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This is my occasionally updated list of ways one should comport oneself in person and on-line in no particular order.

  • Be respectful, always.
  • Be thankful, especially when asking for and receiving help.
  • Be nice.
    • If nice isn’t an option, be polite.
    • If polite isn’t an option, be direct and fair and constructive.
    • If direct and fair and constructive isn’t an option, just shut up.
  • If someone is asking for help or a question, answer what they are asking.
    • Only answer questions when you have relevant knowledge or experience.
    • When asking for clarification, try to be objective in doing so.
    • If answering but think there’s a better way to achieve the understood goal, provide both the direct answer and the suggestion.
  • Honor preferences, tastes, privacy, and boundaries – other’s and one’s own.
    • Do not honor misinformation or unverified claims, maliciousness, bigotry, or toxicity.
  • Think before posting or commenting.
    • Be mindful of tone and context.
    • Check sources and facts before sharing content, or else note that it is opinion or speculation.
    • Do not offer an answer to a question not asked.
  • Practice empathy and understanding.
  • Admit mistakes and apologize sincerely.
    • Avoid the phrase “if I’ve caused harm” and other weaselly ways of apologizing.

Hanlon’s Razor:

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”1

Hubbard’s Corollary:

“Never attribute to malice or stupidity that which can be explained by moderately rational individuals following incentives in a complex system.”2

Murphry’s Law:

“If you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written.”3

Cunningham’s Law:

“The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.”4

Brandolini’s Law:

“The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.”5 A.k.a., the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle.

Poe’s Law:

“Without a clear indicator of the author’s intent, it is impossible to create a parody of extreme views so obviously exaggerated that it cannot be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of the parodied views.”6

Sometime I might get more philosophical on the topic and flesh this out with ideas from some big thinkers. As for now I want this to be easily digestible.

※ I asked ChatGPT and Claude AI systems for some inspiration on phrasing some of the above.

  1. Hanlon’s Razor ↩︎
  2. Hubbard’s Corollary (circa 2020, according to Wikipedia) ↩︎
  3. Murphry’s Law ↩︎
  4. Cunningham’s Law ↩︎
  5. Brandolini’s Law ↩︎
  6. Poe’s Law ↩︎