List Serve Etiquette

1. Use informative subject headers. Be specific. Be precise. Vague subject lines (or no subject lines) are likely to be ignored or deleted.
2. Keep messages brief, to the point and meaningful. "Me, too" and "Cool" sent to several hundred subscribers is a waste of everyone's time.
3. Avoid using all capital letters. This is the equivalent of SHOUTING (and considered rude). To emphasize a word or phrase, place asterisks or use underscores around a word. For instance, * word * or _ word _
4. Sign your messages with your full name and e-mail address. Check your e-mail regularly. (No anonymous or alter-ego posting).
5. Is your message something you want the rest of the world to see? Confidential information does not belong on a listserv. Nor do "flames". Flaming is the use of emotionally loaded content. It is fine to discuss controversial subjects, but personalizing the debate is not.
6. When replying, summarize the original post selectively so that subscribers understand the context for your message. It is not necessary to quote the original post in its entirety.
7. Read the "To:" line before you hit the Send button. Know whom you are replying to. Please note that replying probably does NOT send your reply to the entire list, but simply to the sender of that message. Enter the list email address in the "To:" line to send to the list. You don't need to send also to the original sender of the message, as they are likely also members of the list.
8. Reply to the individual sender when your response is not relevant to the entire list.
9. Do not copy a ton of other people when you send to a list, as they may already be members of the list. If you have a list of members you would like to suggest to be subscribers, send those email addresses to the administrator and he/she can easily send an invitation to all of them. Let them manage their own subscription so they don't get multiple copies and so they can opt-out if they don't want to read submissions to the list.
10. Avoid sending attachments. If you must, include "Attachment" in the Subject line.
11. Selling or advertising products and services on listservs is considered rude and inappropriate.
12. Don't quote someone's private message without their approval. Especially rude is to take a private message and then respond to each line, pointing out how stupid the other person is, and then post it on a public list.
13. Take care in your posting, use a email client that does spell-checking. Remember, your message is going to 100s of subscribers.
14. Please do not post from other blogs and avoid sending "click-here" campaigns and other spam-like material to the list.
15. Enjoy!

If you are not used to getting so much email from these lists, please see Managing List Email for some helpful suggestions.

-- Raymond Lutz - 26 Oct 2006