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Dear Whooperdingles!
I rarely send announcements to the list but here goes: the mailing list is now moderated. This means I will be checking all messages before they get posted in order to ensure that the quality of all posts match my newly extensive set of rules. Frankly speaking, this list could use some better management and I don't believe I'm a hypocrite in pulling on the reins a bit. I don't claim to be a model poster...but I do think everyone could benefit from this. Note: please don't be offended if your post is returned to you for editing. I just want to make myself absolutely clear.
If my rules sound familiar, thank the wonderful moderators of the Uberbitches mailing list and HPFGU mailing list for providing excellent examples to go by. And, as always, you can unsubscribe from the list by sending an email to [email protected].
On to the rules:
1.) Victimhood is nothing more than a lame attempt to excuse blatant lack of consideration for other people's feelings. You will be personally accountable for your words and/or actions, or you will not be a member of this list.
2.) Read an e-mail all the way through before you post a response. You cannot make an informed opinion if you do not know what was said. Any half-assed comments will result in immediate removal from the list.
3.) If you don't want unsolicited advice or commentary from the peanut gallery about personal issues, don't post your personal issues to the list. Private discussion should be reserved for private emails.
4.) Drama queens are not allowed: do not take anything said as an attack unless you are completely 100% sure it was meant as an attack. Mudslinging, name-calling, personal attacks, defamation, obscenity, condescending, haughty remarks without adequate basis in fact or reason will not be tolerated. Flaming is strictly prohibited.
5.) Practice discretion. Self-control means knowing how to censor oneself. I have no patience to do it for you. Moderator is not synonymous with Mommy. If you post it, you deal with the consequences.
6.) No proselytizing (of any kind); not only is it counter-productive, it is also very alienating and highly offensive.
7.) A *good* list member is someone who is both open-minded and tolerant of others' thoughts, ideas and opinions. Any subject should be open to discussion without fear of criticism or reprisal. This doesn't mean you have to agree with every post. Remember to respect the other person's right to his or her own opinion. If you want to argue against the post, be mature about it. Build your case; as long as your rebuttal is intelligent, well thought-out and fair, it will be allowed. But never, ever attack other group members.
8.) No one likes a whiner. Ranting and venting is permitted. A bad day is allowed, but not when it becomes chronic. If you're a cutter, we don't want to hear about it. If you have a learning disability, get in line. Do not expect to use it as a crutch because we will take it from you and beat you with it. We will give you a hand up and support to stand, but you can be damned sure we won't carry you. Get over yourself. (--Carrie)
9.) Post ettiquette (this is taken almost directly from HPFGU because they phrased it so well):
No forwards.
Always sign your post at the bottom, even if it is with a pseudonym or pen-name, so people know whom they are quoting.
No netspeak (using "2" for "to", "4" for "for", etc.).
No to anything illegal. This includes copyright violations, plagiarism, etc.
This list does occasionally get to be high-volume. It is imperative that people are able to skim through topics, choosing what they want to read and what they want to skip. Therefore, when posting a new thread, make sure your subject line reflects your message. When responding to a thread, make sure your post has an accurate, descriptive subject header.
No one-liners. I am instituting a five line minimum. In order to keep post numbers down, please combine several shorter messages into one larger one. Obviously, the subject line will have to reflect the content of your post.
Sometimes it's hard to figure out which message people are replying to unless they quote a bit of it above their own comments. So when replying to a post, please include an exact quote from the person to whom you are replying.
In saying an "exact" quote, I mean cut the non-essential crap from the message you are replying to. This makes your message easier to follow and keeps other list members from getting confused. I repeat: DO NOT leave the entire message you are replying to as quoted material.
10.) Grammar (this was also taken almost directly from HPFGU because they phrased it so well): :
Please write in an adult style. Bear in mind that not all of our members are 20-something Americans: it is imperative that all members use correct English.
Use capital letters at the beginning of sentences, periods at the end, and commas in the middle to show phrasing. Question marks end questions, don't they? Oh, and please restrain yourself from using too many exclamation marks. They make you look overly-excitable. And there's NEVER a need for more than one exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.
Never use all lower case letters or, worse still, all CAPITAL LETTERS. It is a major no-no, visually jarring and using all caps is considered SHOUTING!
There are several conventions to give emphasis to your words. Some people LIKE to capitalise the odd word, some *far* prefer asterisks, others _much_ prefer underlining (bear in mind some people use underlines for _Book_Titles_). It's entirely up to you.
NEVER, EVER, *EVER* use netspeak. Some common abbreviations are fine (the BTW, IIRC, AFAIK type) but using numbers for words ("2" for "to", "4" for "for", "l8r" for later) and single letters for words ("u" for "you", "r" for "are", "b" for "be") are not. They make you look exceedingly juvenile. Don't do it.
If you're used to forums where speed is important (chat rooms, role playing games, etc.), it's easy to fall out of the habit of proofreading. Here, however, your post will be as relevant in five minutes (or, usually, even in five days) as it is now.
Please write with paragraphs, separating each of them with an empty line. This "white space" makes it so much easier on the eyes, as it is exceedingly straining to read long blocks of unbroken text.
Run on sentences are the equivalent of not pausing and taking a deep breath in conversation and you know pausing is a GOOD thing because if you don't your face will turn blue but in this case your post will be like really difficult to read not to mention boring and no one will read it if is not only one long block of unbroken text but also one long sentence so don't do it mmkay?
Consider how your post will be viewed by others. Bear in mind that sarcasm is *extremely* difficult to convey in a text-based medium like email. If you are at all dubious about the tone of your post, leave it overnight and come back to it in the morning.
Before hitting the 'send' button, please take a few minutes to look over your post and correct any typos, spelling/punctuation errors, or problems with sentence structure or capitalization. This will make it much easier to read and help in getting across your point. An automated spell checker might be of assistance to some people; while this catches some errors, it will not catch the difference between "form" and "from", "walking" and "waking", etc.
11.) If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you dish it, you should be able to eat it as well. If you cannot abide by these rules, leave.
Generally, you will recieve two warnings before action is taken against you. Unless you piss me off. Hell, I'm the Admin Goddess and I can do whatever I damn well please. Not that I'm unreasonable or anything. This should be obvious, but: if in doubt, *ask* me. And if you think any of the rules were created specifically on account of you and you feel offended, see Rule #4.
Thanks for giving me your attention.
K. (Friday, 7/12/02)
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