[RP TownTalk] Reminder of Posting Guidelines

[Alan K. Thompson]

Way back in late October, I posted a set of guidelines which people
should use when posting to the list.  There have been a lot of near
misses for sticking to those guidelines recently, and one poster who I
think went over the line (I and the other list admin will have to
approve that persons postings for a while).  Please work to adhere to
the guidelines to make this list a civilized gathering place.  I have
put a copy in this message so everyone can look at them again.

Alan Thompson
Riverdale Park Webmaster

Promoting a Civilized Environment

We find a list works best when everyone treats everyone else with
respect. Below are some guidelines designed to make TownTalk a safe
environment for discussing difficult issues.

1. Posters may not attack other list members for their choices or
opinions, although they may suggest that certain opinions are worth
evaluating or that there may be other points of view. We don't flame
here - we respect the opinions of our fellow citizens. Because
respect doesn't always mean saying "I agree", it's important to
phrase challenges in such a way that it is clear that it is not the
worth of the writer you are questioning, but rather the validity of
the idea. What is a flame? It is important to recognize that to
disagree respectfully, or to politely request a change of behavior,
is not to "flame".

Examples:

NOT acceptable: "I can't believe you think that! No right thinking
person could possibly believe something so stupid."

Acceptable: "I have a different perspective on this. My family
actually enjoys eating hockey pucks."

NOT acceptable: "Listen you jerk - how can you be so stupid and
listen to the idiots want a hockeypuckgarden?!? If you'd bothered
to read up on hockeypuck gardens, you would never be arguing in
favor of such stupid things."

Acceptable: "What has led you to believe that people who live in
Riverdale Park want a hockeypuckgarden? When I lived in Hockey
Town, we had a hockeypuckgarden for one year, but no one maintained
it and it looked horrible. I think a hockeypuckgarden is a bad
idea."

TownTalk will be a much more effective resource for all of us if we
endeavor to keep it flame-free, and to avoid personal attacks.

2. Think carefully when you respond to a post about whether you
should "Reply to Sender", or "Reply to All" (which will send your
e-mail to the entire list.)

3. We recommend including your full name and e-mail address in the
last two lines of each message sent to the list, to make it simpler
for people to communicate privately with you via e-mail.

4. Remember that people read this list using a very wide variety of
hardware and software, and that some  users are limited in their
mailbox space or must pay  according to the volume of mail they
receive. As a courtesy, please configure your e-mail software to use
"7-bit" encoding, and avoid sending attachments when possible.

5. It is helpful to include part of the message to which you are
reacting in your response, but please don't quote the whole thing. If
your reaction is a simple "I agree", please send that privately.

6. Please don't post chain letters or warnings about e-mail viruses.
For more information on these and other hoaxes, see
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html or http://www.snopes.com .