HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE-L Archives

From: "Andrea Vogel" <>
Subject: List Guidelines
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 12:08:55 -0700

Hi again, listers -- I thought this might be a good
time to post our list guidelines, for no particular reason
other than I don't do it nearly often enough. That is
to say, hardly ever! <g>
Not that these guidelines should be a surprise
to anyone here. After all, they are in the welcome
message each of you received when you joined
HWE. And, in keeping with the multi-national nature
of HWE, they are on our website in four different
languages (English, French, Dutch and German)
here:
http://www.island.net/~andreav/hweguide.htm.

Here's the English version. I'd say that numbers
2, 3, 4 and 5 are the "biggies" although all the
guidelines are relevent, otherwise they wouldn't
be there, would they?

1) Messages sent to the list should be written in plain
text only (ie. no HTML, fancy fonts or colours) and
should also have no attachments.

Reason: Rootsweb has filters to block messages which
are not written in plain text or which have attachments.
It will reject that message and not send it to the list.

2) SURNAMES should be written in capital letters,
both in the subject line and in the actual messages.

Reason: This makes the names more noticeable and
lets others know quickly if any names in your message
are of interest to them.

3) Dates and locations (including the country) should
be included in your postings. Messages should focus
primarily on Europe and/or UK and/or Ireland. Posts
which are mostly or entirely about North American
locations are not appropriate.

Reason: Including such details tells others what location
and time period you are interested in. Including the
country is helpful for those who are unfamiliar with
your research area. The geographical focus of this
list is Europe, and/or the UK and/or Ireland. Therefore,
those locations should be the ones mentioned in your
posts.

4) The subject line of your posting is very important. First,
it should match the content of your message and, second,
it should be as specific as possible. For example, include
a surname and/or topic, and/or a location and/or a time frame.

Reason: It is frustrating for others to discover that
subject line and message content do not match. This
is true both on the list and when searching the list
archives. Also, some listers who may be interested
in your message may delete it, without reading it,
because the subject line is irrelevent to them.

5) When replying to a previous post by another
subscriber, it's important to:
a) delete most or all of that previous post in your reply,
b) make sure the subject line is appropriate, changing it
if necessary and
c) place a short summary or <snip> of the previous
message in your reply.

Reason:
a) Deleting previously posted material eliminates
duplication of information, both on the list and in the
list archives.
b) Subject lines should match message content.
c) A summary or <snip> lets others know immediately
what you are talking about. It's a reminder of the
previous post and brings new subscribers into
the discussion without them wondering what it's
all about.

6) Subscribers are encouraged to participate in
list discussion whenever possible and appropriate.
For example, reply on the list, rather than privately to
another subscriber, if you have information which you
think would be helpful for others as well. Also, share
your research successes and/or frustrations with
other listers (you may receive some helpful replies!)

Reason: Posting on the list contributes to discussion
and sharing among subscribers. This is what makes
a mailing list successful and interesting.

7) Personal messages (such as a thank-you note)
or messages which have no genealogical content
(such as a holiday greeting) are not appropriate as
posts to the list. They are best sent privately to
individuals, off-list.

Reason: This is a mailing list meant for
genealogical discussion. It's also an international
mailing list with subscribers living in quite a few
different countries and they may not all celebrate
the same holidays that you do.

8) Keep re-posting your surname interests
frequently, about once a month or more often if you
learn new information. Try not to be discouraged if
you receive no replies but keep trying. When you
re-post, try a new subject line or rephrase the
content of your message.

Reason: Re-posting is not unnecessary repetition. In
fact, Rootsweb recommends this practice on all its lists.
It reminds others what your research is about. It also will
be new information to those who've just joined the list.

9) Be aware of copyright laws as they pertain to sharing
or passing on information on this mailing list or elsewhere
on the Internet. For example, before quoting large portions
of a published text, obtain permission from the publisher
or the author. Similarly, if you would like to forward a list
post to another source (eg. another list) obtain
permission first from the person who originally
composed that message.

Reason: Protect yourself from infringement of copyright
laws.

10) Subscribers are expected to treat everyone else
on the list with respect and courtesy. Harrassment
and/or verbal attacks of any kind, for any reason, will
not be tolerated. Should any of these situations occur,
the list administrator will take action to stop it. This
may include unsubscribing offenders from the list.

Reason: Your fellow subscribers are entitled to the
same respect and courtesy which you show to people
face-to-face in daily life.

As always, regards to all. Andrea (your list concierge)

This thread:

• List Guidelines by "Andrea Vogel" <>