GEN: LM_NET ETIQUETTE

[Peter Milbury <pmilbury@ERICIR.SYR.EDU>]

Dear LM_NET Colleagues,

From time to time it is worthwhile to review the guidelines that make
LM_NET a friendly, comfortable place to be a part of.

LM_NET NETIQUETTE GUIDELINES (March, 1997)
   These Guidelines are a way to help us continue making the most
   effective use of LM_NET. We expect that all who are subscribed or are
   otherwise reading the list will use them conscientiously.

   *Please note the section toward the bottom which is especially for
   vendors, producers, authors, speakers, conference/workshop/seminar
   organizers, consultants, and other vendors of products or people
   promoting causes.

a. Please assist us in managing LM_NET by keeping your e-mailbox
   available for incoming messages. Many of our 7,000+ LM_NET subscribers
   have e-mailbox size limits. When the limits are exceeded, messages are
   returned to LM_NET senders. Sometimes hundreds of such messages return
   to LM_NET administration in a day. This means that we must drop those
   persons from LM_NET, a lengthy process, since we first have to scan
   each "bounced" message, and delete it.

b. In the event that you will be changing, dropping or losing your e-mail
   service, please be so kind as to first sign off from LM_NET, to avoid
   having us receive scores of returned messages due to "user unknown".

   For a temporary suspension of LM_NET mail, send the message
   "set LM_NET nomail" (without the quotes)
    to:  LISTSERV@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

    To resume participation, send the message
   "set LM_NET mail" (without the quotes)
    to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

   * Netscape and other graphical mailers may require confirmation.
     Please allow time for the confirmation message to reach you. This
     normally is sent to you immediately after the Listserv receives your
     command.

1. All postings over 75 lines long (approximately four screens' length)
   _must_ be approved in advance by the LM_NET moderators.

   All courses, programs, conference or workshop announcements or
   registrations, as well as surveys, etc., require advance approval before
   posting.  A preferred way (not needing approval) is to briefly describe
   the "item" in the message, and indicate where to obtain the form or
   detailed information (i.e., WWW, phone call, etc).

2. Never post a message to the group which would not be of interest to
   thousands of people. It is considered wasteful of the time of list
   members to be pestered with meaningless (to them) messages which are
   of value only to a small number of people. LM_NET is _not_ a
   newsgroup, where people reply to each other routinely posting to the
   group.

3. Chain letters or messages requesting mass mailings to other addresses
   are strictly forbidden, as are unsolicited commercial postings (plus
   notices about the "Craig Shergold postcard request" or the "Good Times
   Computer Virus" -- Internet legends.) Please review our Frequently
   Asked Questions (FAQ), posted twice monthly before asking "stumper"
   questions (i.e., for the three -gry ending words).

   If in doubt, please check with one of the LM_NET owners before posting
   "alarming" warnings or "stumpers" to the group.
   Owners:  pmilbury@ericir.syr.edu or mike@ericir.syr.edu

4. Be sure of the address you have typed. Did you intend it for all
   LM_NET members to read? Or were you sending a command to the listserv
   (i.e., to set NOMAIL, SIGNOFF, DIGEST, etc.)
   The listserv address is: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
   To post to LM_NET, use:  LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

5. Think before you post. Do I really want to say this to the entire
   world (and have it posted to the LM_NET Archives as well?) Reread
   what you wrote. Did you really say what you intended to? Once a
   message is sent, it can't be retrieved. Sending to the individual or
   to the entire group is an important consideration.

   Normally, please send only to the individual person who requested the
   information. If they receive a lot of replies, they will probably post
   them to the group.

6. When replying to an LM_NET message, please do *not* include the entire
   message quoted. Paraphrasing or quoting selectively are both kinder to
   people's eyes and e-mail boxes and it is also kinder to persons with
   CTS or tendonitis. Brevity saves money for those who are paying for
   their time online.

7. Be _extremely_ careful when replying to the sender of an LM_NET
   message. Many e-mail systems will automatically send your reply to the
   entire list of LM_NET members if you simply use a reply command. When an
   individual asks a question that you can answer, just send it to the
   individual who posted the original message to which you are responding.
   Imagine how it would feel to have a very "personal" or revealing message
   read by thousands of people!

8. Requests for information: LM_NET has developed a policy of sending
   information privately to the requester. The requester then summarizes to
   the list. This can cut down on traffic, but it tends to reduce the "give
   and take" that some lists value. See the LM_NET TARGET/HIT--information
   for the LM_NET policy, in the "Welcome to LM_NET" message you received.

9. Please include a subject line in your postings (a good idea for ALL
   e-mail). The LM_NET "Welcome" document has a list of highly recommended
   subject headings. The use of these headings allows members to efficiently
   handle the high number of postings to the group each day.

10. At the end of your message, include your name and your electronic mail
   address (this is your electronic "signature".) Because it can be
   difficult to interpret e-mail addresses, you are strongly encouraged to
   include your institutional affiliation. Many LM_NET members are not
   able to identify the address of the message sender unless it is included
   in the body of the message. Ask your network manager if there is an
   automatic way of including a "signature" in your messages. Most are
   able to do so.

11. Long signatures are discouraged. They may be humorous the first time,
   but get old quickly (and take up valuable net bandwidth and computer
   space). Some folks tire of the time spent having to skim over them.
   2-5 lines should be sufficient to include any necessary information.

12. Flames: a "flame" is an emotionally charged posting, and is often
   directed at an individual who has posted to the group. Be sure you
   really want to post it, and remember that LM_NET does not tolerate
   flames. We will immediately drop members posting rude, inflammatory or
   grossly inappropriate messages.

   Note: This guideline includes private e-mail sent in response to
         to something that an LM_NET member has posted. It doesn't
         matter if you send the rude message to someone in private. If
         you reply to an LM_NET posting, please remember to be polite
         and civil.

13. To signal humorous intent, use some sort of "smiley", such as :-).
   Facetiousness and sarcasm can be misunderstood easily in electronic
   communication. (See Arlene Rinaldi's excellent Netiquette Guidelines:
   http://www.fau.edu:80/rinaldi/net/index.htm or an Australian offering
   at:  http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/netiquet.htm

14. Please be considerate of others. Through inexperience or limited local
   software, list members may inadvertently violate these guidelines. A
   private message to the offender from an experienced friend or from the
   list owners is more appropriate than a public flame. Our LM_NET
   Hospitality Committee may have already contacted the person regarding
   the inappropriate posting.

15. Keep each line in your message shorter than 70 characters. Longer
   lines can cause problems with some e-mail systems. Before sending,
   check your message for typos and other errors that may make it hard
   for others to read or understand. Hot tip: USING ALL CAPS IS
   CONSIDERED YELLING. Save this style for a special occasion.

16. LM_NET has its own character, just like any "real" grouping of people
   (such as a party, or a meeting). The list functions best when people
   respect the character of the list. It's also good to respect the
   differences among list members and have a certain tolerance for our
   individual eccentricities. It is recommended that folks new to the
   group "lurk" awhile, getting a feel for what is appropriate.

17. Please participate! Your ideas are important. Just because you think
   everyone knows something doesn't mean they do. If you're not sure, send
   the posting to an experienced friend on the list (or the list owner) to
   see if the information may be valuable.


**  The following section is especially for producers, authors, speakers,
    plus conference, workshop, or seminar organizers, consultants, and
    other vendors of products or people promoting causes.

17. Posting commercial messages without the prior approval of the list
   owners is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Violators will be
   dropped from LM_NET immediately. If producers, or any list member, are
   uncertain of the appropriateness of a message to be posted, they
   should feel free to contact one of the LM_NET owners.

   Please note: An excellent, more appropriate avenue to reach educators
   with commercial announcements exists through the EL-ANNOUNCE listserv
    service of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources.
    To subscribe to EL-ANNOUNCE, send an email message to:
       listserv@listserv.syr.edu
   In the message, write: subscribe EL-ANNOUNCE YourFirst & LastName


18. You should feel free to engage in general theoretical discussions
   about the list topic, but should refrain from turning their replies
   into commercials for your own products or causes. Your signature file
   should not contain commercial promotions either (i.e., "See our Web
   page for our latest specials.")

19. If a user posts the question "I'm looking for a program that does X,
   Y, and Z", it is OK to reply directly to the individual. If a user posts
   the question "Does anyone have information about program X?", the
   producer of program X should send information directly to that person by
   e-mail rather than posting the information to the list. If the person
   finds value in your product, they will probably share their pleasure
   with the other LM_NET members.

20. Producers should not cold-contact LM_NET members as a result of
   obtaining their e-mail addresses from LM_NET postings, or from the
   LM_NET members list, or from the LM_NET Archives. Those that do so
   will be dropped from the list, and their lack of etiquette will be
   publicized on LM_NET. This is not the place to build a customer list.

21. Producers should avoid negative comments about their competitors'
   products.

Virtually,

Mike Eisenberg  (MIKE@ERICIR.SYR.EDU)
Peter Milbury   (PMILBURY@ERICIR.SYR.EDU)

See LM_NET On The Web:  http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/