQ 1)
 it can be found here: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/scouting/


End of [rec.scouting.*] Welcome - Read this First (FAQ 0)
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