The following rules have
been added to make browsing and reading the list an easy
and enjoyable experience for all. You should really do
your best to follow these rules, so that you don't become
too unpopular. They make life a lot easier for everyone.
-
- New to zeal?
- It is a good idea to
get a feel for the place before you start
posting, so maybe hang around a bit first. Feel
free to send a message to everyone introducing
yourself.
-
- Avoid
over-quoting
- Please spare a moment
to cut down quoted lines from the previous
message when replying. It's normally sufficient
to keep just a few lines containing the points
you intend replying to directly. Over-quoted
messages are harder to read and waste time. It
does make life easier for everyone!
-
- Send to the
correct address
- The mailing list uses
three e-mail addresses, which can be confusing at
first. Remember that to send a message to
everyone on the list, you should use
zeal@blur.org.uk
-
- Think about
the format of your message
- Try to break down
your messages into paragraphs if possible. Not
everyone has time to read each message
word-for-word, and a message with sensible
paragraph breaks is much easier to skim through
and pick out the important ideas.
-
- Avoid use of
capital letters
- This may seem rather
petty at first, but please don't write everything
in capital letters - it's the equivalent of
SHOUTING on the Internet, and makes your message
harder to read. Asterisks are preferred as a way
to *emphasise* a particular word, it's the
equivalent of using a bold typeface. Keep your
lines short. Many mail readers only have an 80
column display, so it's best to keep your lines
under 80 characters long. Some programs only
insert a "new line" character after
each paragraph. If you can prevent this, please
do!
-
- No one-liners
- Please try and stop
yourself from replying to a message with comments
such as 'Yes I agree'
- or 'cool' unless of
course, you are asking a question to the list.
-
- Keep your
signature short
- It can be very
annoying seeing half the Starshaped video
repeated at the end of an email. Please try to
cut down on the length of your quotes or thoughts
of the day.
-
- Take it
outside!
- Even the friendliest
people in the world have 'differences of opinion'
sometimes. If your discussion degenerates into a
battle of insults, the time has come to conduct
it by private e-mail! Nobody else cares who got
the last word, who's right and who's wrong, it
just becomes a nuisance. Show everyone who's more
mature, and let the other person have the last
word in public!
-
- Do not send
attachments to the list
- Posting pictures,
sound files etc. to the mailing list is not
allowed. They simply clog up peoples mailboxes.
However, if you would like to contribute
pictures, sound files to the list, you can do so
by contributing to the members page. See the
members page or contact the listowner for more
details.
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