Keith Addison
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:53:46 -0700
Welcome to the Biofuel mailing list. Please read this message - it will help you get the best out of your list membership.
Rights and obligations
Membership of Internet discussion groups is a privilege, not a right.
Like any community, your rights end where those of others begin.
This is especially important at the Biofuel list, which has a large,
global, multi-cultural membership with very diverse views.
Many of the members think this is one of the list's greatest values,
but some newcomers are unprepared for it, and a small minority fail
to adapt: confronted with views that differ from their own, they lash
out in anger. Others have demanded that dissenting views be censored,
usually by labelling them "off-topic".
But would you walk into a strange bar in a foreign city and give
everyone orders about what they may and may not discuss? Of course
not.
Open discussion
Some newcomers don't realize at first that it's a *biofuels* list,
not just about how to make biodiesel. Biofuels is a much more
wide-ranging subject and it comes with a context. With such an
international membership, what has "nothing to do with biofuels" is a
matter of opinion. Anything that has to do with energy has relevance
for biofuels issues. Sustainability also has relevance for biofuels
issues. Though the focus is on "ready-to-use" technologies,
discussion of all alternative energy technologies and topics is
welcome. ("Free energy" scams might not be very welcome.)
So the discussion is free and open. That is a long-established
tradition of the list, much discussed and endorsed by the majority of
the list membership. There aren't a lot of rules, but that is one of
them: no calls for restricted discussion. It's a discussion list, not
a less-discussion list.
That said, the Biofuel list is also a good place to learn how to make
and use biodiesel, with about the best resources there are and many
experienced biodieselers who are happy to help.
List Netiquette
Other rules are the usual ones: good Netiquette, the universal rules
of social discourse, that discussions should be even-handed and
honest.
- If someone questions you, don't just ignore them. You should be
prepared to substantiate what you say, or to acknowledge it if you
can't. Admitting you were wrong doesn't mean you "lose face", it
gains you respect.
- Obscene language is banned.
- Advertising of goods or services related to biofuels is not banned
but should be kept to a minimum. This is a privilege, not a right,
and it should be proportional to a member's contribution to normal
discussions. There are also other issues involved. Ask the list
administration first.
- Don't call for an offlist response unless you have a special
reason. If it's discussed on-list, everybody can share in the
discussion, more people will contribute, you'll end up with much
better answers, and it will all be in the list archives for future
seekers to find there.
- When there's disagreement, try to be diplomatic - attack an
opinion, not the person. "I disagree" is not the same as "You're
wrong". Disagreement is productive, flame wars are not.
- Trim your replies: quote relevant portions of the original message
in your reply, and <snip> what's not relevant. Read through what
you've written before you Send it.
- In-line responses are much better than "on-top" responses (some
lists insist on in-line responses). See:
Post In-line for Context
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg37999.html
See also:
Netiquette
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg38000.html
Netiquette, by Virginia Shea, Table of Contents (online book)
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html
- All members are obliged to read Administrative messages sent to the
list, and to heed them. These messages will have "PLEASE READ -
Moderator's message" or something similar in the Subject line.
Using the list
Newcomers sometimes get confused by all the different topics being
discussed, but all messages have subject lines, there's no need to
read anything you don't want to read. If you don't see what you're
interested in, ask. Check the list archives first to see if it has
been dealt with previously, and then ask. If you have information to
offer please do so.
Here is some advice on how best to handle a mailing list:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg21651.html
Languages
The list language is English, but if you are a non-native English
speaker please don't let that stop you. Many list members write bad
English but it doesn't matter, even very bad English is easy to
understand. Use the language translation programs on the Web if you
like, they're not very good sometimes, but again it doesn't matter.
The list is not just for the "Western English-speaking males" who
mostly populate the Internet, it is for everyone, with a special
interest in the countries of the Global South.
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en Language Tools
List resources
Please make use of the resources listed at the Biofuel mailing list
home page:
http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
Especially the searchable list archives:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
The archives contains more than 70,000 messages over nearly eight
years. The question you want to ask or the topic you're interested in
has probably already been covered. That's no reason not to ask it
again, but if you know what's gone before you'll ask a better
question and get better answers.
Virus-free
As an essential anti-virus measure the list does not accept
attachments. Attachments are automatically removed before messages
are distributed to the members. You won't receive a virus from the
Biofuel list. Keep your computer's anti-virus protection up to date.
Do not open unsolicited attachments. Check that anti-virus warnings
are not hoaxes before sending the warnings on to others.
Note
Internet mailing lists are not public places, they are more like
private clubs, to which you have to subscribe. Membership is a
privilege, not a right. The list administration reserves the right to
withdraw members' privileges and their membership at any time.
Thankyou, best wishes
Biofuel list administration
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Biofuel mailing list
Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
Biofuel at Journey to Forever:
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages):
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/