BitTorrent Etiquette
From DimeWiki
Contents |
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General BitTorrent Etiquette (A guideline only)
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Downloading
- Remember to say thanks on any forums or community trackers (where possible) when you download a file.
- If for some reason you don't like the file or the quality is low, inform the seeder about the problem, but do not flame them or post abusive, angry, hostile or threatening comments. These will not only get you banned from many respectable communities, they do no one any favours and will deter new users from contributing.
- If you find a virus or spyware in the torrent file, DO NOT assume that it was planted there by the seeder. Always ask politely about it and inform a moderator or admin if you are suspicious of the seeders motives.
- It is preferred if you seed the files you download until you have uploaded at least the same amount as you downloaded. This is not always possible, though. DIME requires a minimum share ratio of .25.
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Sharing
- Always try and seed files you make until a couple of other seeds are around to continue distributing the file.
- If you need to close your BitTorrent client regularly (e.g. over night or during the day) try and time your uploads so as to distribute a couple of copies of the file before you switch off. It's also good practice to forewarn downloaders that you may go offline for long periods during the day or night - ideally you would post this along with the torrent description.
- If you suffer technical problems or unforseen events force you to stop seeding, try and post a message about this on a forum or tracker where the torrent is listed.
- When seeding a file of your own, try and upload at your maximum rate. Most people will expect you to put time and effort into getting the file distributed quickly rather than trying to balance it with multiple other download/uploads.
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Shared Stuff
- Don't just share any old file. BitTorrent has long been seen as a source of good quality content, unlike Kazaa, E-Mule etc. If you plan on sharing one of your own files, make sure its a good file/folder of files. Nobody gains if you share corrupted or half completed albums. If the file is low quality or in some way "bad", at least indicate this when you post the torrent.
- If you're sharing music, don't place the them in zip/rar files. These are almost impossible to open if they get corrupted during transfer and often require passwords which over time can be lost (remember these files might end up on other P2P networks and not in the nice neat package BitTorrent produces)
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Requesting
- When requesting a file (usually on a forum), ask politely and be patient. Sometimes it takes days for a request to be fulfilled and many benevolent users will think twice about seeding if you are rude or impatient.
- When requesting also provide specific details about the file you want. Vague requests are often hard to fulfil and will not attract the attention of seeders so easily.
- If appropriate, offer to exchange one of your files for someone else's. If you're looking for files from a particular series or artist, say what you already have and offer those to anybody who needs them.
