[Lvas] Discussion list etiquette

[Douglas Phillipson]

As some of you are new to mailing lists (Discussion lists), I thought I 
would list a few things that are general guidelines for proper use of a 
discussion list.

Top Posting: 

This is when you reply to a post on the top of the email.  It is 
generally thought to be impolite.  Post your reply at the bottom of the 
email after trimming all but the last two or three posts.

Bottom Posting:

This is when you reply to a post and add your text to the bottom of the 
email.  This is considered good form.

Trimming long posts:

Typically only the last two or three replies in a thread are relevant.  
Trim the old stuff out leaving the last two or three entries, then add 
your stuff to the bottom.  People don't like to read long posts, get to 
the point and don't ramble.

List Relevance:

Limit your use of the discussion list to Astronomy related discussions, 
club discussions, astronomy equipment for sale, etc.  No arguments, bad 
language or off topic discussions are tolerated.    You might be 
unsubscribed if you violate these guidelines.  All opinions are welcome. 
We are pretty loose here but please be respectful of the opinions of 
others even if you don't agree. 

If you are changing the subject of a post, use a new thread with a new 
subject.  Don't reply to a thread and start a new subject in the reply.  
People get tired of a thread after a while and will ignore the post if 
it is the same subject.  If your posting a reply and changing the 
subject in your reply, it might not get read.

Here are some other Mailing List Etiquette FAQ's:

http://www.gweep.ca/~edmonds/usenet/ml-etiquette.html
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/mailing-list-faq/etiquette.html
http://www.livinginternet.com/l/lu_etiq.htm

Have fun and don't be shy to use this discussion list for any Astronomy 
related stuff!

Regards

Doug P