Netiquette Guide for the Lists A "Complete Course" in Mailing List Netiquette for PrintShare & PrintOwners The Basics... PrintShare and PrintOwners lists are unmoderated lists -- all messages are forwarded automatically to everyone on the list without any intervention on the part of the List Manager or anyone else. The lists, although unmoderated, are not anonymous lists. Subscribers are expected to sign every message with their real name, company name, and geographic area (city & state). Ficticious names and aliases are not permitted. The List Manager and/or the Advisory Board reserve the right to remove anyone from a list who, in their sole opinion, abuses a list. Your messages must be submitted as plain text. HTML-formated posts are seen by the list software as an attachment, and will bounce right back to you. Attention Outlook Express users -- make sure you have "Plain text" set, not HTML. No attachments -- they are blocked by the list software, and again your message will bounce. Only subscribers may post to the lists, and only from the exact address from which you subscribed. Other posts will bounce. Keep your audience in mind when you're writing. If your response would be more appropriately sent to just one individual, don't send it to the list! Send it privately instead. Fair Play... Personal attacks will not be tolerated. We're discussing issues here, not personalities. Flaming -- the act of berating someone in response to their message -- will not be tolerated. In addition, judgemental and condescending tones are discouraged. If you disagree with someone and cannot be civil in your response, don't say anything. Healthy discussion is acceptable and encouraged! Again, keep it issue oriented. All subscribers are expected to conduct themselves as professionals. Posting Courtesy... On the PrintShare mailing list, you may post messages on any topic related to printing; on PrintOwners, try and keep to topics of interest especially to business owners. Do NOT post: jokes (there are lots of good mailing lists for jokes -- join one); virus warnings (they're almost always hoaxes); chain letters; commercials (except in response to a request); anything in poor taste (if you're not sure, don't post it). When replying to a message, please include something (a quote, paraphrase, summary) so that others understand to what you are replying. If you quote the original message, retain only what is pertinent and edit the text to the minimum necessary to convey the original idea. Most of the subscribers have already read the message and do not need to read the entire message again. Three or four lines are often enough. Edit and summarize as needed. Use an elipsis (...) or <snip> to indicate removal of body text; include the original poster's name and/or e-mail address when possible. Do not send one line or similarly short responses. While you are encouraged to post and participate, if you have nothing of substance to add to the discussion, either send it privately or don't post it at all. Send "me too" messages to the poster, not to the list (if you have to send them at all). Use a signature -- include your name, company name, e-mail address, and geographic area (city, state) at the end of your posts. But keep it short -- three or four lines should usually be enough. Use clear, concise subject headings. When replying to a message, please be sure the Subject line of your e-mail reflects the context of your response. Sometimes the content of threads changes (thread drift) and the original Subject line no longer matches the topic being discussed -- so change it! When changing a Subject line, it's often a good idea to include the previous subject, "(was [previous subject])" after the new subject. Let your e-mail software help you...replies to a subject should always begin with "Re: [subject]" in the subject header. Also, lines quoted from a previous e-mail message should begin with the ">" character so it's clearly understood that you're quoting another writer. (If your e-mail software isn't doing this for you automatically, you may want to consider another program.) And make sure that your original lines do NOT begin with the ">" character. ATTENTION AOL USERS: Set your mail preferences to "Use Internet style quoting" rather than AOL style quoting. Don't ever quote someone's signature in your reply -- unless, of course, that's the subject of your reply. It is NEVER appropriate to take someone's private e-mail you received and post it to the list, without their expressed permission. Nor should list messages be forwarded, printed, or otherwise shared with others without the expressed permission of the original poster(s). Not only is it unethical, but it's also a copyright violation. Don't do it. Do not cross-post a message to multiple lists -- that is, do not send the same message to more than one mailing list at a time. Be tolerant of newcomers, who all make mistakes when they first join a list. If you feel you must correct someone, do it courteously and/or use private e-mail. We were all newbies once. Bottom line: treat other list members with respect. For New Subscribers... Lurk before you post the first time. Observe what's going on, and what is and isn't appropriate material. Lurk for a week or so, then "announce" your arrival with a posting that introduces yourself. PrintOwners subscribers are required to post an introduction within a week of subscribing. The introduction should at least include your name, company, address, phone, and number of employees; it's also a good idea to include information about what equipment you have, specialties, services you offer, etc. PrintShare subscribers are urged to post an introduction also, although it's not absolutely required. Save the "Welcome" file you received when you first subscribed to the list. For starters, it tells you how to unsubscribe. You may want to know that someday! Be careful about using sarcasm, satire, tongue in cheek humor, etc. Often it's misinterpreted. Use lots of emoticons and/or abbreviations -- here's a short list: Smiley faces :-) Winks ;-) Grins or smiles <G> Very big grin <VBG> Laughing out loud <LOL> Rolling on the floor laughing <ROTFL> Other common abbreviations you'll see from time to time: BTW -- by the way IMHO -- in my honest opinion, in my humble opinion FWIW -- for what it's worth AFAIK -- as far as I know FTLM -- From the List Manager Short paragraphs are easier to read than long ones. DON'T SHOUT. TEXT IN ALL UPPERCASE IS HARD TO READ AND IS CONSIDERED THE EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING. Do use normal capitalization. Separate your paragraphs with blank lines. Make your message inviting to your potential readers. It is okay to use uppercase sparingly to EMPHASIZE a word or two. And *asterisks* surrounding a word can also be used to make a point. Limit your line length to 70-75 characters, and avoid using extended characters (typed with the aid of the Control or Option keys) -- Mac and PC users each see them differently or not at all. Worth Mentioning... If your mail begins bouncing (due either to a full mailbox or a provider-related problem), your subscription will be switched to digests. Continued problems will get you unsubscribed. If you're suddenly not getting any list mail, you may want to write the List Manager for help. If you're going away for more than a few days, either unsubscribe or change your subscription to inactive. If you're overwhelmed with the volume of daily mail, consider subscribing to digests instead of individual messages. Write to the List Manager for help with any of the above. If you need to talk to the List Manager, you may call Bob Bergey at 215-257-3690 (near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). And finally...enjoy the communications with your colleagues! Few things are more rewarding than sharing ideas with peers in the same business (but who are not in your backyard). Enjoy the new resource...and please contribute!