I've summarized and paraphrased the following rules from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. These are some good rules to follow. Click the link to read her explanation of each rule.

THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE

Rule 1: Remember the Human

Re-read what you've written before you post. Ask yourself if you would say that to someone's face. If not, you should probably revise. Also, remember that once you post, others can quote you (the Diapers principle), immortalizing your words in their post. You can delete your own post, but can't redact it entirely if it appears in quotes in someone else's post.

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Use good manners and don't break the law. Malfeasance for malfeasance's sake will not be tolerated in The Office forum.

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

Lurk before you post. Before you jump in, get a sense for how your fellow Office flans interact. Realize that there are some posters out there who will respond with sarcasm because they would respond that way to someone's face (see Rule 1). Don't overreact. Learn to embrace your own inner sarcastic self and respond in kind when necessary.

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

When naming a new topic, please use something descriptive - not "I just noticed," "Has anyone else noticed," etc., etc. People should be able to tell whether or not they want to read your post without clicking it first to find out what it's about.

Don't post a question or topic of discussion that's been posted a million times. Search for the answer before posting. Be forewarned that certain posters have been answering the same question since March and have little patience left for folks who don't try to find the answer first. (VietNamSounds - and I would include myself in this group)

Don't include large graphics files in your signature line. See the Signature Graphics Policy.

Oh, and if you have a question for a specific person, please PM them (send them a Personal Message) - don't clutter the board with a new topic to get their attention.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Know what you're talking about and write clearly and concisely. Use good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Don't swear. Don't start an argument for argument's sake.

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

Pretty self explanatory. If someone asks a (new ) question and you know the answer, jump in and answer it in a friendly way.

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

As the book says "Flaming is a long-standing network tradition (and Netiquette never messes with tradition). Flames can be lots of fun, both to write and to read. And the recipients of flames sometimes deserve the heat."

That said, as Michael Scott reminded Jim, you also need to know when enough is enough and stop putting other peoples' things in jello. On the forum, know when to let go and do it before things get ugly, or the offending posts will end up in that great big cyber file with the memos from corporate.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

This is pretty easy to follow on this board, as other people can ONLY see the information you offer up. That said, it is totally uncool to post (or forward) the contents of a private message for everyone else to read, unless specifically requested to do so by the person who sent it.

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

This one basically doesn't apply to anyone but the fan moderators and administrators. We shouldn't go deleting posts or closing topics just because we feel like it. Oh, and Michael Scott should have never opened up everyone's e-mail. But then, we wouldn't have had that fantastic karaoke scene at the end of E-mail Surveillance.

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

Everyone has been a newbie once. Don't go out of your way to make a public example of someone's faux pas. Think twice before you react.

And here's some more info on posting about the actors.

ACTOR BASHING

Ok, ok, ok...so being a little critical of performances is one thing, but actors are people too. Whether you think their performances were good or bad, feel free to talk about it. But please do so as if you were talking to the actor face to face. You need to treat the celebrities (scripted or reality) the way you'd treat any other users on the boards. Moderators will delete any messages that are considered flames to actors or other users.

ACTOR GUSHING

As fans, it's natural to admire and adore and sometimes even pine for our favorite actors. Before clicking that Post button though, it may be wise to consider the following things.

1. What would your spouse/significant other/parents think of what you're about to post? If your words would cross a line into the inappropriate, you might want to take a cool shower before you commit your post to a public forum.
2. This is the actors' employer's website. Think about your job and if your employer welcomed comments from customers. Would you want yourself or your employer to read what you're about to post on a public forum about yourself if one of your clients or customers wrote it? If it would make you uncomfortable, you might want to tone it down a bit.