by Ariel, Bertrik and Celemon.
Here you will find a summary of the rules that are in effect onthe drachenwald mailing list. Each rule is further explained in a paragraph below.
We write in English on this list and restrict the use of other
languages to mailing lists where that is appropriate.
We sign our messages at the end. A lot of email addresses
don't make it very clear who is speaking. We make it clear who we are, and,
if appropriate, in what capacity we are speaking.
We try our best to make our posts readable.
HTML mail may, for many readers, end up garbled.
We increase the readability of what we write by formatting paragraphs.
A lot of subscribers don't read this mailing list in their first language, or
even in their second or third language. If what we are writing includes emotions,
or is ironic, sarcastic, or not intended to be taken seriously, we express that
in smileys or in other added comments in the text. Humour is welcome, but if
we indicate the mood something is written in (by smileys,*ROFL* etc), we avoid
a lot of confusion. We all appreciate that.
We keep our messages on topic for the list. People subscribe to this list because
they like this topic, not some other topic. However, we are tolerant of subject
threads that bore us to death.
Before we post to the mailing list, we consider carefully
whether what we write is intended for public consumption. If
not, we send the message to the people privately. If we do not understand what
someone wrote, we write to that individual off-list. If a lot of people did
not understand the post, the original writer can easily elaborate again on the
list.
Private = private, public = public. If people write to one
of us in private, we do not quote their mail (in whole or in part) on any forum.
If they wanted to say something on the forum, they could have done so. If any
of us think their post is relevant on the forum, we ask permission from the
original sender to quote it.
When we reply to an earlier message, we attribute the original message,
but shorten it to the parts that are relevant for what we want
to write. We do not fully quote another message, and then say 'me too' below
it. Quote only the relevant section, and, if that means that a subject changes,
then we change the subject of the message to something like: new subject (was:
old subject).
We consult the rules of courtesy by which the SCA abides.
This applies particularly if any of us violently disagrees with someone or think
they're out of line; in the context of a mailing list this sort of e-mail often
comes across as a personal attack and simply degrades the interaction further.
No one likes to be bawled out in private, let alone in public.
We do not use profanity on the mailing list.
We do not escalate hostilities. If any of us feel we are under
attack, and cannot remain polite on the list, we either respond to the person
privately or contact the moderators and explain the situation.
We do not permit derogatory comments on ethnic backgrounds.
We keep in mind that the list spans nations and continents, and that our casual
comments could be very inappropriate.
We agree that advertisements are not allowed on the Drachenwald
mailing lists (those running from the drachenwald.sca.org domain. The license
the mailing list runs under does not allow it to be used for commercial activities.
We further agree that attachments will be stripped. The mailing
list is configured to not allow attachments. If we want to display something,
it can be arranged to place a file somewhere online, and then post the URL there.
Finally, we agree that SPAM is not allowed on the mailing
list and that anyone who sends SPAM, chain letters, pyramid letters etc. to
the list is subject to immediate sanctions.
We are aware that SPAM, mail bombs, etc are considered as illegal
activities, and are prosecutable in the Netherlands, where this mailing list
runs.
Your Listmoderators.