Community Etiquette

The Vanagon Mailing List goes to people from all over the world and of all ages. For this reason, we strive to maintain some decorum on the list. While many of us swear like drunken sailors when working on our cars, we don't use strong or offensive language on the list. Please be respectful of other list members, even if you think they're not being respectful of you. Debate, but avoid arguments. Take the high road. Set an example. Make your momma proud.

When you do encounter a list member behaving badly, please don't unlock your (virtual) gun closet and get all vigilante. That's the job of the list moderators, and they are trained professionals. If you need to do something, send an email to vanagon-request@gerry.vanagon.com and we'll deal with the problem.

The Vanagon Mailing List has been around for a while and its citizens are fairly net.savvy. Bear that in mind before you forward something from an archive. In particular, please avoid the following:

• Messages containing cookie recipes.
• Craig Shergold or any kid dying of cancer who wants to live forever in e-mail.
• Forwarded messages with LOTS OF CAPITALS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!
• Any virus warning which says you can get a virus just by reading an e-mail message, especially if the virus-carrying message always has the same subject.
• Any virus warning already listed as a hoax at any of the following sites:
  • Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center
  • CIEC Internet Hoaxes
  • Computer Virus Myths
• The Internet AIDS Infection Experiment or any Internet Experiment
• Why Computers Are Like Men/Women
• Petitions
• Good-luck charms
• Any chain letter. At all.
• Dire warnings or actions alerts like Save Sesame Street!, Kidney Thieves, Airport laptop thieves, 806 pager scams, FCC Internet Tax, Lexis-Nexis P-Trax database, rec.music.white-power, etc. Basically, anything telling the whole world to send e-mail somewhere or take some action, but doesn't tell you what day (and year) to stop. Stop forwarding hysteria!
• Content-free ping tests ("Just testing pls ignore.")
• Messages with more forwards than actual text.
• Posting private email to the whole list without permission.
• A reply to a previous vanagon list posting, quoting all six hundred lines, when all you wanted to do was respond to the last three.

Please note that most if not all of these things are considered bad netiquette on the Internet, and that doing them risks your getting a severe frowning upon.