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13.
Where
can I get more help?
14
Someone has posted something I disagree with. What should I do?
15.
Someone has posted something which I think violates the charter or guidelines
of this list. What should I do?
16.
Tell me about the Vestry
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1.
I received an email from ezmlm saying that mail addressed to me has
bounced. What should I do?
Don't worry, and certainly don't panic. For various reasons a certain
proportion of email messages are not delivered as intended and are returned
to the sender. (Quite often this is a problem with the particular ISP
or a mailbox that has become over-full or jammed with a very large message.)
That is called bouncing. If ezmlm, the software which runs this list,
finds a number of posts to a particular address are bouncing then it
checks out whether this address is still receiving mail. The first stage
in this process is what you have experienced, and ezmlm will now be
satisfied that your address is still valid so no further action is needed.
More generally, if
you notice that you are not getting the volume of posts that you expected
then there may well be a problem with your ISP. If they provide web
access to your mailbox then access it that way and see if there is a
particularly large post that might be causing the problem. If there
is then look it on the website and/or delete it. Failing that talk with
your ISP helpline.
If the initial check from ezmlm fails to get through then further
checks will be made, following which you will be unsubscribed and will
need to resubscribe - after checking that you are receiving posts normally
again.
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2.
After joining, what should I do?
We invite (but don't require) you to post a short introduction. That
helps list members to get to know you a little, and to put your posts
in some sort of context. Some introductions include complete faith histories,
others mostly biographical details
If you're a new subscriber, it's always a good idea to read the list
for a few days before you begin posting. That gives you the opportunity
to get an idea of the "list culture".
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3.
Are there any guidelines on list volume?
We all know that list volume can easily get out of hand. So at St
Bede's we encourage members to post no more than 10 messages per day
and no more than 100 per month (which averages around 3 a day).
We hope this will encourage talkative members to exercise self-restraint
in posting, and quiet members to post without being overwhelmed by volume!
We assume that list members will be self-monitoring. If members consistently
post above these guidelines, they will be contacted by the vestry.
There are a number of ways to make the most of your posts:
· Try to keep to things broadly Anglican.
· Private discussions unrelated to the topic shouldn't be sent
to the list. If you notice that only 2 or 3 list members are contributing
to a particular thread, you may wish to take it off list.
· Avoid sending
posts just saying 'I agree,' 'Me, too,' or 'Amen.' You can always send
these privately.
· Explain yourself, think new thoughts, explore possibilities,
challenge wrong beliefs, make lists of good books, go into detail. Don't
put in your two cents' worth - make it more like a dollar (or pound,
or rand, or mark, or whatever).
· Try to write one post commenting on all the discussion on a
particular topic, rather than sending a separate post to respond to
each individual post in a thread.
· Try to limit the amount of included material - just snip the
relevant section needed to establish the context, and place it at the
top of your response.
· Read all
your mail before replying: someone else may already have answered a
question or made the same point.
And don't worry too much if you get behind in reading - life happens!
Just delete what you don't get around to reading, and jump back in when
you have time.
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4.
Has the list ever discussed ...? (fill
in the missing words)
Probably. That doesn't mean we can't return to it, but it's a good
idea to check in with the vestry if in doubt, especially if the topic
is controversial.
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5.
Are there any areas to avoid discussing?
The list tries to be as open as possible to all discussions.
However, if a discussion on a particular issue degenerates into name
calling or becomes destructive in nature, or where it becomes an extended
discussion between only a couple of list members, the vestry may request
participants in that discussion to take it off the list.
Our experience of such discussions leads the vestry to request that
discussions of partisan politics, both secular and ecclesiastical, not
be conducted on this list. Other issues which should be treated with
care are the ordination of women, and issues surrounding homosexuality.
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6.
I'm going away for a few days, and I don't want my mailbox to be swamped
with St Bede's mail. How can I stop mail temporarily? And then start
again?
If you're not going to be able to read your email for a while, you
can stop getting posts by unsubscribing. The listserver software used
for St Bede's doesn't have a 'no-mail' option. To get mail again, you'll
need to subscribe from scratch.
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7.
I haven't received any posts recently. Is there a problem?
Email the vestry vestry@list.via-caritas.org
and let them know. They will be able to tell you if it's just you, or
if the list as a whole is down. It's better not to mail the list as
a whole, because that will just clog it up when it begins working again.
If the main list _is_ down, the backup list will most likely be in use.
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8.
How do I reply privately to a post?
You need to replace the 'To: stbedes@list.via-caritas.org', which
your mailer has put at the head of your message, with 'To: [Original
sender's address]'.
It's very easy to forget to do this (we call it a _blatt_), and even
experienced members of the list have made the mistake of sending private
mail to the entire list--which can be very embarrassing - so always
double check before you send!
If you want to mail a list member individually then it is safer to begin
a new message and paste into it text that you wish to forward, rather
than using the reply-to feature of email software. Not filling in the
To address until the last moment -- after you have written the message
-- also helps prevent 'blatts'.
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9. Can I forward posts from
this list to other friends?
If you read a post which you would really like to pass on, the best
thing is to check with the original writer. In some cases they may not
mind; in others they may ask that you include additional material (e.g.
contextual information or a copyright notice) or request that you not
pass it on. This includes prayer requests.
Of course this a public forum: anyone can subscribe. So nothing written
here is absolutely confidential; however we try to respect people's
intentions to post things to this forum (and not more widely).
I want to post something to this list and also to other places. Is this
allowed?
Absolutely, if it is your own original work. But it makes some list
members happier if you post it separately to each list, rather than
stringing all the addresses in the "To:" field - it helps
with filtering.
Subsequent responses/discussions/threads, however, should not be cross-posted
to this list.
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10.
I want to post something to this list and also to other places. Is this
allowed?
Absolutely, if
it is your own original
work. But it makes some list members happier if you post it separately
to each list, rather than stringing all the addresses in the "To:"
field - it helps with filtering.
Subsequent responses/discussions/threads, however, should not be cross-posted
to this list.
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11.I
think people on this list would be interested in something I read elsewhere.
Can I post it?
Generally
it's better, if possible, to give us an introduction to the material
and then a URL for it - that way we can follow up if we are interested.
If it is not available on the net (e.g. it was posted on a list), then
always give an introduction, and try to just quote the relevant parts.And
material quoted from another list or private email without the permission
of the sender should not be posted here.
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12.
Are there any other hints for readers and posters? It
can be a lot easier to follow the list if you use your mail system to
separate your mail into 'folders', which enables you to keep the mail
from this list apart from other mail. Often this can be done automatically
as mail arrives, which allows you to easily read other mail first, and
browse mail from the list at leisure. Always include a signature with
your name, location and e-mail address at the end of each post. The
article header's From: field will not necessarily contain your correct
e-mail address. Many mail systems allow you to automatically include
a specified signature file.Try to stick to only well known abbreviations.
An exhautive (and exhausting!) list of abbreviations commonly used on
the net can be found at http://www.abbrevguide.com/full/index.html
Also common on the net are emoticons, which are combinations of symbols
used to express emotions. Smileys are just one form of these; a list
of common emoticons can be found at http://www.windweaver.com/emoticon.htm
Please use line lengths of no more than 72 characters: this keeps your
text within the 80 character per line limit of most terminals, in both
your initial article and in any follow-up articles. Please check and
edit your subject line before sending. If what you've written really
fits the subject, don't change it. If you've picked up on one angle
of the subject and are heading in a new direction, please change the
subject line. Nobody wants to delete good stuff without reading it.
Nobody wants to retrieve (and perhaps pay for) something that looks
good to find out it was wrapped in the wrong package.
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13.
Where can I get more help?
If you have any further questions about St Bede's, contact one of the
Vestry members (see Tell me about the Vestry?)
If you have technical problems, please contact Charles Smith cts@5sc.net
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14.
Someone has posted something I disagree with. What should I do?
Keep calm. Do not reply immediately.
Then continue to read your mail. It will let you see if someone else
has already responded. Remember that someone else's response is probably
almost as good as your own, as well as saving you some effort. Consider
whether it might be better to reply by private email, rather than to
the list.
In all of this, it's important to distinguish between commenting on
the merits of a position or suggestion and criticism of the person who
made it. Please keep to the former.
When you have written your response, before you post it, consider the
whole matter again. Re-read your response, checking for errors of citation,
logic, spelling, and fact. Check that it is correctly addressed, especially
if you intend replying to the individual and not the list. Checking
your mail before you send it will save you from much embarrassment.
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15. Someone has posted something
which I think violates the charter or guidelines of this list. What
should I do?
Don't email the list as a whole.
That tends to just increase contention. The best thing you can do is
contact the person privately and try to resolve it, and/or contact the
vestry and draw it to their attention.
The vestry is mindful of scriptural guidance on how we should act if
we have a difference with someone, and so asks members to avoid judgmental
posts, on and off list. An off-list post to seek greater understanding
is fine, but flaming of a member on- or off-list is not.
The vestry is comprised of list members, so there is every chance we
have read the post concerned, and may already have acted. Off-list flames
in response to an on-list post may also be referred to the vestry. The
vestry can be contacted at Vestry@list.via-caritas.org
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16.Tell
me about the vestry
The vestry can be contacted at vestry@list.via-caritas.org
More information can be found under the topic Charter.
What
actions can the vestry take? Most often the vestry response will
be to ask for clarification from the person(s) concerned. Where someone
has violated the list guidelines, the vestry may censure them - this
functions as a warning. If they continue to violate list guidelines,
the vestry may on rare occasions unsubscribe a member for a fixed period
of time.
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