WELCOME TO THE ROUND TABLE

OK, SO THERE'S ONE MORE PAGE!
BUT YOU NEED SOME INFORMATION ABOUT SENDING E-MAIL

When you send any message to the submini mailing list, please keep the following items in mind:

Posting Guidelines

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Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind, as you ready email for the list:

• All messages should be in plain (ASCII) text format.
• Very large messages should not be posted without permission
• Please do not insult (flame) the other list members. Email can often distort your original intention or meaning. Please be aware of this.
• Please do not post pictures or other binary attachments when you post to the mailing list.
• Be sure to keep your posts "on topic". Change the message topic as necessary.
• You may want to quote the message that you are replying to, but try not to "over-quote". Do not quote the entire message.

Binary Images

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Because images can be an important part of our discussions on list, please consider using one of these alternatives:

• Post a notice of that you have images available and allow people who want them, to request them from you.
• Put them on an ftp server and post a notice to tell people where the server is, so they can get them as desired.
• Contact the SUBCLUB (http://members.aol.com/xkaes/index.htm) and arrange to have them place your images in "The Gallery".
• Incorporate them into a web page and let people that the web page is available for viewing. (You may want to keep in mind that not everyone has Web access).  The presence of large binaries on any mailing list can cause a multitude of problems:
• Subscribers might not have software which makes these files useful.
• A binary renders a digest virtually unusable. It will appear as a _large_ mime encoded file, within the Digest. This file will be much larger than the original binary.
• It puts a big load on the list server when we email attachments, and this can cause server problems.
• Subscribers' email systems might not be able to handle such large email messages, causing problems at their workstations, company information systems, or home computers. These problems can be physical (lack of storage) or political (work systems).

Please note: Some mail systems include with each message, a small binary, which is often unreadable by foreign systems. If possible these should not be sent. However, please be assured, NO ONE will be held responsible for these inclusions.

Guidelines for Electronic Mail Etiquette

This section presents some simple guidelines for electronic mail etiquette. It is an attempt to highlight important issues affecting the clarity of the electronic mail we send. After all, electronic mail is about communication, so clarity should be our goal.

Addresses and personal names --

A Personal name is an arbitrary string many mailers will allow you to define that is attached to your e-mail address as a textual comment.

• Always provide a personal name if your mail system allows it - a personal name attached to your address identifies you better than your address can on its own.
• Use a sensible personal name: "Guess who" or other such phrases are annoying as personal names and hinder the recipient's quick identification of you and your message.
• If your mail system lets you use personal names in the addresses to which you send mail, try to use them. This will often help a postmaster recognize the real recipient of the message if the address is invalid. Example: The address 344188@foo.chaos.com conveys less information than if it were written as 344188@foo.chaos.com (Ford Prefect)

Subject lines --

• Always include a subject line in your message. Almost all mailers present you with the subject line when you browse your mailbox, and it's often the only clue the recipient has about the contents when filing and searching for messages.
• Make the subject line meaningful. For example, sending a message to the SUBMINI list with the subject "Subminiature cameras" is practically as unhelpful as having no subject at all. Not everyone reads all the messages; define your subject to catch the eyes of those you want to catch.
• If you are replying to a message but are changing the subject of the conversation, change the subject too - or better still, start a new message altogether. The subject is usually the easiest way to follow the thread of a conversation, so changing the conversation without changing the subject can be confusing and can make filing difficult.

Message Length, Content and Format --

• Review the commands and options of the e-mail program you are using. This will not only save you a lot of time in the long run, it will help you avoid sending out messed-up messages. It's a real nuisance to get the same message twice or to receive a message without any text.
• Try to match your message length to the tenor of the conversation. If you are only making a quick query, then keep it short and to the point.
• In general, keep to the subject as much as possible. If you need to branch off onto a totally new and different topic then it's often better to send a new message, which allows the recipient the option of filing it separately.
• Don't type your message in all-uppercase - it's extremely difficult to read (although a short stretch of uppercase may serve to emphasize a point heavily). Try to break your message into logical paragraphs and restrict your sentences to sensible lengths.
• Use correct grammar and spelling. Electronic mail is all about communication - poorly-worded and misspelled messages are hard to read and potentially confusing. Just because electronic mail is fast does not mean that it should be slipshod. If your words are important enough to write, then they're also important enough to write properly.
• Avoid public "flames" - messages sent in anger. Messages sent in the heat of the moment generally only exacerbate the situation and are usually regretted later. Settle down and think about it for a while before starting a flame war. Try making yourself a cup of coffee -- it's amazing how much you can cool down even in that short a time. Besides, ANYONE PARTICIPATING IN A FLAME WAR WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE SUBMINI LIST -- REGARDLESS OF WHO "STARTED IT".
• Even if your mail program supports fancy formatting (bold, italic and so on) in the mail messages it generates, do not use these options in your messages to the SUBMINI list. You can unintentionally cause problems for others on the list.

Replies --

• First, decide if you want your response to go to the whole list or just to one or two particular individuals. Just because the SUBMINI list automatically sends out messages to everyone, doesn't mean that you have to send out your message to everyone.
• Include enough of the original message to provide a context. Remember that Electronic Mail is not as immediate as a telephone conversation and the recipient may not recall the contents of the original message, especially if he or she receives many messages each day. Including the relevant section from the original message helps the recipient to place your reply incontext.
• Include only the minimum you need from the original message. One of the most annoying things you can encounter in e-mail is to have an original 5-page message quoted back in its entirety, with the words "Me too" added at the bottom. Quote back only the smallest amount you need to make your context clear.
• Use some kind of visual indication to distinguish between text quoted from the original message and your new text - this makes the reply much easier to follow. ">" is a traditional marker for quoted text, but you can use anything provided its purpose is clear and you use it consistently.
• Pay careful attention to where your reply is going to end up. It can be embarrassing for you if a personal message ends up on the SUBMINI mailing list, and it's generally annoying for the other list members.
• Ask yourself if your reply is really warranted - a message sent to the SUBMINI list server that only says "I agree" is probably better sent privately to the person who originally sent the message.

Signatures --

• A Signature is a small block of text appended to the end of your messages, which usually contains your contact information. Many mailers can add a signature to your messages automatically. Signatures are a great idea but are subject to abuse; balance is the key to a good signature.
• Always use a signature if you can. Make sure it identifies who you are and includes alternative means of contacting you (phone and fax are usual). In many systems, particularly where mail passes through gateways, your signature may be the only means by which the recipient can even tell who you are.
• Keep your signature short - four to seven lines is a handy guideline for maximum signature length. Unnecessarily long signatures waste bandwidth (especially when distributed to lists) and can be annoying.
• Some mailers allow you to add random strings to your signature. This is well and good and can add character if done carefully. You should consider the following basic rules though:
• Keep it short. The length of your quote adds to the length of your signature. A 5,000 word excerpt from Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' used as a signature will not win you many friends.
• Definitions of "offensive" vary widely. Avoid quotes that might offend people on the grounds of religion, race, politics or sexuality.
• Avoid topical or local quotes, since they may be meaningless to recipients in other towns, countries or cultures.
• Variable signatures are usually best if they're amusing; polemical outbursts on politics or other such topics will turn most people off, but a one-liner that brings a smile can makesomeone's day.

Courtesy --

• If you're asking for something, don't forget to say "please". Similarly, if someone does something for you, it never hurts to say "thank you". While this might sound trivial, or even insulting, it's astonishing how many people who are perfectly polite in everyday life seem to forget their manners in their e-mail.
• Don't expect an immediate answer. The fact that you don't get an answer from someone in ten minutes does not mean that he or she is ignoring you, and is no cause for offence. Electronic mail is all about dealing with your communications when you are able to do so.
• Always remember that there is no such thing as a secure mail system. It is unwise to send very personal or sensitive information by e-mail unless you encrypt it using a reliable encryptor. Remember the recipient - you are not the only person who could be embarrassed if a delicate message falls into the wrong hands.
• When you compose an e-mail message, read it over before sending it and ask yourself what your reaction would be if you received it. Any time spent on making our e-mail clearer is time well-spent, so let's start taking the time.

Please choose:

I've read the above rules and promise to abide by them.  I am now ready to sign up for the mailing list

I really don't have time to read all these stupid rules.  Let's get on with it, you jerk!

These rules are ridiculous, and who cares about submini photography anyway?. I'm "out of here"

COPYRIGHT @ 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Joe McGloin. All Rights Reserved.