Hello to everyone -- It's your list concierge here just doing a little New Millennium tidying-up. I thought this would be a good time (New Year, New Millennium, H-W-E First Birthday) to re-post our list guidelines. These have been on the list website for some weeks now but perhaps you haven't had a look at them. They are basically the same guidelines we've always had but I've changed them a bit, added some, deleted others, also clarified them (hopefully!) by adding reasons why each guideline exists. In particular, I would like to draw your attention to guidelines # 2, 3, 4 and 5. That is, please capitalize all surnames in your posts, remember to add dates and specific locations, make sure your subject line is specific and, lastly, <snip> off (delete) most or all of a previous message if it is part of your own post. By the way, if anyone would volunteer to translate the guidelines as they are now written, into any of these three languages -- French, German and Dutch -- I would be most grateful. We do have the guidelines in French and German on the website but they are translations of the earlier version, done when the list first began. And we don't have any in Dutch at all. Please contact me off-list if you can help. Thanks. Andrea Our guidelines are: 1) Messages sent to the list should be written in plain text only (ie. no HTML, fancy fonts or colours) and should also have no attachments. Reason: Rootsweb has filters to block messages which are not written in plain text or which have attachments. It will reject that message and not send it to the list. 2) SURNAMES should be written in capital letters, both in the subject line and in the actual messages. Reason: This makes the names more noticeable and lets others know quickly if any names in your message are of interest to them. 3) Dates and locations (including the country) should be included in your postings. Messages should focus primarily on Europe and/or UK and/or Ireland. Posts which are mostly or entirely about North American locations are not appropriate. Reason: Let others what location and time period you are interested in. Including the country is helpful for those who are unfamiliar with your research area. The geographical focus of this list is Europe, and/or the UK and/or Ireland. Therefore, those locations should be the ones mentioned in your posts. 4) The subject line of your posting is very important. First, it must match the content of your message and, second, it must be as specific as possible. For example, include a surname and/or topic, and/or a location and/or a time frame. Reason: It is frustrating for others to discover that subject line and message content do not match. This is true both on the list and when searching the list archives. Also, some listers who may be interested in your message may delete it, without reading it, because the subject line is irrelevent to them. 5) When replying to a previous post by another subscriber, it's important to: a) delete most or all of that previous post in your reply, b) make sure the subject line is appropriate, changing it if necessary and c) place a short summary or <snip> of the previous message at the beginning of your reply. Reason: a) Deleting previously posted material eliminates duplication of information, both on the list and in the list archives. b) Subject lines should match message content (see guideline #4). c) A summary or <snip> lets others know immediately what you are talking about. It's a reminder of the previous post and brings new subscribers into the discussion without them wondering what it's all about. 6) Subscribers are encouraged to participate in list discussion whenever possible and appropriate. For example, reply on the list, rather than privately to another subscriber, if you have information which you think would be helpful for others as well. Also, share your research successes and/or frustrations with other listers (you may receive some helpful replies!) Reason: Posting on the list contributes to discussion and sharing among subscribers. This is what makes a mailing list successful and interesting. 7) Personal messages (such as a thank-you note) or messages which have no genealogical content (such as a holiday greeting) are not appropriate as posts to the list. They are best sent privately to individuals, off-list. Reason: This is a mailing list meant for genealogical discussion. It's also an international mailing list with subscribers living in quite a few different countries and they may not all celebrate the same holidays that you do. 8) Keep re-posting your surname interests frequently -- about once a month or more often if you learn new information. Try not to be discouraged if you receive no replies but keep trying. When you re-post, try a new subject line or rephrase the content of your message. Reason: Re-posting is not unnecessary repetition. In fact, Rootsweb recommends this practice on all its lists. It reminds others what your research is about. It also will be new information to those who've just joined the list. 9) Be aware of copyright laws as they pertain to sharing or passing on information on this mailing list or elsewhere on the Internet. For example, before quoting large portions of a published text, obtain permission from the publisher or the author. Similarly, if you would like to forward a list post to another source (eg. another list) please obtain permission first from the person who originally composed that message. Reason: Protect yourself from infringement of copyright laws. 10) Subscribers are expected to treat everyone else on the list with respect and courtesy. Harrassment and/or verbal attacks of any kind, for any reason, will not be tolerated. Should any of these situations occur, the list administrator will take action to stop it. This may include unsubscribing offenders from the list. Reason: Your fellow subscribers are entitled to the same respect and courtesy which you show to people face-to-face in daily life. For further information on this subject, please see the section on our list website titled: Harrassment and/or Verbal Attacks(On and Off-List): -- What You Can Do. It's in the Beyond the Basics section. END