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List Rules
As with any organization, we need to have a few rules to make the
experience as pleasant as possible for our members.
- Keep It On-Topic
Please confine your messages to the list to computer-related
questions and answers. There are many social groups on the
Internet if that's what you're looking for.
- Be Considerate of Others
Problems of this type are rare on this list. We'd like to
keep it that way. Just treat others as you'd like to be
treated and follow standard "netiquette" and you should
be fine.
- Be Patient
When asking a question, you may not receive an immediate answer.
In some instances you may not receive a reply at all. Don't
take this personally. If this happens to you, please realize that
other list members, including the moderators, participate on this
list on a volunteer basis. All list members have jobs, families,
and lives beyond this list. If your question doesn't receive
a reply within a day or two, try posting it again. Chances are
that your question just slipped past the person who knows the
answer.
- Don't Send List Questions to the
Moderator Address
The moderator address is how you can contact the moderators
off-list. Please use the moderator address only for list
management types of questions and comments (I'm having
trouble setting vacation mode, I'm not receiving messages,
etc).
- Trim Your Quotes — Click for Guidelines
Most email programs will automatically quote the message you are
responding to in your message when you are sending a reply.
Quotes are very useful to remind the reader exactly what the
conversation is about, but usually the whole previous message is
unnecessary to accomplish this. Trim your quotes down to only
what is necessary to keep the conversation fresh. There is almost
nothing more annoying to people to have to wade through copy
after copy of the same message(s) to read your reply. This is
especially annoying for those members who prefer digest mode.
They receive all text in all messages sent since the last digest
message; easily 80% of the digest message they receive can simply
be the same few messages quoted over and over.
- Do NOT Spam This
List
"Spam" is unsolicited advertisements. This list has
ZERO tolerance for spam. This is a moderated list, which means
your spam will never be seen by anyone but the moderators, and
the moderators will (a) delete the message, (b) ban you from the
list (this is your only warning), and (c) send complaints
to your Internet Service Provider, your web host, if applicable,
FreeLists, and anyone else we feel might be interested in knowing
you are a spammer. You may include a very brief link to
your commercial web site, with no significant sales pitch, in
your signature. This is as far as we will go.
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List Tips
You'll find your experience on this list to be enhanced if you
follow these guidelines.
- Don't be Afraid to
Participate!
The lifeblood of this list is member participation, it's
what this list is all about. If you have a computer-related
question, please ask. One underlying philosophy of this list is
that the only stupid question is the one left unasked. Every
single one of us on this list understands how it feels to be
faced with a computer problem we don't know how to correct.
Likewise, if you have an answer to someone else's question,
share that knowledge freely.
- Use Netiquette
Netiquette is etiquette adapted to the Internet. Usually, people
new to the Internet have the most problems with this, not through
thoughtlessness or malice but through ignorance. Probably the
most common netiquette error is to TYPE IN ALL CAPS, which is
considered shouting and rude. Here is a link to a site that is an
excellent resource for learning all you need to know to be a
cultured Internet citizen:
onlinenetiquette.com
- Listen to Your Moderators
The moderators are in charge of this list. Enforcement of any of
these rules are at the discretion of the moderators and list
owner. From time to time, problems do come up on this list; it is
inevitable when two or more people come together for any reason.
When problems of any nature do arise, the moderators of this list
will resolve them. You need to be aware that the moderators have
the authority to take any action they deem necessary to resolve
any problems, up to and including banning any member from the
list. None of the moderators enjoy this aspect of being a
moderator, and we will generally make an effort to resolve
conflicts without resorting to extreme measures. If we see no
other way to resolve an issue we will take the necessary
action. This is necessary to ensure the list remains the
user-friendly place to ask questions that it is intended to
be.
- Give All Relevant
Information
When you ask a question, be sure to give all relevant
information. This will help those who might answer your question
answer it completely and accurately. When you answer a question,
remember that the person you are responding to may not know as
much as you do and you need to be as complete as possible, even
giving step-by-step instructions if that seems appropriate. What
is relevant information? That depends on the question or answer.
Certainly, the version of Windows, the version of any other
software, and the amount of RAM in your machine is relevant to
almost any question. Sometimes you'll be asked to provide
more information. Here are some programs that can help you find
information about your system: SiSoft
Sandra, Belarc Advisor, AIDA16.
When answering questions, any potential risks in any suggested
solution would be relevant, in addition to giving enough detail
that the answer may be implemented.
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