Mailing List & Webring Terms And Conditions

Introduction

FUN operates open, unmoderated discussion lists devoted to a wide range distinct subjects, many lists also have their own members-only webrings. Each list and webring is kept strictly 'on topic'. This is to ensure list members receive only mail they requested and visitors to the webring find exactly what we say they will find.

To subscribe, simply hit 'Back' and click on 'Join List'. After you have entered your details a personal subscription page will be created for you to enable you to control your subscription to the 'single' mails or to the 'digest'. You may also join on a 'Web Only' option to send and receive list mail 'online'. When you join you will get a confirmation message which you will need to reply to. This is neccessary to prevent bogus subscriptions, which for some reason has been a real problem on other lists.

As soon as you receive mail from the list you may participate in discussions. Just hit 'reply' to join an existing thread, or send a new message, perhaps to introduce yourself and tell us a little about your interest in the subject. You must send your messages from an e-mail address which is subscribed to the list, otherwise it will not be forwarded to the rest of the subscribers.

If you wish to follow the discussions on the list but don't want to subscribe to the mailing list, visit the list 'Digest' Archive, which contains current & past discussions. This is also a great way for new subscribers to catch up on what has been discussed in recent weeks!

You might want to fill in a 'Member Profile' and gain a measure of immortality in the hallowed halls of the list. If so, just go to the 'Member Profile' pages at the homepage, copy one of the profiles, alter it to YOUR stats then mail it to the list. The manager will add it to the correct page at the website asap.

If you need any special assistance, please contact the list owner Tim Stubbs... toffeerapperATf-u-n.u-net.com (replacing the AT with an @).

• By default, you will receive all messages one at time as they are sent to the list. If you would rather receive messages grouped together in a periodic digest, visit http://www.egroups.com/mygroups and change your settings to 'digest'. You will not need to identify yourself if you 'enable cookies' in your browser. This may seem like a security risk, but it is a security enhancement... it means that others will NOT be able to acccess YOUR personal eGroups page.

• You will receive copies of all the messages you send to the list.

• The list discussion digests are archived at eGroups.com.

• These archives are 'searchable'.

Posting Rules

All Internet mailing list have similar sets of rules on what you should and should not do. Here are the specific rules for this list. Failure to follow these rules may result in your posting privileges being taken away or you being thrown off the list altogether.

• Before posting any questions, check recent archived 'digests' to make sure your question isn't answered there.

• Make sure to include your name and your e-mail address in the body of your messages, as there are some e-mail programs which hide this information!

• Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you. DON'T make strong, emotional, or angry statements. It is easier for written messages to be misunderstood than spoken words. NEVER write a message in anger and if you have ANY doubt about how a message will be received, wait a while and re-read it several times BEFORE you send it. ALL 'Sarcastic' or 'humorous' comments should be identified with a smiley face :-) or a ;-)

• Make sure that THE SUBJECT LINE accurately reflects the contents of your message, so that other members can skip it if they are not interested in that particular subject. You are free to discuss multiple subjects in a single message, but just make sure the subject line reflects the multiple subjects.

• When replying to a previous message, precede it with something to let everyone know what you are replying to. This can be a SHORT excerpt of the previous message, or a summarization of what was said before, in your own words. A common network convention is to use the > character in the left margin to indicate text from a previously posted message.

• When including excerpts of previous messages in your reply, EDIT them down to the bare minimum which is relevant to your reply. DON'T let your e-mail program automatically quote the entire body of the message! Cut it right down to the main point you are answering. Nobody likes reading a long message in quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be followed by a one line response: "Yeah, me too."

• When posting a message, STICK TO THE SUBJECT of the mailing list. Anything DIRECTLY related to the list subject is on-topic. However, seemingly related topics are NOT on-topic, as there are plenty of other discussion groups for these subjects. Remember, most people subscribed to this list to discuss ONLY the list subject, nothing else!

• If someone posts a message that IS off-topic and you would still like to reply to it, reply to the individual, NOT to the mailing list. Similarly, if someone posts a message that IS off-topic, do NOT send a message to the list complaining about it. And if someone else does complain, do NOT reply to THAT either! A flood of complaints can be more disruptive than the original off-topic message, especially since the original poster ALWAYS feels obliged to defend themselves and then people will all offer their opinions on who's right and who's wrong, etc., etc.., etc... Most of our FUN mailing lists are 'high traffic'... generally people don't mind LOTS of mail... IF its on the subject they asked for.

• Do NOT mail invitations to other lists, or use your membership only to promote your own webpage, rpg, business, etc! *ONLY* members of the list's webring can promote their websites on the list. It is a prerequisite of webring membership that our webring websites should 'not' promote other 'competitive' lists.

• Do NOT send one line messages, such as "I agree", "I don't know", etc., as they really do not contribute much to the discussion. Similarly, limit the number of one-line "cute" remarks as well, as they get pretty tiring after a while. Remember, every message posted to the list goes out to as many as 320+ people all around the world (some who do not know English very well), and are 'archived' in digest form for years to come. Further more the archives are read by thousands of visitors. SO.... make sure that you have something worthwhile to say BEFORE hitting the "send" button!

• Do NOT use the list as an IRC or ICQ. ie. don't use it tell everyone you are online, or to bid them "Good Morning" etc. 'Digest' subscribers will not welcome a 'Digest' full of off-topic personal chit-chat.

• Do not send binary files containing pictures or sounds (they will not get thru because our 'no attachments software is in place to destroy any viruses so you can enjoy the list without worrying about such things. Also do NOT send overly large mails (>30 kb) to the list. Instead, find an FTP or World Wide Web site to upload your file to, and send a short message to the list telling people where they can download it if they are interested.

• Make sure that you or your e-mail program inserts a carriage return so that every line is LESS than 72 characters long, otherwise some people will not be able to read your messages, or they will be reformatted in transit so that every other line contains the leftovers of the previous line.

• When replying to a message, check the "To:" address to make sure it's going where you want it to. It can be very embarrassing if you send a message to the entire list that was meant to be seen by only one person. (Trust me, I know!)

• Our lists have hundreds and hundreds of members from other countries. Don't assume that everyone will understand a reference to local TV shows, movies, or pop culture/current events in your country.

• The list members in other countries will also be VERY grateful if you add "SPOILER" headings before you reveal any plot details, or 'spoil' their enjoyment of a not yet seen tv episode, film or book.

• DON'T SEND A MESSAGE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, AS PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU ARE YELLING AT THEM! It is also easier to read things with normal captilization. Also, separating your paragraphs with blank lines makes things easier to read too.

• If you would like to unsubscribe from the list, do NOT send your request to the mailing list. Just visit your personal 'subscription' page at
  MY GROUPS or send a blank e-mail to 'the list name' followed by '-unsubscribe@egroups.com.

• If you see someone else asking how to unsubscribe, please help them out by sending them the instructions in a 'personal' e-mail.

• Limit the size of your "Signature" at the bottom of your messages. Nobody wants to see a one line message followed by a 20 line signature!

• If anyone abuses the list by posting 'off-topic' items, 'blatant adverts' or behaving 'unacceptably', offending members may find they are 'yellow carded' by the list manager. Further such abuse, or 'totally unreasonable behaviour' may result in 'unsubscription'. If 'yellow carded' a member should be the model of good behaviour for six months at which point the member's record will be cleared.

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