Guidelines File - Updated 9/8/08 Fairfield Life used to average 75-150 posts a day - 300+ on peak days - and the guidelines included steps on how to deal with the volume. But this volume was due largely to indiscriminate posting by a few members. We now have a policy that limits all members to 50 posts a week. Most participants feel this policy has greatly enhanced the quality of the forum. A Post Count message is posted every evening, listing members' names (or aliases) and the number of messages they've posted that week. Those who exceed their weekly quota will be prohibited from posting for a week. The new week starts each Friday at 7pm Iowa time, or 00:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). UTC is the same as Greenwich Mean Time during winter.
------------------ You can also read FFL posts at http://www.mail-archive.com/fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com/. Some say this is faster than the Yahoo groups interface, and prefer it because it allows sorting by thread and has a better search function. Additional images are archived at http://alex.natel.net/ffl/images/. ------------------ 1) This group has long maintained a thoughtful and considerate tone. Please refrain from personal attacks, insults and excessive venting. "Speak the truth that is sweet" is a worthy aspiration. If angry, take some time to gain composure before writing or pushing the send button. 2) Edit your posts and make them as concise and non-repetitive as possible. 3) Please "snip" - be highly selective in quoting a message to which you are responding, deleting all but the most relevant portions of the prior posts. This makes the daily digest easier to read for those who subscribe to it. Also, if the topic of a thread changes, please change the subject header. 4) Try to make clear to the reader if you are writing from the perspective of personal experience, from information gained from teachers or books, from your own thoughts, reasoning, logic or conjecture. Please cite sources where relevant. 5) Reference prior posts by their archive number whenever possible. 6) Anonymous posts are permitted, using an account you create. 7) FFL is a newsgroup public forum. FFL can be openly read from the web. Posting privileges are through membership only. Material published to FFL is not privileged or protected by law. Material published to FFL might be quoted and used elsewhere. 8) Posting of "adult" material, either text or photos, is prohibited. Violation of this guideline may result in expulsion from the group. 9) Make cross-posts from other sites only as they are relevant to this group. If you think another site has great value, write one post saying so, then let others join or go to that site on their own, at their discretion. 10) Only post links to other sites that are relevant references to the specific discussion at hand. 11) While friendly exchange between friends is natural, try to pass on personal messages via personal e-mail, refraining where possible from sending personal messages to the whole list. 12) Feel to invite your friends to join FFL, and to use the site's Promote feature on your websites. The broader the personal network, the greater the value to all. Friends may now access the posts of FFL directly off the home page without having to join the list. 13) Please don't post commercial announcements in the main message area. Folders have been set up in the Database, Links and Files sections for listing books, CDs, DVDs and other items for trade, a Fairfield ride board, local events, hiring/looking for work announcements, informative articles, useful links, etc. Also check http://fairfieldtoday.com/. 14) Political discussions are allowed. However, be kind and respectful of others' viewpoints. Come with a humble heart, an open mind, and the desire to contribute constructively to everyone's broader awareness. 15) Keep in mind that many FFL members desire to maintain anonymity. If you happen to know a member's real name, perhaps because that member has mentioned it in a post or two, or to you privately, please refer to that member only by their pseudonym. 16) If you want to make suggestions for the refinement of these guidelines, please post them in the forum.
