ADMIN: Looking for A Few Good Elves!

[Sheryll Townsend]

As all of you are aware, there's a new book coming out soon. No, no,
we're not starting a party, we're looking for people to do some work.
Do you have a couple hours a week to contribute to helping the list
run smoothly? If so, you may be able to help us out.

We're looking for elves to help us out with 2 specific tasks:

1. Welcoming new list members. This involves sending personal welcome
e-mails to all of the people who join the list on your assigned day
and entering the related information in a database. It also involves
answering any questions that new list members may send you. If you're
the kind of person who likes to help others, this may be the choice
for you, helping new members get used to the way our group works and
answering questions.

2. Participating in our daily list reading rota. You would read all
the messages posted to HPfGU (the main list) on your assigned reading
day, keeping an eye out for compliance to our list rules and noting
non-compliant posts in the appropriate database. Are you a stickler
for the rules, often noticing those posts that don't quite follow our 
rules? This might be the place for you.

You may apply for one or both tasks, it's up to you.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

An elf candidate must

• Have been a member of HPfGU in good standing for at least 6
months -- "Good standing" means that you are not on permanent
moderated status. (Those few who are permanently moderated have
been notified.)

• Have a good sense of HPfGU's posting conventions -- You understand
the basic HPfGU standards of snipping, attribution, and courtesy.
(You don't need to have the rules memorized, though.)

• Have good spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills -- You don't
have to be a Master Linguist, but you should know the difference
between a semicolon and a hole in the ground. :-) Non-native
English speakers are welcome to apply.

• Have good communication skills -- It is important that you know
how to express your ideas (especially disagreement) courteously and
with clarity.

• Have good interpersonal skills -- Your fellow List Elves will come
from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of communication
styles. You'll need to know how to get along with people you may not
particularly like or understand, how to go along with decisions with
which you don't necessarily agree, and how to be discreet (not
reveal confidential list business to non-admins).

• Be reasonably level-headed -- You should be slow to react when
insulted, slow to jump to conclusions, and quick to forgive
misunderstandings. If you are in the habit of responding in anger
(instead of waiting before posting), this might not be the job for
you. Patience is definitely a virtue in HPfGU list admin; a sense of
humor (especially in the face of the absurd) is mandatory.

• Score respectably well on the Percy scale -- If you have some
perfectionist tendencies, you'll fit right in!

• Have no life -- Just kidding! However, we do ask that your real
life not be so full as to prevent you from performing your elfly
duties. (You can negotiate how many elfly duties you have.) We
prefer that you commit to a minimum of six months in List Admin;
however, you can don clothing sooner if the need arises.

The ability to keep the rest of the Team supplied with eclairs is a
bonus but is not required. :-)

BENEFITS

Becoming an HPfGU List Elf allows you to

• Blow your Harry Potter Obsession score through the roof.

• Imbibe all the butterbeer you want (except when on duty).

• Become the target of bitter and sometimes delicious insults,
e.g., "Moderator Tart."

• Acquire a stylish new wardrobe of colorful tea cozies and lurid
pillowcases.

• Get immediate first aid for ears-in-the-oven-door slammings, hand
ironings, foot-in-blender jammings, and other self-inflicted
punishments.

If a large number of candidates apply, it may not be possible to
accept every qualified candidate right away. Every application will
be acknowledged, and we'll keep the applications on file for future
consideration unless you notify us otherwise.

You can find the Elf Enslavement Application (EEA.txt) at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/
The application includes instructions on where to send the
application.

The deadline for sending in applications is Friday, 15 April
2005, 00:00 (midnight) Greenwich Mean Time.


Best regards,

The HPfGU List Administration Team