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RPlist posting guidelines.


This page lists some recommendations to keep in mind when posting to the RPlist mailing list.

Table of contents (8 links).

Introduction: RPlist is a large meeting.
  1. All messages should be related to retinal degeneration.
  2. Do not post to the list a message intended for one person.
  3. Do not include a previous message in your reply.
  4. Post only plain ASCII text.
  5. Use meaningful subject lines.
  6. Avoid discussions about RPlist.
  7. Do not post questions regarding your subscription.

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RPlist is a large meeting.

RPlist is a meeting of about 900 people. Posting to the list is like waving your hand to request a microphone, and then speaking to the entire assembly. Writing to an individual is like whispering into your neighbor's ear. Writing to rplist-request is like asking the local organizers.

At a meeting, you wouldn't request the microphone just to say "me too" or "well done" or "I am interested in this info as well" - you would speak directly to whomever is concerned.

You wouldn't request the microphone to ask where the restroom is or why your headset isn't working - those "technical" questions are for the local organizers.

If you're replying to something that was said several minutes or hours earlier (and you always do, at a busy meeting like this), it is appropriate to put your reply in context: "Joe said X and Y, but I disagree because...". But you wouldn't repeat Joe's entire 5-minute intervention before adding your comment.

The following guidelines are the transposition to the electronic world of the simple, commonsense etiquette of real-world communities.

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  1. All messages should be related to retinal degeneration.

    RPlist is a list for discussing topics related to retinal degeneration (RD). It is difficult to define precisely what is or is not "related" to RD, but an operational rule is:

    A message is appropriate for RPlist if, and only if, it is more likely to interest someone with RD than someone without RD.
    So, if you have something to say that is extremely important or interesting to everyone, whether they have RD or not, please do not post it to RPlist.

    Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, personal stories, emotional material, technical/medical information, and humor.

    If you want to share something that is not RD-related with people affected by RD, please join the RP-Friends list. Unlike RPlist, there is no restriction on topics that can be discussed on RP-Friends. To subscribe, send a blank message to rp-friends-subscribe@egroups.com or go to their Web site.

    There are several messages like virus alerts, get-rich-quick schemes and cookie recipes, that have been making the rounds on the Internet for years, because of their seemingly "urgent" nature. Do not forward this type of material to RPlist. As a general rule, if a message states that you should forward it to everyone you know, do not send it to anyone. Really important messages never include such advice.

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  2. Do not post to the list a message intended for one person.

    When you reply to a message, think about whether it is of interest to the whole list or just to the individual who posted the original message. Remember that your post will go to hundreds of people and be archived for posterity. If your post is not going to add information, send it to the individual only.

    If you have lost the address of the person to whom you want to write, ask rplist-request. for that address. Do not post to the list saying "sorry folks, this is a personal message for Joe Schmuck...".

    Beware that with most mailers the Reply function will send your reply to the whole list, and you must take extra steps to reply to the sender (i.e. the address in the "From:" field).

    If you are conducting a survey or want small bits of information from many people, please request that responses be sent directly to you. If there is general interest, you can then post a summary to the list.

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  3. Do not include a previous message in your reply.

    Avoid quoting. Excessive quoting is wasteful of Internet resources, and is annoying or confusing to many visually impaired readers, especially those who use speech synthesizers. As a rule of thumb, you should not include more than five lines from another post.

    When you do quote, always add an introductory line such as: "Joe X. wrote yesterday:" before the quotation, and a blank line after the quotation. Delete all included material after your own message.

    If you don't know how to edit an included message with your mailer, don't quote at all. Summarize briefly the message you're replying to with your own words.

    Some mailers will automatically include a full copy of the original message after your reply. This feature must be turned off when you post to RPlist (and most other mailing lists).

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  4. Post only plain ASCII text.

    Make sure your mailer does not include formatting codes such as HTML or RTF which are unreadable with other mailers. Be especially careful if you use a Web browser to write your mail (they often insert HTML by default) or if you use MS-Mail or MS-Exchange (which insert RTF by default). If you don't know how to configure your mailer to send plain text only, see Gerald Boyd's page.

    Do not use bold face or italics to emphasize words, these special formats will not be recognized by other mailers. Use CAPITALS or *asterisks* instead.

    Do not send attached documents. If your file contains text only, copy and paste it directly into the body of your message. Otherwise, post a short message where you offer to send the file by private email to those who want it.

    Do not use "ASCII art", i.e. pictures drawn with ASCII characters. It is meaningless and annoying for users of speech synthesizers.

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  5. Use meaningful subject lines.

    Subject lines can help a lot when traffic is heavy and someone needs to decide which messages to read. Use a subject that accurately describes the contents of your message, avoid general terms like "a question" or "help".

    When you reply to a post, make sure the subject line is still appropriate to your reply and do not hesitate to change it if needed.

    For the same reason, try to restrict each message to only one topic or question.

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  6. Avoid discussions about RPlist.

    Try to avoid public discussions about what is or is not appropriate for RPlist. Although these discussions can be useful, experience shows that they tend to go on forever and generate more heat than light. If you think that what someone posted was not appropriate, either in form or contents, please discuss it with them by private e-mail or write to rplist-request.

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  7. Do not post questions regarding your subscription.

    If you want to ask a question about RPlist, listserv, or your subscription to the list (e.g. you want to unsubscribe, change to/from digest mode, or access the list archives), do not post this question to the list. First look on this site; if you cannot find an answer write to rplist-request which will forward your message to the volunteers who manage the list. See here for more details.

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