* 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> -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
