Re: [OFF-TOPIC] Mailing List Netiquette
* Readers should be aware that their posting will be public forever more
and cannot be retracted from the public eye.
* Confidentiality disclaimers are a joke (and irritant) when posting to
a public list (or anytime, for that matter).
* Don't scream at the list when you can't get unsubscribed. (It's
usually your own mistake anyway that you can't unsubscribe.)
* "Test Messages" to the list are generally discouraged.
* Foul language is inappropriate. Perhaps not for you and your culture,
but for some other culture, perhaps next door, perhaps on the other side
of the world.
* Please, oh please, learn to spell and use proper English (allowance is
made for non-native English speakers). Precision in language is
necessary for communication to take place (which is necessary in order
to convey what your problem is and to get a solution). Not to mention
that literacy is just a good thing in general.
* When posting your problem, provide a clear-cut question, so the list
members don't have to guess at what you're asking.
* Indicating that you've done some research on your own before posting
usually earns you some brownie points. Indicating that you've done no
research and are just expecting to be spoon-fed usually earns you some
wrath.
* Remember that emotions are not usually apparent in email, and will
often be taken to be negative. Emoticons are sometimes helpful, as are
other hints of your emotional state and/or intentions, to help prevent
development of flamefests.
* When threads do drift off-topic, they always die eventually. Sometimes
its better to just ignore them and let them die a natural death than it
is to try to kill them. (Although sometimes a reminder to get on-topic
or off-list is appropriate.)
* When responding to a post, especially weeks or months later, make sure
to include some relevant context for your response. List members see a
lot of mail, and can't be expected to remember what you're talking
about, or who said what when.
--
Kent West
Westing Peacefully <http://kentwest.blogspot.com>
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