If I may make a general comment, not exactly directed towards Matthew, but towards his general sentiment: Please understand that this list MAY NOT be the only list that some people belong to. Personally, I subscribe to 6 discussion lists, 4 of which are professional in nature, 2 are recreational. Three of the discussion lists I read are extremely high volume - upwards of 40 messages a day on each. I hit the "Delete" key rather frequently. One thing that is important to understand is WHY people subscribe to the list. Naturally, people subscribe to this list because they are interested in Chevelles. If the conversation turns toward a different topic, the list loses its worth. Even worse, it could chase away worthwhile contributors who would rather unsubscribe than have to constantly delete off-topic messages. In other words - when the "signal to noise ratio" has gotten to the point where the noise is greater than the signal, people unsubscribe which in-turn causes a further downward spiral in message quality causing more people to unsubscribe and so on. The main thing this list seems to be missing is a spirit of netiquette that used to be the norm back when only geeks had computers. As a by-product of making computers cheaper & easier to use, a lot of people are now online and participating in discussion lists such as this one without having gained any knowledge of "netiquette". That's fine. We all have to start somewhere. But it is important that some "rules of order" be established for the greater good of all. If I may suggest some netiquette, here's a quick list of guidelines that I think will make any discussion list operate more smoothly. This is all just slapped together in no particular order.
(Pay close attention to #5) 1. If your post is relevant only to one member of the list, please contact that person using personal e-mail. However, some messages, though personal in nature, may also be relevant or useful for multiple members of the list. In such a case, it is definitely good to post to the whole list. 2. Use the subject line to announce your topic effectively. We all get a lot of e-mail and a descriptive subject line will help to identify a message and will help other members decide whether the message is relevant or of interest to them. 3. Use only one topic per message. If your message spans multiple topics, it'd be best to split that message up into multiple posts. That way it is more helpful for people to follow and may also get you better responses (because some people might not open your message if the subject doesn't look interesting) 4. Be thoughtful when posting information from other lists. Many of us are on several lists. Instead of a simple forward of the posting, add a note about why you found the other message informative and relevant. 5. If the message is off-topic, but you think people might be interested, post it. But make sure you mark it as "Off-Topic" or "OT" in the subject line. Please try to remember though, that too many off-topic posts are going to drive up the signal-to-noise ratio. Only make off-topic posts if you think it will be welcomed by the other members, won't cause a flame-war, and really is interesting. 6. Do not forward or share others' e-mail without permission. Believe it or not, email messages are covered under Copyright law. So, even beyond the lack of good taste, reposting someone's email without permission is a violation of copyright. 7. Restate (or, "quote") some of the message you're replying to so your reply makes sense. I cannot state this enough. Reading a reply that does not quote the original message is like walking into a conversation at the punch line of a good joke. It just doesn't make sense. Therefore, make sure you quote the person you're replying to. Helpful info at: http://email.about.com/cs/netiquettetips/qt/et090402.htm 8. When responding to another's message, don't quote the entire message. Delete any excess text that isn't relevant to your response. 9. Avoid "Me, too", "I Agree" and "Yes" messages. Considering the volume of e-mail we all read each day, a message that says "Me, too" really isn't saying anything at all. 10. DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. This is perceived as shouting. 11. Use emoticons (also known as "smileys") when trying to convey a tone of voice :-) It may help avoid confusion. E-mail is an imperfect medium for conveying tone. An emoticon may help avert an argument. 12. Consider carefully what you write; it's a permanent record and can be easily forwarded to others. 13. Don't send entire web pages to a discussion group, just the URLs (web page address). 14. Don't blatantly promote your business by posting an advertisement to a discussion group. Otherwise, you are "spamming." If someone specifically requests a product or service, and you can provide that product or service, by all means contact them via private e-mail. 15. When forwarding messages, put a few comments at the top of the message about why you thought that the message would be helpful. 16. Read over your e-mail before you send it. Although e-mail is a more informal method of communication than writing a letter, be sure you make your points clear and concise. Use a spell checker if available. 17. Be sure to sign your name at the end of each message. It helps other members know "where you're coming from" when you say something. 18. Turn off HTML in your e-mail program. Some people's e-mail software can't handle it, so your messages come through garbled. In addition, some corporate networks are programmed to dump HTML e-mails as a defense against spam and viruses.(To those of you new to computers - basically any e-mail that isn't JUST plain black-on-white text is an HTML email) 19. If you cross post messages to multiple groups, include the name of the groups at the top of the mail message with an apology for any duplication. 20. Resist the temptation to "flame" others on the list. Remember that these discussions are "public" and meant for constructive exchanges. Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you. 21. Please refrain from discussing religion, sex, or politics on the list. There are a lot of different people on the list. They range in ages, locations, genders, and "social class". There's only one thing we're *guaranteed* to agree on - that we are fans of the Chevrolet Chevelle. That being the case - that's what the group should stick to discussing. 22. When you're going to go out of town for a while, and you plan on setting an "Out-of-office reply", please take the time to go to the mailing list page at http://www.chevelles.net/mailman/listinfo/chevelle-list_chevelles.net/ and change your subscription option to stop receiving messages while you're gone. Otherwise everyone's going to get your Out-of-office message everytime they post to the list, and that's just not cool. Some other helpful Netiquette links - http://www.petri.co.il/email_netiquette.htm http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ Karl Groves Master Certified CIW http://www.karlgroves.com Will Work For Parts: http://chevelle.karlcore.com/detail.php?id=3 ________________________________ From: Matthew Post [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 11:11 AM To: The Chevelle Mailing List; 'The Chevelle Mailing List' Subject: Re: [Chevelle-list] FW: eSecurity Advisory: Blackmal Email Worm Learn to read the subject line and find your delete key.....it's not that hard. At 06:50 PM 2/2/2006, Darren wrote: I thought we were a car club list. Please send car related messages as was so strongly noted just a few days ago. Darren ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ] On Behalf Of Clint Hooper Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 8:10 PM To: The Chevelle Mailing List Subject: Re: [Chevelle-list] FW: eSecurity Advisory: Blackmal Email Worm Don't ever open executeable files (.exe) and delete attachments that you're not at least 100% sure of their origin. Clint Hooper H&H Custom,owner 1969 El Camino ProTourer 2001 H-D FLHR custom bagger http://dalesplace.com/misc/friends/clint/clint_hooper.htm
