ADMIN: Call for New Elves

[Phyllis]

No: HPFGUIDX 115001


The HPfGU Administration Team is looking for A Few Good Elves.

All elves are expected to perform one or both of the following
duties:

• Welcoming new list members -- Send personal welcome e-mails to all
of the people who join the list on your assigned day and enter
related information in a database.

• Participation in the list-reading rota -- Read every message
posted to HPforGrownups (the main list) on your assigned day, check
for compliance to posting guidelines, and note the non-compliant
posts in a database.


ADDITIONAL TASKS

In addition, if you are interested in assisting with the following
additional (optional) tasks, please note this in your Elf
Enslavement Application:

• Pending Messages -- Approve, reject, or edit moderated posts from
new members and explain why a message was rejected or edited.

• Help Desk -- Those who have problems with grammar, spelling, and
punctuation (non-native English speakers, people with dyslexia or
visual impairments, etc.) submit their messages for editing before
they post them to the list.

• Technical Support -- Please have one or more of the following
skills: knowledge of the mysterious inner workings of Yahoomort,
HTML markup, using or writing scripts (Perl, Java, SQL, etc.),
security measures, or other Internet technologies.

• Public Relations -- Respond to messages sent to the HPforGrownups-
owner account.

• Database Maintenance -- Clear out old entries, ensure the accuracy
of database entries, and cull relevant information. (We use the
databases provided by YahooGroups.)

• Monitoring HPfGU Sister Lists -- Check OT-Chatter, Movie, and
other HPFGU lists for spammers, flame wars, and other irregular or
illegal behavior.


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 Wednesday, 13 October 
2004, 00:00 (midnight) Greenwich Mean Time.


Best regards,

The HPfGU List Administration Team