ADMIN: Oy, netiquette! (please read)

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 11951

NETIQUETTE TIPS

Harry Potter for Grown Ups is a very high-volume list; so it's 
important that members observe a few rules to help us all navigate 
through the ocean of messages (and avoid any passing ships if we so 
wish).  Members, new and old, are requested to observe certain rules 
of 'netiquette' and good practice, as outlined below. 

Bear in mind that the Moderators will be standing over you, flexing 
their wands and eyeing up that box of Howlers sitting in the corner 
of the cyber-office. You may get the odd advisory e-owl from us if we 
think you're getting a bit unruly, and if you're really, really 
naughty, you may end up being turned into a ferret and getting 
bounced.  Consider yourselves warned!  

[Moderators exit, stage left, cackling...]


***IF YOU HAVEN'T POSTED HERE BEFORE...

Read a few days' worth of messages before posting your own. You can 
do this either by "lurking" (reading messages, but not writing them) 
for a few days, or by going back through the most recent messages (a 
daunting task, with such an active group). This way, you'll get 
a "feel" for the group, and you can make sure you're not repeating 
something that has been posted recently by someone else. 

If you ask burning questions in your first post, make sure you 
indicate that extra content in the heading and don't just call it "Hi 
from a newbie!"


***USE/NOTE PREFIXES FOR SOME TOPICS

OT: Off-topic... if you must say something unrelated to the word of 
Harry Potter(but try to avoid it)

SHIP:  discussion of ships; real or potential romantic relationships

FF: discussion of fan fiction or imaginary scenarios

ADMIN:  'I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a 
few notices.' [Dumbledore, GoF, Chap 12] - Important announcements 
from the Moderators


***KEEP THE SUBJECT LINE RELEVANT TO THE CONTENT OF THE POST 

Message board conversations, like "real life" ones, will often drift 
from one subject to another. If the subject line does not change to 
fit the  direction of the conversation, it can frustrate the reader. 

When replying to a message, please take the time to check the subject 
line and make sure it still matches your post. For example, if the 
subject line says: "RE: Who's going to die in the next book?" and the 
topic has segued into a character matchmaking debate (with no mention 
of death), it's time to change the subject line!  

Spare a thought for the people who are busy preparing FAQ essays for 
the club - they have to scan all the messages for relevant content, 
so it isn't very helpful if your post is headed "Digest #345" or "A 
question".


***KEEP YOUR POSTS ON TOPIC 

In such a large and active group, it's easy for discussions to go off 
on a tangent. If a couple of you find something in common other than 
Harry Potter, wonderful! Getting to know people is, perhaps, the best 
thing about clubs. But if you find your discussion getting away from 
the main point of the club, please continue it off-list.
 
OT Politics:  Political opinion posts are banned for the moment.  OT
discussions crept in during the recent US elections and some people 
were offended by the comments of others, so we think it's best to 
avoid this sensitive OT area altogether.  Thanks for cooperating with 
us on this.


***TRY TO AVOID ONE-LINE AND ULTRA-SHORT POSTS

Our message volume is sometimes very high, so one-line posts can push 
the numbers through the roof.  Please take a moment to think about 
the following guidelines:-

- Consider expanding on your point.  For example, if you are posing a 
question about the HP books ("What about so-and-so?"), could you add 
some thoughts of your own to lead off any discussion?

- Consider combining your shorter points/responses with a few others 
in a multi-topic post, making sure the topic line indicates this.  
However, if your point is substantive (or just plain lengthy), it is 
best to give it space on its own to make the thread easier to follow.

- Try to avoid "me too!" and "LOL!" posts that have absolutely no 
other content.

Sometimes a brief response is perfectly acceptable; for example, if 
you are correcting an error someone has made and do not have much 
else to say (e.g. "You cannot apparate into Hogwarts!") or giving 
information that you don't want to bury in another message ("The link 
to that article about Dumbledore's socks is at 
http://www.anyoldwebsite.com").


***TAKE CARE WHEN RESPONDING TO POSTS

If you are replying to a message, please indicate the name of the 
person who wrote the original and include any relevant segments of 
their post, or a brief summary of their point(s).  At the same time, 
please try to delete any parts of the original post that are not 
relevant to your point(s), especially if the original was really 
long!   

Remember, also, that if you respond in a fresh post rather than using 
the 'reply' button, your response will not appear in the "replies to 
this message" in any search.  In general, if someone asks a question 
that has a unique answer, please try to check through the message 
headers to see if anyone else has responded to it before posting the 
answer.  It's understandable that several people may dash off a 
response just after the original message, but there should be no need 
for further posts after that.   


***TAKE THE TIME TO PROOFREAD YOUR POSTS 

If you're used to forums where speed is important (chat rooms, role 
playing games, etc.), it's easy to fall out of the habit of 
proofreading. Here, however, your post will be as relevant in five 
minutes (or, usually, even in five hours) as it is now. Before 
hitting the 'send' button, please take a few minutes to look over 
your post and correct any typos, spelling/punctuation
errors, or problems with sentence structure or capitalization. This 
will make it much easier to read and help in getting across your 
point.

Please avoid using all lower case letters or, worse still, all CAPITAL
LETTERS.  


***BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHER MEMBERS' FEELINGS 

If you disagree with someone's message, no matter how strongly, 
remember to respect the other person's right to his or her own 
opinion. If you do wish to refute the post, do so gently, by building 
up your own case, rather than just knocking down the other person's. 
And never attack your fellow club members (name calling, personal 
remarks, etc). 

Thanks!! 

>From your Magical Moderators
hpforgrownups-owner at yahoogroups.com

_____________________________________

Flying-Ford-Anglia
Mechanimagus Moderator (revving up)

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's Shrivelfig..." [Severus Snape, PoA]

Why not join our fledgling OT chatter group and get those off-topic 
moments off your chest without having to mention a Harry Potter 
character in the last sentence to keep it on-topic?  The scaffolding 
is still up, but you can join here: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter