[TowerTalk] mailing list etiquette

Mon Jan 11 11:54:38 PST 2010

Because it was constructive criticism, not personal at all.  Having input
from the users should be welcomed, not repulsed like some attack.  There is
no need to dismiss suggestions, no matter how crazy some may see them.

Bob-

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of W0MU Mike Fatchett
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 2:17 PM
To: 'chas'; 'Marlon K. Schafer'; 'towertalk'
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] mailing list etiquette

Why don't we continue to let the list owner, K7LXC, decide how the list is
run.  It has worked great since it was started.

CC Packet Cluster W0MU-1
W0MU.NET or  67.40.148.194

"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may
never get over." Ben Franklin 

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

Marlon K. Schafer wrote:
> 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.)

I am not sure how being an internet service provider makes one an expert in
NETIQUETTE... my suggestion is to go to RFC 1855 Rules of Netiquette and
read these informal rules.  these are the basis of my list rules.

> 
> 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.

This is why I quote the RFC ... if that body of suggested rules is violated,
then the perp CAN be removed or otherwise disciplined.
Most of my lists .. if not all, are moderated with a team of moderators who
examine each message before allowing it into the corpus of the discussion.

> 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.

this is plain WRONG!!  it is the sole reason why most people leave elists...

it leads to sloppy posting and extremely long downloads for those who prefer
or insist upon receiving the verdampt 20 - 25 message  periodic collection
instead of the single message which is far faster and easier to update.

Instead, Netiquette Rules [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette]  state
that you should strip/trim the quoted message (only one per reply) and enter
your reply below that quote after removing the footers, sig blocks, etc. 
This keeps everything above the reply limited to one, quoted message and no
old footers, etc. below your reply.  Bottom posting is THE DEVIL!  to quote
Adam Sandler and Kathy Bates.

Again, I have only been running elists and before that, the pre-fidonet and
quite ubiqitous BBS [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system] . 
After Al Gore invented the internet, the elist or email discussion list came
about and nearly all BBSs were "ported" over to the internet.  Such is teh
history of my oldest elist which once resided on a mainframe in Berkeley CA.

> 
> 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.)

sigh, see the above.  ALWAYS trim out the excess or EVERYTHING which you are

NOT replying to.  Quote only enough to allow your reply to make sense.  In 
fact, it is quite correct to "paraphrase" the idea(s) you are replying to
and 
then continue on with your reply.  Keep it Short and Sweet.

<SNIP>

> 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)
> 

the above is probably the most correct thing this person has emphasized in 
his lengthy message.   if you change topic in your reply, CHANGE THE SUBJECT

LINE !!!

> 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?
> 

AMEN!

Thankfully, my email client  Thunderbird,  allows me to add back the name of

the list by going to the address block and starting the name of the list. 
This is one reason I really dislike elists which are not on one or the other

of the main list hosts such as Gmail and Yahoogroups.

fwiw

chas

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