Question: I'm new to discussion lists. Can you give me some general guidelines for posting messages to lists?

Answer:

The following are general guidelines that should be observed when posting messages to a mailing list:

• Meaningful Subject Line
  When sending messages to a mailing list, please make sure that they have a clear and descriptive entry on the "Subject:" line.
• Include a Signature
  Please be sure to sign your full name at the bottom of your posting and include your affiliation(s) and email address. Some subscribers may receive their email messages with the header information stripped away by their local system and therefore cannot know the author of a particular posting.
• Provide Context
  Every posting should begin with a clear introduction to the topic, or offer some kind of reference to the topic or a previous posting. There are often several "threads" of discussion going on simultaneously, which makes unreferenced postings confusing to readers. A popular way of providing context is to quote verbatim from the original message. However, keep the quotations *short* and *relevant.* Quoting whole messages, signatures and all, can be inconsiderate.
• Humor
  Humor is appreciated but please remember that humor in email can easily be misinterpreted. One way to express emotion is to use smiley faces. For example: humorous :) , ironic ;) , or sad :( .
• Censorship
  Some Mailman mailing lists are "unmoderated" lists. This means that what members post goes directly to the other members. In order to keep lists uncensored, it is important that only pertinent messages are posted to the list. Members whose messages do not meet minimum expectations will be notified, and may be excluded permanently from future participation.
• Personal Mail
  Just as it is important to try to share public information with the whole group, private correspondence should remain just that: private. Send personal messages directly to individuals, not by way of the list.
• Quality of Communication
  If you find something posted on the list objectionable, you have every right to voice your objections but you should not do so in public. Please express your complaints directly to the person responsible. If enough complaints are received, it is unlikely that the offender will post those kinds of things again. You can also, of course, simply discard/delete all mail from an offending writer.

  [Please note that this DOES NOT address harassment or illegal activities. Such instances should be reported to UW Technology by sending email to: help@u.washington.edu]