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* IMPORTANT - Be SURE to read this section...your membership may *
* depend on it. *
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RULES & Netiquette -
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Rules - a set of fixed principles or guidelines that determines
conduct, habits, or customs.
Netiquette - the term for things that are considered polite and proper
over the Internet (and especially with mailing lists).
o Commercial Content - Buy my stuff!
As long as you are a "contributing member" of the list, and what you
are posting is directly related to the harmonica, and you keep it to
just a brief description and a URL (pointer, reference) to the mother
lode, and you don't post more than once a month, and and and ... it's
OK to send commercial announcements to the list. If Owner-Harp-L
asks you to no longer post your announcement, the request should be
heeded.
o Corrections - Content, Bad Spooling and Grammar.
If someone posts information which is incorrect, polite and accurate
corrections are welcome. Rude comments and Flames will NOT be
tolerated (see below).
Don't even *think* about posting a criticism of someone's spelling
or grammar to the list, if you know what they are saying, deal with the
poor spelling and/or grammar.
o Gig postings - Where to send them
In general Harp-L is not a place for posting gig announcements.
The preferred way to get gig notices on Harp-L is to post them
to the Harpers' International Giglist, maintained since 1996
through the generosity, dedication, and hard work of Danny
Wilson. (For instructions see
http://www.bassharp.com/itininfo.htm). Danny updates the
online giglist constantly, and he posts a copy of it
every Wednesday to Harp-L and to other Internet harmonica lists.
Occasionally it's appropriate to post a gig notice directly. A
gig may arise or be canceled on short notice. And some gigs
perhaps merit special attention. As always, be guided by
courtesy and good judgment. There are many players on the
list, and most would like to publicize their gigs.
o Cutting & Quoting - Editing your Replies.
Cut out the MAJORITY of included text when replying to another
person's message. We do NOT need to re-read every message that is
replied to. If you do not know how to do this, consult your local
Computer Guru...then if all else fails, write owner-harp-l@harp-l.org
for help.
o FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have a basic question which you think may be a FAQ you should
check the archives before posting to the list (in most likelihood
your question has already been answered). The archives are at
http://harp-l.org/archives
o Flames - This will get you removed FAST!
Flaming is when personal opinions clash and people verbally assault
others. Flaming is discouraged at ALL times on the Internet, and
using the mailing list as a medium for flaming will result in immediate
removal from the list.
There is sometimes a thin line between spirited debate and flaming.
Owner-harp-l will usually post a general warning (usually with the
subject being "ADMINISTRIVIA - chill pill") to the list if it looks
like a debate is getting near the line.
o Formatting - Line breaks in your Posts.
Format your messages to be LESS than 80 columns (70 columns is best)
in width. It helps with readability.
o Posting - Do you have anything to say?
It is always tempting to reply to any given message with some witty
remark, or off-topic comment. This is OK on small / low-volume lists,
but on a high-volume, large list it can rapidly become a problem of
epidemic scale. Please keep these exchanges as person-to-person e-mail,
not through the list. This doesn't mean you can't include the cute or
humorous stuff in other messages with some harp related content, but
let's not get carried away.
An often-used and acceptable ploy is the "Obligatory Harp Content"
tag somewhere in your message, accompanied by some harmonica related
tidbit of information, just to stay technically within the rules.
The aim is to maintain a healthy sense of community and social
interaction without swamping the list with non-harmonica trivia.
o Not receiving mail - What to do when you don't get mail from Harp-L.
If it seems you are no longer receiving mail from Harp-L, please send
a message to Owner-Harp-L directly, and NOT to the mailing list. It may
be that there was a problem with the mailer, the Internet connection, or
something else. It could be that you were removed from the list for some
reason. Under NO circumstance should you write Harp-L to determine why
you are not receiving mail. Also, do not send TEST messages to Harp-L.
o Signatures - Names, Addresses, and Quotes.
Avoid large signatures. It may be useful to know your address,
telephone number, and dog's name, but it wastes bandwidth. The
current accepted length for a sig is FOUR lines.
Also, it is very bad taste to post a sig that is longer than the
message you are posting.
o Subject Lines - Descriptions of your Posts.
Please try to be descriptive in your Subject lines, some people have
much mail to wade through and descriptive subject lines help
enormously.
Try to keep to one "thread" per message, which directly relates to
the Subject. If you want to discuss two topics, send two messages.
Don't change Subject lines unless the thread has totally mutated
into a new discussion. Remember that harp-l mail is archived to
a set of web pages, which allow people to sort by Subject. If
you un-necessarily change the Subject, less people will read what
you have to say.
o Private/Personal Conversations -
Once a topic concerns only two or three people and not the list, the
conversation should be taken to private e-mail and off of the list.
Also, try to avoid asking a person for their e-mail address through the
list, until you've exhausted ALL other resources.
o Administrative Messages - Mail from Owner-Harp-L.
Every now and then the list owner will post a message covering some
administrative topic, with the first word of the Subject being
ADMINISTRIVIA.
These should ALWAYS be read and, and if necessary KEPT for future
reference. Unless the message invites on-list comment, you should
never include the list in any replies to an ADMINISTRIVIA message.
You should never send your own ADMINISTRIVIA messages, even
in jest.
o Owner-Harp-L
Owner-Harp-L is the person who administers both the list and the
systems which run it, and has the responsibility to enforce the rules and
regulations layed out in this document.
Regardless of rights and wrongs, what owner-harp-l says, goes. This
doesn't mean that his or her opinions carry any more weight, it just
means that at the end of the day, someone has to make the decisions
and lay down the law.
o The Thought Police -
If people do stuff that gets on your nerves, and it goes against the
substance or spirit of this charter, say so. Don't get personal or
upset about it, just mail Owner-Harp-L and state your case. If
Owner-Harp-L agrees, s/he mails the individual and/or list and lays
down the law. The process is anonymous. If Owner-Harp-L doesn't
agree, you drop it and get over it.
If enough people start mailing Owner-Harp-L about something not
covered by this document, Owner-Harp-L has to take the issue to
the list and get a vote to change the charter.
o The Spirit - of Harp-L and this document.
The spirit of this document is to promote a list "atmosphere" that
is still friendly and personal, but which maintains a tight focus.
o Spamming - If you don't know what it is, ask a Computer Nerd....
Commercial Spammers and Spewers Will Be Shot.
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NOTE: If you do not follow these rules and guidelines, the list owner
reserves the right to remove you from the list WITHOUT notice,
and, in extreme cases, without the opportunity to rejoin later.
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Need Help? -
----------
Again, any questions or problems about the List or the management of
the List should be sent to Owner-Harp-L@harp-l.org
================================================================
The "Chris Pierce Plan", What it is -
-----------------------------------
My plan/dream is to make the World a better place by creating sources of
Harmonica Information in ALL areas of the Internet! It started with the
Harp-L Mailing List, then came the HarmoniGopher, and most recently
Cyber Harp World. Hopefully, we will continue to expand and grow.
- Chris Pierce, creator-harp-l
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