[TowerTalk] mailing list etiquette

[Robert West]

Marlon,

I totally agree especially to the "Reply To All" being a pain in the butt.
I forget half the time and only reply to the poster thus the rest of the
list doesn't see any replies.  The threads tend to become choppy with some
conversation not being seen.

Bob-



-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Marlon K. Schafer
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 12:31 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] mailing list etiquette

Hi All,

As an ISP I have a bit of experience here so I thought I'd give back to this

group for a change.  (I'm on or administer 10's of lists and have been since

the mid 90's.)

First, each list should have it's own published charter to fall back upon. 
That charter should clearly state what topics of discussion are allowed.  It

should state some form of code of conduct as well.  These things not only 
help the list membership keep on track, they also make it easier for the 
moderator to step in when need be to either stop out of control threads, or 
remove people from the list.

When posting, it's *generally* accepted that you should top post, not bottom

post, as it's easier for people to follow just the new portions of a 
conversation.

If a thread is getting long and you are commenting on one small part of it, 
trim out the rest.  No one seems to do so, but adding a note that signifies 
that you've trimmed out a section is a good idea as well.  (ex:  ***trim***,

before and/or after the section you've cut out.)

Avoid personal attacks.  It's VERY easy to be more aggressive via email than

it is in person.  After all, no one's gonna reach out of the computer and 
deck you for being a jerk.  I try to pretend that the person I'm talking to 
is in front of me and say things in the same way that I would if we were 
talking in person.  In the end you can never change a person's mind, you can

only give them the tools they need to change it themselves.  (A skill I'm 
admittedly very poor at....)

Off topic posts.  Sometimes, it's either convenient or advantages to ask 
those on a list about a topic that's not related to the list charter.  How 
much of that happens is up to the list moderator and to the list members.
    Convenience:  It may be that you are on only one list.  It may be that 
you've already asked a question elsewhere.  It may be that you just don't 
know where else to ask a question.
    Or, as is often my case, the list membership is the best and the 
brightest that you know so you ask the ones that you think can quickly give 
you the best answer.

If/when you do post an off topic item, mark it with OT so that those that 
have no interest in a thread that's not related to the list charter can 
either easily delete the thread or automatically just filter it out in the 
first place.

Do NOT change topics without starting a new thread.  Especially don't reply 
to an existing thread to start a new one.  There is information in the 
headers (which are not normally shown to us but exist non the less) that 
many mail programs or search mechanisms use to organize conversations.  If a

conversation does drift from one topic to another one, be sure to note that 
in the subject line.  (ex: now favorite microphones -- was -- Morse code)

On a personal note, this is the ONLY mailing list that I'm on that does NOT 
reply to the list!  It drives me nuts.  I have to remember to hit reply-all 
then take out the individual's email address etc.  And once I've done that 
I've added yet another un needed email address to my address book that'll 
also have to be cleaned up much more often.  Can we PLEASE standardize that 
function?

Anyway, I hope that helps folks out.

laters,
marlon

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