What is this discussion list about and what are the rules?

This Mac User Group and OS X Discussion List will be used *for the rest of us*..... Mac users who simply want to learn how to use OS X on their Mac, without drowning in a sea of tech talk.

--
General Rules - Conditions - Netiquette

Most active lists, such as this list, have rules. This is necessary to maintain a comfortable environment for all of us. In creating the rules for this list I have researched the major ListServe rules. The rules for this list are a combination of "their" rules, and my own rules. If you disagree with the rules of this list you can do one of two things: talk to the list mom. I'm always willing to listen to a reasonable discussion, however, you must do this OFF-LIST. If you choose to vent your disapproval of the List Rules, and post such to the open list, you will be placed in moderation and one of the list parents will discuss the solution with you off list. Your second choice is to find a different list that better suits your needs.

Do not send admin messages (unsubscribe/vacation) to the discussion list. Send these requests to admin at osxlist.com.

Remember that replies automatically go to the list, not the person who posted the message. You need to change the To: address to respond to an individual.

Never send attachments to the list. This list will automatically reject any attachment, signature card, or vCard. Offer to email attachments directly to whomever is helping you (off-list), or you can place the file on your website (.Mac, etc.). Provide the link and then anyone can view it.

Apple email app, and others, are set to styled text by default. You must turn off HTML and RichText before posting to this list.. This list is set to automatically reject any posts sent in HTML/RichText, as well as any posts with attachments. PGP.sig files and v-cards are attachments.

Large messages will be rejected. We have a set limit of 6K per post.

Put a blank line between paragraphs.

Please quote only the relevant portion of messages you respond to - and please quote some of the original message so others know which part of the thread (discussion) you are responding to.

Editing replies does take a few more moments of your time, however, not editing the original wastes everyones time and bandwidth. Remember: There are real people out there reading your reply, who also have a busy life. If you refuse to edit and we have to constantly slog through your post to find out what you had to say, eventually we will tire of it and stop reading your posts.

Please keep "me too" messages off the list. If you have something of value to add to the discussion, then by all means, make your comments. The key words being "something of value to add". "me too" is not of value.

Keep your posts brief, if possible. Trying to read a long drawn out post, that bounces all over the place with irrelevant blather, is tedious. Eventually we'll tire of reading your long winded posts and ignore you.

Never send test messages to the list. Test when you have something to say to the list by saying it, not by sending an empty "test" message.

Do not cross post - sending the same message to several lists at the same time. Cross-posts will be automatically rejected by this list.

Do not CC, or place multiple recipients, in the "TO" field when posting to this list. CC's will be automatically rejected by this list.

Take it seriously when the list parents close a thread. Do not continue discussions on the list that have been closed by one of the list parents. If you continue a "closed thread" you will be moderated or removed from the list without warning. If you feel you must continue the conversation with others, take it off list and email them privately.

When posting a question, please list relevant information regarding your hardware, software, and version of the Mac OS involved. This saves us time by not asking you for the information. Each computer and OS has its own unique issues. It makes it very difficult to assist you if we don't know what we are dealing with.

Change the subject line when the subject of the thread changes. Nothing is more annoying than having someone hijack a discussion and turn it in a completely different direction. This is not fair to the original poster who gets buried under a maze of topics under the same subject. It's like watching a pinball bounce around!

When responding to a digest post, be sure to change the subject to match that of the original message. Please make certain you select only the post you are replying to. Do not quote back the entire digest. Your post will automatically be rejected because of the size limits on this list.

Restrict discussions to Mac-related topics. This is an OSX ONLY discussion list. It's not a chat room. Politics and religion are off topic. They are also not permitted in your signature tags for this list.

Always treat others courteously.

Signature blocks (sigs) are cute personal expression and generally ok, but not encouraged. It is preferred, especially if you are requesting help, to reserve this area for your hardware, current OS, and any other hardware/software that relates to your problem.

Signatures shall not exceed 4 lines, with 72 characters per line.

We all get frustrated with our computer problems, but please, do not use vulgarities nor offensive taglines. If someone on the list offends you, talk to them privately. The List Parents are not the moral police, but we do reserve the right to smack your hands off list and ask you to behave. Remember this:

http://www.onlinenetiquette.com/shallwestart.html

Common Courtesy, Social Graces, Socially Acceptable Behavior. These are all terms used in a civilized society where humans interact with one another. Cyberspace is not any different. How you will be perceived, the type of human being that you are, or for that matter, are not, your credibility, your levels of professionalism, and ethics, will be judged by how you communicate with others online.

Do not quote entire articles you found on a website to this discussion list. This is a copyright violation. Please post a brief comment and the link to the article.

I am adamant about good manners. Treat your fellow list members, and the list admin, with respect. Assume the best, not the worst. Please contact one of the list parents immediately if you feel something is getting out of hand on the list. This list is not moderated and we may not catch a problem post right away.

The list parents (Janice, William, Dieder), are reading all the posts to this list. We are very active "parents". This is a private discussion list owned by Janice Kempf and Clear Link. We have the right to moderate your posts, or remove members from the list, for vulgarity, trolling, flaming, name calling, threats, or other bad behavior.

* Moderated mode: One of the list parents must review your postings before they will be forwarded to the list - or rejected. Moderation will be lifted when the offending behavior ends.

Do not send admin messages, such as unsubscribe, vacation, delivery mode changes, email address changes, to the list. Send these requests to the List Mom Janice Kempf.

Blocking or bouncing emails from any list manager is grounds for immediate removal. We must be able to contact you to do our jobs.

Read ADMIN posts to the list. It's your responsibility to read these messages. These are posted to keep the list under control, to end threads, to give you information. If you fail to read an admin message that has been posted to this discussion list, you are at risk of being moderated or removed.

Removal from this Discussion List may be reversed. State your case clearly and send it to the List owner/List Mom. It is never wise to call the list parents names, or behave in a rude manner to the list parents, or your fellow list members; flaming list parents is grounds for permanent banning. No exceptions. Things can quickly be misunderstood in email and get out of hand. We are reasonable, thinking, adults. If you are upset, give yourself time to calm down before you fire off an email to the list, or to the list parents.

This is a closed (private) discussion list. This is done to keep out spammers. Please get the List Moms permission before promoting your company, or personal small business, on this list.

Spammers will be permanently banned from this list.

Since this is a closed list, if you do not post from the email address you gave at the time you subscribed, your post will bounce. Again, this is to keep out spammers.

If you posted to this list and do not see your post within 10 minutes, check your sent mail. There are five (5) reasons your post did not appear on the list:

1. You posted from the wrong email address.
2. You posted in formatted text (HTML or RichText). Formatted text is automatically rejected. Repost in PlainText.
3. Your post was too large. There is a size limit of 6 K
4. You are being moderated. Your posts require the List parents to manually read, accept or reject, your post.
5. You posted to the list and used multiple recipients (cross posting or cc are not permitted)

If you have computer related items you would like to sell, please make sure you put "FOR SALE" in the subject line and put your contact info in the email. Please have interested parties contact you OFF-LIST.

We are a Mac User Group. We encourage you to post events that are happening within your local MUG. It is not necessary to request permission from the list parents when posting a MUG event.