CONCH-L RULES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Version date: January 23, 1997
Conch-L Listserv is sponsored by the Conchologists of America (COA) and
hosted by the University of Georgia Museum of Natural History (UGA MNH).
To help the list run smoothly a set of rules for subscribers has been
established. This document outlines these rules, the consequences for
breaking the rules and presents some recommendations regarding general
Netiquette. By reading and following these rules and recommendations you
will help us keep the list running smoothly, and have the gratitude of the
people who maintain the list.
This is the text-only version of the rules, which is e-mailed to all
Conch-L subscribers semi-annually as a reminder. The illustrated hypertext
version of this document can be found at:
http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/CONCH-L/CONCH-L_rules.html.
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TABLE of CONTENTS:
I. RULES:
1. NO Commercial Advertising (Very Important!!!)
2. NO Big Files or 'Attached' Files
3. NO Off-Topic Postings
4. NO Flaming
II. CONSEQUENCES:
1. A warning
2. Being placed on review (requires list manager approval
of postings)
3. Status changed to read only (preventing posts to the list)
4. Suspension -- temporary or permanent
III. RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Follow the rules
2. Look before you send
3. Remember we're International
4. Respect the people who keep the List running
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I The RULES:
I 1). NO Advertising:
Commercial Advertising is not allowed; not even by non-profit
organizations. UGA, as a community service, "grants the use of its
facilities to organizations whose activities contribute to its mission."
CONCH-L is considered to be an "educational resource," and therefore falls
within UGA's mission. However, UGA and the State of Georgia have strict
rules that do not allow use of these resources for personal gain, thus no
free advertising or commercial messages. In particular:
a) Offering to sell or recommending your own products or
services is NOT allowed (this includes lists of shells, book
catalogues, equipment and trips). CONCH-L is not to be used as
an inexpensive substitute for commercial advertising. However,
this list was set up to encourage discussions and therefore this
rule can be bent a little (please remember the qualifier 'a
little'.)
If you are responding to a request for information about your
product please limit your reply to a brief answer and address
(home, email or web) where the requester can find more
information.
If you wish to send a large document (image, article or
catalog) please send it directly to the person who requested
the information and not to the list.
b) Requesting information on, or recommending products or
services or sources where they may be obtained IS ALLOWED. One
of the goals of this list is to help people make connections and
learn more about Malacology and Conchology. People wishing to
exchange shells and publications may announce that their trading
lists are available, but should not post lists to CONCH-L.
c) Public-service announcements of new publications (books and
journals), shell clubs, and web sites (including commercial
websites) ARE ALLOWED, as are posting of general information on
shell shows and conventions. Of course this includes posting
about an updated internet site or reprinted publication. Book
reviews by non-interested individuals are encouraged as an
educational resource. If the announcement concerns a commercial
site please use discretion.
If you have doubt about whether your message is advertising or not, send it
to the List Manager at [log in to unmask] who will look it over
and let you know if it's postable.
I 2). NO BIG FILES or 'ATTACHED' FILES:
Please don't send image files or other documents larger than 4 text pages
to the list. DO NOT SEND ATTACHED FILES TO THE LIST. Not everyone has a
powerful computer or a fast Internet connection. Large files can lock up
some computers or cause loss of messages arriving behind them. Also, some
subscribers pay directly for receiving and storing messages.
If you have a great image file or document that you think the subscribers
of CONCH-L would be interested in, post an announcement. That way
interested subscribers will be able to contact you directly for more
information. This is especially important if it is an image file, as you
will have to explain what they need to do to view the file
I 3). NO OFF-TOPIC POSTINGS:
A primary rule on any list is to respect the list's published subject by
not posting off-topic messages. This includes virus warnings, which are
usually out-of-date hoaxes. Remember, what is 'new' to you may be old news
to everyone else. Please post off-topic messages to a more appropriate
list or news group.
I 4). NO FLAMING:
"Flaming" means "insulting or attacking via Internet." Shellers are noted
for being Deep Thinkers. Disarm your opponents with good arguments, not by
calling them names. Remember, postings to CONCH-L are archived. Please
don't embarrass yourself in perpetuity.
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II. CONSEQUENCES
Several consequences of breaking the rules are possible, depending on the
intention, severity and number of past occurrences. These are as follows:
II 1). a WARNING
II 2). placing a subscriber on 'REVIEW', which delays posts
until the list manager approves them
II 3). changing a subscription to 'READ ONLY', preventing a
subscriber from posting
II 4). Suspension of a subscription, temporarily or permanently.
Consequences may apply to the individual or organization posting the
offending message(s).
This information is provide to familiarize our subscribers with the methods
available to list managers to enforce the rules of a list. It is our hope
that our list managers will never have to use these methods. However, we
do wish to make sure our subscribers, who may be unfamiliar with email
lists, understand all the possible consequences.
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III. RECOMMENDATIONS
III 1). FOLLOW THE RULES.
By following the rules you will help us keep the list running smoothly.
III 2). LOOK BEFORE YOU SEND.
The default on messages from Conch-L is for the reply function to return to
Conch-L. The 'reply function' may be a function key(s) or a word in a
pull-down menu of your e-mail program. Please use "reply" only for items
of general interest, not, for example, to reply to a request for an email
address. To reply directly to the author of a message, cut and paste the
address from the message heading's 'FROM' line into a 'NEW MESSAGE' window,
or use the 'RE-DIRECT' or 'FORWARD' functions of your email program. It is
also a good idea to re-check the "To:" line before posting, lest you
accidentally send your message to the wrong place. Some Conch-Lers have
been embarassed by sending to the whole list a message they thought was
going to a private individual, don't let this be you!
III 3). REMEMBER WE'RE INTERNATIONAL.
Approximately a third of our list subscribers live outside the United
States. Variety is a wonderful thing and we hope Conch-L will continue to
be a list that subscribers from across the world enjoy. Please be tolerant
of each other and remember that many cultural differences come along with
our variety. Your joke may fall on deaf ears; or worse yet be
mis-interpretated. Remember too that English is not the first language of
all our subscribers. Nor is it a requirement to use English in your posts
to Conch-L (though English translations are appreciated by those of us who
have limited language abilities; rest assured your Engish is likely to be
better than our versions of your language).
III 4). RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP IT RUNNING.
Maintaining a list is time consuming, and the people who help maintain
CONCH-L are all volunteers. Please treat them with respect.
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Amy Edwards, Program Coordinator ------ [log in to unmask]
Museum of Natural History -------- phone (706) 542-4137
University of Georgia -------- FAX 706-542-3920
Athens, GA 30602-1882 -------- http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/
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"A man's mind, stretched by new ideas, can never go back to its original
dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes
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