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Craft101 Mailing List Welcome Letter | |
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Craft101 Mailing List Welcome Letter | |
Craft101 is open to all who wish to read and discuss beginner Pagan/Wiccan books. Seekers, Learners, and Practitioners of all levels are welcome. The list is, however, geared to the beginner and intermediate student. More knowledgeable students are encouraged to join, as they can help the beginners to understand how our faith is lived (which has much more depth than one can comprehend from a book).
We will read and discuss 13 beginner books, a chapter or so a week. When we finish one reading cycle, we will start again at the beginning; we envision this list as being one that any beginner can join at any point and learn from. If there is sufficient interest, we may also start (at the end of the first cycle) Craft201 for reading and discussion of intermediate Pagan/Wiccan books.
We will start with a pre-lesson about Tools of Learning April 11, 1998, so you may be able to get more out this mailing list. We will start reading the first book the week after that. Discussion topics will go out every Saturday.
We encourage you to buy the books locally if you can. Support your local stores, large or small, that carry Pagan/Wiccan Books. If you cannot find them locally, you can buy them through the Pagan Book Nook Craft101 Mailing List Page, in association with Amazon.com.
The books--in order, with their link to Amazon--are:
We'll start of with books that give an overview: the early books are basically informational with little about actual practice. We then will go on to several books that are about both theory and practice in the broadest sense. The middle books were chosen to give a variety of angles on contemporary Wicca and Paganism: British Traditional, British Hedgewitch, American Eclectic, Fam Trad, Faery/Feri. Finally we end with Living Wicca as it is a bridge from beginner to intermediate concepts.
This message is quite long and contains 4 elements:
In this message, you'll find: where to send group posts, the group URL, some hints and suggestions concerning etiquette, our hopes for your list involvement, our ideas on the primary and secondary focus of Craft101, etc.
This list is intended to be a learning list, not merely a Pagan chat list. As such, we have more rules than Wiccan/Pagan discussion lists. Please read everything carefully before posting for the first time, as repeated violations of the guidelines herein may result in unsubscription from the list.
Remember to save this welcome letter, as it contains information you may want to refer to again.
ADMINISTRIVIA
1) Andi and Terrastel are the list owners. We can always be reached privately at: [email protected]
2) Always post to the list from your subscribed address. This is a closed list, and if you post from another address, it will bounce as a non-member submission. If you would like us to add a secondary address as a nomail subscriber (which means you will be able to post from the address, but not receive mail at it), let us know at [email protected].
3) The list is available in both single message and digest format. Digest format means you receive all the group messages sent in a certain time frame as one long message. With single messages, you receive each group post individually as it bounces from the Mylist server. This group may be high-volume, as the former Craft101 list is; you may find it easier to handle all the mail if you are subscribed to the digest. To find out how to switch your subscription, get the majordomo help-file from the server by sending HELP in the body of a message sent to [email protected]
4) Send an e-mail to [email protected] with HELP in the body to get more information about the commands you have available to you. If you have problems working with the Majordomo, contact a Majordomo Tech for assistance. (See Craft101 Council below.)
5) If you ever need another copy of this welcome letter, send an e-mail to [email protected] with *intro craft101* in the body (without the asterisks).
6) If your mail bounces from your server because of a full mailbox, I may have to subscribe you to the digest or unsubscribe you. So please try to keep your mailbox empty. If you are having problems with your email, please let Terrastel know at <[email protected]> or <[email protected]> and put in your subject line ***MAIL PROBLEM***. Don't forget...you can also set your subscription to *nomail* if you will be away from email for a couple of days. See the majordomo help-file for instructions, or ask one of the Majordomo Techs (see Craft101 Council below).
7) If you miss any of the topic posts or digests, write to one of the Archivers (see Craft101 Council below).
To aid the ListMoms in the administration of the list, the Craft101 Council was created. These are list members who agree to assist other members with common problems, and watch for list etiquette breaches on the list.
The positions on the Craft101 Council are:
I will post on a weekly basis the e-mail addresses of the Techno-Pagans, the Member Advocates, Archivers, and the Majordomo Techs so that if you have a need of their services, you will have their addresses close at hand. Watch for posts labelled ADMIN: Craft101 Council Addresses
It is our fondest wish that we will never have to use the Watchers or the Member Advocates. We sincerely believe that adults and teens in this group can communicate without rancor and in adherence to the List Etiquette set out here. But they are in place, just in case they are needed.
LIST ETIQUETTE
Read the mailing list for a while before posting, to get a "feel" for what common questions are asked, what topics are deemed off-limits, what the general tone of the group is, etc. This is commonly referred to as lurking. When you feel comfortable with the group, start posting.
Follow the rules of discussion: stick to the issue (see Topicality below) and respond to disagreement without personal attack. Disagreement is OK; disrespect is NOT.
Follow any and all guidelines that the ListMoms post; Andi and Terrastel establish the local netiquette standards for this list. For your ease in spotting these posts, we will start them with ADMIN in the subject. All ADMIN posts must be read and complied with. Not complying with them will make you subject to warnings and possible list unsubscription. If you have problems with our decisions, contact us PRIVATELY about them. We may not change our decision, but we will listen.
Encourage high values from others by demonstrating them in your own postings:
Send your posts to the list in PLAIN TEXT. Some newer browsers have HTML as default settings for outgoing mail. This can be changed in your preferences, or for the Craft101 address in your address book. If you are unsure if you are sending in HTML, or need assistance in switching to plain text, contact one of the Craft101 Council's Techno-Pagans.
Never send any sort of attachment to the list: no sound files, photos, applications, or HTML.
Quote relevant portions (and ONLY relevant portions) in your replies to give other readers context for your message. Usually only a line or two is needed; we all get the same messages. Don't post me too messages unless a public vote is explicitly being called for. Especially do not quote an entire message just to say some form of "I agree". If you do not know how to delete parts of other's messages from your own, or have similar technical problems, ask one of the Techno-Pagans for assistance. They are always there to help!
Please consider whether or not a reply you are planning to send to the group would be better sent to the original poster. If it would be of interest only to them or to a small part of the group, please send your reply privately.
When going away for more than a few days, unsubscribe or set yourself to nomail. The unsubscription process is described at the top of this welcome letter, as well as on the bottom of every list post or digest. The nomail procedure instructions can be retrieved from the [email protected] if you send a mail to it with HELP in the body.
If you want to forward a long message to the group--an interesting myth, ritual, spell, etc.--please contact Andi or Terrastel before going sending it to the group.
Please keep discussions of administration with the ListMoms or Watchers private. If you trangress one of the rules of etiquette/topicality, you may very well here from one of us privately. We ask that you keep these private conversations private. Do not feel as though you must take the private admin discussion to the list, to plead your case. Such action may be cause for removal from the list or prior post approval.
Do not cross-post to Craft101. If you are sending a message to multiple groups, consider that it may not be topical for Craft101 (see below). If you must send a message to Craft101 as well as other groups, please send out a special copy to the Craft101 list, with only the group on the To: line and nothing in the CC. Crossposting with many addresses causes problems for admin.
At the top of each list post is a line which states who the message sender is. Make sure you know to whom you are replying. Replies to posts are sent back to the mailing list by default. If you want your reply to be by private e-mail, make sure that your desired recipient is really in the To: field (simply cut-and-paste from the message fronter mentioned above).
Signatures should be relatively short; a good rule of thumb is no more than 6 lines.
Don't post in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This is considered the electronic equivalent of shouting and is difficult to read. Use _underscores_ to underline and *asterisks* to italicize for emphasis instead. Reconsider your emphasis marks before adding them--they can be misinterpreted as angry remarks.
As this is a list geared to beginners, we ask that you bear in mind that thoughts are fragile things, especially when you are new to a path and are questioning/soaking up everything. Please always show the utmost respect for the any questions or ponderings from another list member. You may disagree, but guide gently.
Also, remember that not everyone on the list is Wiccan or Pagan. There are those here who have no professed religion, and even some Christians who would like to learn more about Paganism because they have Pagan relatives Therefore, we will not be bashing other religions. Many of us have friends and loved ones who do not share our beliefs but whom we respect; treat our non-Wiccan, non-Pagan members as you would them.
Don't post flames, messages whose primary purpose is to insult another person(s), even if you think you are right. Similarly, don't legitimize a flame by responding to it. Absolute silence is the most effective method of letting the author of such a message know that her/his words are not appreciated. If you really feel the need to respond, do so by private e-mail instead of to the list. Remember that these discussions are public and meant for constructive exchanges. Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you. Though we are all not Wiccan here, we suggest the Rede as a guide: Harm None Also, mean-ness will not be tolerated from one Craft101 member to another privately for something they posted on the group. Or for any reason, actually. If you receive any harassing letters privately, let us know about it right away. Also, harassment on another member's behalf is also a violation. In this group everyone is equal, and people join to learn and make friends--not to be harassed and ridiculed. Sure, you may express your opinion, but being mean is NOT an opinion. Violation of any part of this rule will bring SWIFT action on the part of the listowners, any of the measures listed below depending on how bad the violation was.
Be respectful of other's views. Just because someone has a different concept or opinion, doesn't mean they are wrong, and deserve public criticism. If you must discuss beliefs you don't agree with, frame it as "this is my opinion" not, "you are wrong, I am right". We can disagree with each each other and still be respectful. We are all adults here (or are at least old enough to type!); there is no reason why we cannot communicate without rancor. Also try to remember that this is a beginning list and that we need to be gentle in our messages disagreeing with the opinions and/or actions of other list members. Guide with wisdom, not intolerance/anger. Violation of this rule will get a stern warning privately, and list unsubscription if continued on list.
Please do not post multiple short messages on a thread. Short messages are okay as long as that is all you have to say at the time. Multiple messages are okay if they are of sufficient length to each warrant a single message. We are doing this so that digests can fit as much info in them as possible and so that people who are subsingled don't get their mailboxes over-flooded.
Don't post advertisement messages, chain letters, virus warnings, help pleas, etc., to the list. If you have a web page or product, write it discretely in your sig file. If you are starting other lists, send us your announcement and we'll let you know if you can pass it on to the list as is or if we'll announce it for you.
Never post (in whole or in part) personal e-mail that you have received to the list, unless you have permission to share. Such is considered extremely rude. Keep private electronic mail private, just as you would wish others to do for you.
Craft101 is a closed list, which means that only list members can post and every new member has to go through an approval process. As we want this to be an open learning environment, and openness requires trust, list members are forbidden to forward list posts to outsiders. You are only allowed to forward the topics written by Andi or Terrastel (with proper attribution) or stories/rituals/spells by listmembers who have given you/the list their permission. Violation of this rule will result in unsubscription from the list.
Change subject lines to reflect new topic developments. For example, if the original topic was "Foo" (having a subject of "Foo") but it's turned into a debate about "Bar", change the subject line to "Bar". Doing this is considered an excellent thing to do, as it allows everyone to easily determine what is really being discussed at a glance.
If you disagree with a post, and have a strong emotional response to it, calm down before you reply. Don't publicly respond to the offensiveness.
If you feel that a post breaks these guidelines (and you do not feel personally affronted), give the ListMoms a reasonable chance to address the issue. If the issue is not addressed, then send a private e-mail to the ListMoms. They or the Watchers of the Flames may have been working on the problem behind the scenes.
If you feel a personal affront, follow the procedure below:
If the offense was a public post and the resolution requires an apology, the apology should be made on the list.
Depending on the severity of the violation of list etiquette or topicality, list members may be subject to:
Public and private apology may be required as well.
The ListMoms shall publicly report the resolution of personal affronts committed on the list.
TOPICALITY
Keep your questions and comments relevant to the focus of Craft101. What is the focus?
....is the topics and articles posted by Andi and Terrastel. We would like to see people discuss the topics, and send their reply TO THE LIST (more on this in the List Involvement). Newbies should ask questions about the current list topics, and journal the topics in the posts; old-timers could answer the newbie's questions, as well as post on their experience of it.
...of Craft101 is what I would call Living Wicca/Paganism, where we discuss issues that come up in our lives in regard to Wicca/Paganism, ask questions that come up in our reading of Pagan/Wiccan topics, etc. This is NOT intended to be simply a general discussion group on Wicca/Paganism. There are wonderful groups like that out there already: Witchhaven, Solo, Paglore, etc. This is a place to learn and perhaps struggle with the concepts of Wicca/Paganism and share your own personal experience of such, in a supportive learning environment provided by the ListMoms and old-timers. Ask the tough questions; read and study on your own, and come back to the group with well-thought out questions that require a well-thought out response.
As Wicca/Paganism is so much a part of the lives of its followers, most ideas are not considered off-topic. But topics should be addressed as lined out above. While it may be off-topic to discuss a book cover (what does that have to do with Discussion Topics or Living Wicca?), it is wholly on-topic to pick out a paragraph/chapter of a book, and ask questions about its content or how the information is practiced. Is it relevant to my spiritual life; does it make me think or ask questions? If so, it is relevant to the list.
Because list members will want to discuss more social topics, a social list has been created for Craft101 called Webweave. This is the list where you can talk about anything in your personal life and non-Living Wicca discussions. Sometimes, Andi or Terrastel will ask that a more social thread be moved to Webweave. We are currently switching servers for Webweave now, but if you are interested in that list, write to: [email protected] with SUB WEBWEAVE in the subject. We'll subscribe you when the list is running on the new server.
Don't pull topics from other Wiccan/Pagan mailing lists for discussion here, unless you really want to discuss it from a learning/concept perspective or the Living Wicca perspective (not just your opinion, but what it means to you in your life and spiritual practice.) We are all on several lists; I'm sure we don't want to see the same chat on Witchhaven, Solo, Craft101, etc.
If, by chance, another person posts a comment or question that is off the subject, do NOT reply to the list and keep the off- subject conversation going publically. Conversely, when someone posts an off-subject note, and someone else criticizes that posting, you should NOT submit a gratuitous note saying "well, I liked it and lots of people probably did as well and you guys ought to lighten up and not tell us to stick to the subject".
It doesn't hurt to reiterate and expand....Remember that LIST COP posts are considered off topic. Please do not post messages to the list about issues of topicality. Don't tell others what to post--as an order or a suggestion--anything from a simple "please use more appropriate subject lines" to "we don't talk about THAT here". If you have a concern about whether something is off topic or not, please email the ListMoms, and we will give the matter our full attention. Please do not panic if you don't hear from us immediately about a message of concern... Terrastel and Andi will usually watch a thread in question while we communicate with each other about how best to handle the concern.
Our primary guideline for topicality is "Does it inform your spirituality?" When in doubt, ask yourself, "Does this have anything to do with living my spiritual path? Is it about how one lives as a Wiccan/Pagan?"
As always, remember, if you have a question, concern, or problem you can always write to the ListMoms at [email protected].
Andi and Terrastel cannot forsee, in a post like this, all the topical/non-topical issues that might come up on the list. We hold the right to rule any topic brought up on the list as non-topical. We will post such decisions in an ADMIN post, which we require all members to read and abide by.
LIST INVOLVEMENT
The Craft101 list is a teaching/discussion list, not simply a pagan chat list. As such, we would like to encourage your active involvement.
I understand and appreciate being a lurker on lists; I am myself quite often. But you will get more out of this if you at least keep up with the reading, journal the topics, and do any assignments. I would like everyone to share ON LIST their assignments and reactions to topics, as discussion of the week's topics is the primary focus of the list. But you are not required to do so.
Get a special binder to use for this list. Print out the topics and articles posted by Terrastel and Andi. Include any special posts from your fellow list members. Put the topics and your responses by book in your binder.
1) Before reading the week's chapter(s), prepare your space: Make sure you won't be disturbed for about an hour. Light a few candles, burn a little incense.
2) Take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Clear your mind of the day's worries.
3) Read the chapter(s). Reread it. Think about it. Reread it again.
4) Ditto for the current topics of discussion/assignments.
5) Make comments. Express your feelings about what you are reading. Don't be shy. Send your thoughts to the list address so that everyone in the class will see your response. Don't be concerned if you think that other classmates may/have the same sort of answer; you will find you have a unique voice when you start to journal.
6) Some of the lessons will require homework. You will gain more from the list if you do the exercises or the research mentioned.
7) If you chose to mainly lurk, I would ask that you post something once a month. Nothing fancy; just want to know that everyone is alive out there. Have as subject line DELURKING: and tell us anything you like: response to topics/reading, questions, interesting books and websites, something happening in your life, etc.
8) If you are going to be a big contributor to the list, I would ask that at least 1/3 of your posts be about the week's topic. I won't be keeping track, but this is a good guideline so that we stay on topic.
This may seem like a lot of rules, and it is. But every rule here has a reason. The Craft101 list is a private mailing list. Andi and Terrastel, as listowners, have the right and responsibility to run it as they see fit, to provide the atmosphere they believe to be most conducive to learning/sharing. If you will not abide by the rules, you do not belong in the group.
All in all, we feel these to be fair rules and should not over-burden any list member in any way.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this. Everyone on the list appreciates your effort to make the list into a respectful community rather than just a bunch of e-mail messages. If you need a laugh after all that serious stuff, take a look at the Emily PostNews Netiquette page.
If you have any questions or comments about these guidelines contact [email protected].
Blessings,
Terrastel and Andi
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