XS11 Mail List Policies

Most of the reason that we changed the list from visi.com to eGroups.com, has to do with the excessive bandwidth on the list, particularly as it related to off-topic messages. Greg Freeman, our previous list administrator, asked people to try to keep the list on-topic, as the list was subject to the whim of his ISP. We've always been warned not to "cheese-off" the list administrator (or worse, the ISP hosting the list) or something bad might happen. Some people may have taken that as an empty threat but it can and did happen.

When Greg Freeman was List Administrator he was able to talk his ISP into giving us a free mail list account under their Majordomo software. This worked well for us aside from a few periodic glitches when they upgraded their software. It was fast, useful, and free. Well, almost free. It was a bit of a burden on Greg whenever anything went wrong. And things sometimes did go wrong. Sometimes it was something Greg could fix by himself. Sometimes it required a call to the ISP. And when someone is doing you such a tremendous favor (like visi.com certainly was) then you have to treat them very respectfully. Even when the list is all screwed up. :(

Our policy on "SPAM" messages has been as follows. This policy was necessary because of the abuse of the list. At times, it was not uncommon to see messages hundreds of lines long with only one or two lines of new text added. This not only overloaded the mailer at visi.com, it also made people drop off the list because they couldn't keep up with the excessive volume. As Greg wrote:

More importantly is the subject of "SPAM" -- off-topic messages -- or "me too" messages that copy most of a previous response and then add only one line or so. Please remember there are a lot of people on this list. every message you type goes all over the world. Going forward, sending off-topic messages is grounds for removal from the list. If this does not work, then, unfortunately, I will have no option but to moderate the list and people will get the messages when I get around to reviewing them and removing what is a waste of bandwidth. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO DO. So, please, help me keep this list a useful source of information.

Greg, as a senior executive for his company, didn't have the time to pursue the issues like he would have wanted. So maybe some people felt like he didn't really mean what he said. Or perhaps he didn't care. Neither is true.

Certainly an occasional off-topic message is okay. A joke, a birth announcement, a computer question, whatever. Our goal is not to micro-manage the list. But like it says in the guidelines, if someone posts a comment or question that is off the subject, do NOT reply to the list and keep the off-subject conversation going publicly. And when someone shares parts of their lives with the list such as the birth of a child, report of an injury, etc. Please reply privately to express congratulations or condolences, etc. We do not need to see 50-100 one or two line messages of these off-topic variety. It only takes a moment more of your time to change the address to their private address. And there for a while there was, sadly, a lot of personal catastrophe happening.

But there came a point when Greg was politely asked by his ISP if it would be possible to find another home for the XS11 list. That's when Greg contacted me and asked me to take over the List Administration and to move it over to eGroups.

And that's what happened.

Someone once told me that joining a mail list is like visiting a friend's home. You can be yourself, but you should never forget that you're a guest and should behave accordingly. That means that you should refrain from being rude to the host and other guests. It also means that you shouldn't use your friends' living room as your own "soap-box" lecture hall. You can always do that privately. And so it is with the mail list. Nobody is forcing anyone to either join or stay.

But maybe it's time we had written policies instead of just guidelines. If you feel that there's a problem, please contact me with the specifics and we can discuss the situation.

Violation of these policies may result in:

• being prevented from posting messages to the list,
• being prevented from posting pictures to the shared area, or
• possibly being banned from the list altogether.

1. This list is for discussion of XS11 and XJ11 motorcycles. This includes gatherings of owners (rallies), ride reports, technical assistance, operational issues, etc.
2. Remember, many subjects have been extensively covered. Check the archives or the Tips page before asking for help.
3. No spamming. Chain letters, "business opportunities," messages to multiple mail lists, or attempts to sell some off-topic product or service are not allowed. Companies or individuals who sell products specifically for the XS1100 or XJ1100 may post short messages describing their products or services or may post a URL for members to visit their website. Commercial ventures may not post files to the shared file area.
4. Before you send a virus or other warning to the list, check to see if it's a hoax. There are a huge number of hoaxes and spreading them merely perpetuates this form of electronic terrorism. Some of these hoaxes relate to viruses and some are about infected needles in pay-phone coin slots or in theater seats, kidney theft rings, etc. You can check out the voracity of the claim at <http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html> or <http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm>
5. Attachments are not allowed on the list. Learn to turn them off. Text should be unformatted and without HTML codes.
6. Excessive posting of off-topic messages or following up off-topic threads is not allowed. Members may periodically ask for private responses to an off-topic subject or post news about a significant event in their personal lives (birth of child, family emergency, new job, etc.) as long as it is kept to a minimum.
7. Congratulatory or condolence messages should be sent privately to the affected party - not to the list.
8. When posting a message that may have limited of interest to the discussion group, request that responses be directed to you personally. This is especially true when replying to a For Sale message. Nobody needs to see you conduct your business except the Seller or Buyer.
9. If you need to discuss something with one particular member of the list, send them private mail. If you don't know their e-mail address, or mail to their private email address bounces, go ahead and post a public message to the list asking the person to reply to you privately.
10. Abusing bandwidth, i.e., not trimming messages to remove unnecessary quotations, signatures, etc. is not allowed. Trim quoted messages as short as possible, delete unnecessary lines in signatures and leave just enough to make your response understandable.
11. A NAME="11"> No foul language, i.e., swearing. It's true that most members are adults but I have heard accounts of members reading their email with their kids sitting in their laps. There's nothing that needs to be said that can't be said in a different way.
12. A NAME="12"> No personal attacks, insults, threats or abusive language toward other list members will be tolerated.
13. A NAME="13"> Joining the list under an assumed name (pretending to be someone else) is not allowed.
14. A NAME="14"> Posting messages for the purpose of creating controversy, i.e., "flame-baiting", "stirring the pot", "trolling" is not allowed.
15. A NAME="15"> Publically posting private messages that another member has sent to you, especially for the purpose of creating controversy or division is considered bad form.
16. A NAME="16"> No posting of indecent or obscene pictures in the shared files area.
17. A NAME="17"> Files posted in the shared files area may not be bigger than 200kb.
18. A NAME="18"> Members whose email bounces will be immediately unsubscribed. This is an automatic feature of the eGroups service. Regardless, if you are going to be on vacation for a while, or if you are going to change your e-mail service or address, please unsubscribe from the list (or in the case of vacations at least activate the No Mail mode).
19. A NAME="19"> Members who send automatic vacation notifications to the list will have their send priviledges immediately suspended.

These policies may be changed at any time without warning. Other policies may be instituted at any time as deemed necessary.

I realize that there may be times when something of national (or international) significance happens that there is a need to spend a short amount of time in discussion. We've seen that in the past with school shootings and the impeachment hearings. Those discussions seldom last more than a day and I believe are cathartic to the group as a whole. So long as things like that are rare I will not get involved. However, if it becomes commonplace then I will step in. I intend to be as flexible as I can while helping to maintain the focus of the list.

I'll try to be as fair as I can and give people the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. It is my sincere hope that none of these policies will need to be enforced. The XS11 list is the best group of people I've ever been associated with on the internet.

Next are my thoughts on censorship.

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