United States Military Academy
Class of 1982 - The Select Few

List Etiquette

 

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USMA1982 list

USMA1982-FORUM list

As with any community, there are guidelines governing behavior on our List Servers.  Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the Web Master.

Attachments

Don't attach files (text or images) to list server messages.  Messages on the list go out to hundreds of users, and attachments slow the server and clog the e-mail.  If you want to make a picture or other file available to members of the list, see the information on Large Messages.

Subject Line

State concisely and clearly the specific topic of the comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.  Change the subject line of your message when your reply warrants it.

Replies

Send replies either to the sender or the list, but not both.   Always post your reply at the top of a message.  This ensures that recipients see your reply which otherwise might be "buried" at the bottom of what appears to be an old message.  Include only the relevant portions of the original message in your reply.  Delete the rest.

Signature

Consider adding a signature to your messages with your name, e-mail address, and any other contact information you would like members of the list to have.

Shouting

DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN A MESSAGE.  On the Internet, this is considered "shouting" and people will assume you are being rude.

Target Audience

Remember that your message is going out to hundreds of recipients.  Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.  If the message, particularly a reply, should only go to a few people, send it to their e-mail addresses, not to the list server.

On the other hand, remember that this list server is for the use of every member.  Just because you think a message is unimportant or trivial or off topic doesn't mean that everybody does.  You should never presume to know what the members will like or not like.

Manners

Civility is always worthwhile. Thanks for helping to keep this list server a useful and pleasant place.

Do not challenge or attack others. The discussions on the lists are meant to stimulate conversation not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may.  

Avoid starting a "flame" war.  That is, if you have a negative comment to make about a message, or the individual sending the message, make sure that it is only going to the individual.  Negative comments made public on the list will typically cause a flurry of non-productive and acrimonious counter-messages.

Commercial Messages

The listserv is not intended for business solicitation, and the membership of the list is safeguarded carefully to ensure that unwanted solicitations are not received. Do not post commercial messages. The cyberspace term for this is spamming.

Use caution when discussing products or people.  Information posted on the lists is available for many to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws.

Fund Raising

The listserv is not the place to ask for donations to any particular cause.  Our classmates already receive plenty of that kind of request through various other sources, and fund raising is not a purpose of the listserv.  The one exception to this is funds raised by the class for an approved purpose to be made in the name of the USMA Class of 1982, such as reunion gift campaigns or memorial donations.  If a list member has a fund-raising idea for the class to consider, they should first contact the current Class Officers.

Job Announcements

On occasion, the web master receives job announcements that seem appropriate to the membership and may choose to forward these as a service to our classmates who are (or will be) seeking new employment.

Copyrights

Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. 

Administrative Messages

Do not send administrative messages, such as "remove me from the list", through the list server. Instead, use the Web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list.

Formatting

Turn off features (like VCards) that create attachments.  Avoid sending HTML-formatted messages to lists.  Insert blank lines between paragraphs.  Include full URLs, and surround the URLs with <angle brackets>.  Try to use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Other

Make sure the time is set properly on your computer.

Remedies

If you don't like any of the messages, you can always just delete them.  If you get really fed up, you can unsubscribe from the list.  The webmaster reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership for members who do not comply with these guidelines.


Contact the Web Master if you have questions,  comments, or requests for additions to this website.