File - netiquette2.txt

Mon Jan 7 10:35:05 UTC 2002

No: HPFGUIDX 32918

NETIQUETTE TIPS FOR HP for GROWNUPS

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.

Members, new and old, are requested to observe certain rules of 'netiquette' and 
good practice, as outlined below.

ATTENTION! 

Please note that we have separate club areas for OT posts, Movie-related 
discussions and Announcements:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-Movie
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-Announcements

You will need to join OT Chatter if you want to submit an off-topic message to 
the group, Movie if you want to discuss the Harry Potter film(s) and Announcements if you have an announcement.

When you first join the list, you will be on Moderated status.  If it is 
necessary to reject any of your posts, it will be because they have not taken
into account one or more of the rules listed here.  It is, therefore, imperative
that you familiarise yourself with these Netiquette Tips before joining the
discussions.

If you need any advice or clarification at any stage, please don't hesitate to
contact the Moderators and List Elves at hpforgrownups-owner at yahoogroups.com 

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

IF YOU HAVEN'T POSTED HERE BEFORE...

Please read the VFAQ (Very Frequently Asked Questions) document in our Files 
area before posting to the group. The answers to many burning newbie questions can be found in this document, and it will save time for everyone.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/Admin%20Files/VFAQ.htm

It's also helpful to 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

SHIP: discussion of ships (real or potential romantic relationships among the 
characters)

Please note that if your ship post doesn't use examples from the books (canon), 
it belongs on OT-Chatter rather than the main group. 

FF: discussion of fan fiction or imaginary scenarios.

Please note that these discussions belong on OT-Chatter rather than the main 
group.

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."

CLEARLY DISTINGUISH YOUR OPINIONS/THEORIES FROM FACTS

If you are expressing an opinion or espousing a pet theory, be sure that the 
other readers will recognize it as an opinion or theory. Using phrases such as IMO (in my opinion), "I believe," "This is all speculation but I think... ," etc. will make it clear that your statements are not necessarily based on facts from the books (canon). It can be very confusing for everyone if someone puts forth a theory without any qualifying language.

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.

BANNED TOPICS 

The banned discussions on this list fall into three categories: 

(1) The Holocaust: Discussion of historical parallels is perfectly fine, 
including historical parallels to WWII in the HP series, but please avoid discussion of the Holocaust specifically. 

(2) Politics (especially current US & UK politics), not including speculation 
about Wizarding World politics.  

(3) Richard Abanes' book "Harry Potter and The Bible".

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! Please avoid putting your reply at the end of a very long quoted segment unless absolutely necessary. In most cases, it will be easy enough to delete some or all of the quoted material.

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