Internet rules and laws

xoxoxoBruce · 10-24-2009, 01:29 AM

Internet rules and laws from The Telegraph.

Quote:

1. Godwin’s Law
The most famous of all the internet laws, formed by Mike Godwin in 1990. As originally stated, it said: "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1." It has now been expanded to include all web discussions.

2. Poe’s Law
Not to be confused with the law of poetry enshrined by Edgar Allen Poe, the internet Poe’s Law states: “Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humour, it is impossible to create a parody of fundamentalism that someone won't mistake for the real thing.”

3. Rule 34
States: “If it exists, there is porn of it.” See also Rule 35: “If no such porn exists, it will be made.” Generally held to refer to fictional characters and cartoons, although some formulations insist there are "no exceptions" even for abstract ideas like non-Euclidean geometry, or puzzlement.

4. Skitt’s Law
Expressed as "any post correcting an error in another post will contain at least one error itself" or "the likelihood of an error in a post is directly proportional to the embarrassment it will cause the poster."

5. Scopie’s Law
States: “In any discussion involving science or medicine, citing Whale.to as a credible source loses the argument immediately, and gets you laughed out of the room.” First formulated by Rich Scopie on the badscience.net forum.
This law makes little sense without a background knowledge of Whale.to, a conspiracy theory site which includes such items as the complete text of the anti-Semitic hoax Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as well as claims that Aids is caused by vaccination programmes, and that Auschwitz never happened.

6. Danth’s Law (also known as Parker’s Law)
States: “If you have to insist that you've won an internet argument, you've probably lost badly.” Named after a user on the role-playing gamers’ forum RPG.net.

7. Pommer’s Law
Proposed by Rob Pommer on rationalwiki.com in 2007, this states: “A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion.”

8. DeMyer's Laws
Named for Ken DeMyer, a moderator on Conservapedia.com. There are four: the Zeroth, First, Second and Third Laws.
The Second Law states: “Anyone who posts an argument on the internet which is largely quotations can be very safely ignored, and is deemed to have lost the argument before it has begun.”
The Zeroth, First and Third Laws cannot be very generally applied and will be glossed over here.

9. Cohen’s Law
Proposed by Brian Cohen in 2007, states that: “Whoever resorts to the argument that ‘whoever resorts to the argument that... …has automatically lost the debate’ has automatically lost the debate.”

10. The Law of Exclamation
First recorded in an article by Lori Robertson at FactCheck.org in 2008, this states: "The more exclamation points used in an email (or other posting), the more likely it is a complete lie. This is also true for excessive capital letters."

This ought to help bring the non-geeks up to speed.

SamIam · 10-24-2009, 12:48 PM

I have another one: Possum's Theory:
Whenever a newcomer shows up with an immediate strong opinion about another user, chances are excellent the s/he is an old board member in disguise.

Example: http://cellar.org/showthread.php?p=603013#post603013

ZenGum · 10-24-2009, 06:26 PM

Zengum's assertion:

Everything Zengum says will be shown to be true in the fullness of time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Rule #3 of the internet:
If you can think it, there is porn of it.

#34 is way too high.

monster · 10-24-2009, 06:50 PM

Monster's Observation:

The funnier the typo, the truer it is

ZenGum · 10-24-2009, 06:55 PM

Principle of Ubiquitous Skepticism:

Someone will always call "p'shopped!".

dar512 · 10-26-2009, 03:34 PM

Cole's Law:

Thinly sliced cabbage.

Flint · 10-26-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dar512

Cole's Law:

Thinly sliced cabbage.

lumberjim · 10-26-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamIam

I have another one: Possum's Theory:
Whenever a newcomer shows up with an immediate strong opinion about another user, chances are excellent the s/he is an old board member in disguise.

Example: http://cellar.org/showthread.php?p=603013#post603013

THAT'S ME!

SamIam · 10-26-2009, 05:19 PM

LOL! Should have guessed that.

ZenGum · 10-26-2009, 05:47 PM

Nice one Dar.

monster · 10-26-2009, 07:52 PM

hehe, dar.

The Cellar Law:

"If you can post a picture of it, there will be a recipe for it", See also the Basement Rule “If no such recipe exists, it will be made.”

Flint · 10-26-2009, 09:17 PM

mons, didn't you create your own internet rule recently?

monster · 10-26-2009, 09:42 PM

No. Not me. Never. You're imagining it. Arsehole.

Flint · 10-26-2009, 09:44 PM

Up yours!

ZenGum · 10-26-2009, 11:56 PM

Ah, friendly-spirited, witty banter. I love the internet.

10-24-2009, 06:50 PM	#4
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Monster's Observation: The funnier the typo, the truer it is __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

10-24-2009, 06:55 PM	#5
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Principle of Ubiquitous Skepticism: Someone will always call "p'shopped!". __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

10-26-2009, 03:34 PM	#6
dar512 dar512 is now Pete Zicato Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago suburb Posts: 4,968	Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage. __________________ "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." -- Friedrich Schiller

10-26-2009, 05:47 PM	#10
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Nice one Dar. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

10-26-2009, 07:52 PM	#11
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	hehe, dar. The Cellar Law: "If you can post a picture of it, there will be a recipe for it", See also the Basement Rule “If no such recipe exists, it will be made.” __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

10-24-2009, 12:48 PM	#2
SamIam Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Not here Posts: 2,655	I have another one: Possum's Theory: Whenever a newcomer shows up with an immediate strong opinion about another user, chances are excellent the s/he is an old board member in disguise. Example: http://cellar.org/showthread.php?p=603013#post603013

10-26-2009, 05:19 PM	#9
SamIam Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Not here Posts: 2,655	LOL! Should have guessed that.

10-26-2009, 09:17 PM	#12
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	mons, didn't you create your own internet rule recently? __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-26-2009, 09:42 PM	#13
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	No. Not me. Never. You're imagining it. Arsehole. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

10-26-2009, 09:44 PM	#14
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Up yours! __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-26-2009, 11:56 PM	#15
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Ah, friendly-spirited, witty banter. I love the internet. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

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