[Last updated on: Thu May 5 15:32:22 2005] Version 2.0 The Avalon Mailing List Guidelines--New and Improved Welcome to Avalon, the Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music mail list. This email contains subscription information, posting guidelines, and other information about the Avalon mailing list. New subscribers should read this document carefully. Even if you have participated in lists before, different Internet communities have different standards and policies. We cannot be held responsible for your ignorance should you fail to understand how this list operates. Please print this document and/or file it for future reference. Please send comments, updates, or corrections to the list administrator at owner-avalon@smoe.org. This document was last revised on 04 April 2003. HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE FROM AVALON? To unsubscribe from Avalon, send e-mail to majordomo@smoe.org. Leave the subject line blank. If you are unsubscribing from the talk (or bounce) version of the list, type the following on the first line in the body of the email: unsubscribe avalon If you are unsubscribing from the digest version of the list, type the following on the first line in the body of the email: unsubscribe avalon-digest Type nothing else; any other text typed after this command on the same line will cause the command to fail. If you receive an error message, the administrator must manually remove you from the list. Contact the administrator (owner-avalon@smoe.org) with any problems you encounter. HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE TO THE LIST? If you are subscribing to the talk (or bounce) version of the list, type the following on the first line in the body of the email: subscribe avalon If you are subscribing to the digest version of the list, type the following on the first line in the body of the email: subscribe avalon-digest WHY DID I STOP RECEIVING THE LIST? Your mail probably started bouncing, probably because your mailbox was full, or because there was a problem with your mail server. If your mail is bouncing because your mailbox is full, you will be removed from the list. It is your responsibility to monitor your mailbox. If you are unsubscribed from the list you will also be subscribed to the "bounces" list which will send you one message a day for a month, informing you that you have been unsubscribed from Avalon, and instructing you to resubscribe. PLEASE NOTE: If you are going to be away from email for an extended period of time, please unsubscribe from Avalon before you leave. The list archives are available at http://www.smoe.org/lists/avalon. WHY DIDN'T MY POST SHOW UP ON THE LIST? 1. You must post to Avalon from the address that is subscribed to the list. All posts intended for viewing by list members should be sent to avalon@smoe.org. Posts to any other address will *not* be publicly posted on Avalon. 2. Your post may not be longer than 7000 characters. 3. Your post may not quote back an entire digest. Excessive overquoting (especially reposting the entire text of a post when adding just a few lines of comments) is highly discouraged. Please learn how to edit text to quote only the most relevant sections of a previous post instead of just forwarding the entire past discussion. This makes the discussion virtually unreadable for the digest subcribers and it adds to the time and expense of those who pay by the minute for their Internet connections. 4. Your post may contain an administrative command, such as "cancel" "subscribe" "help", etc., within its first 5 lines, which means the list software would bounce it. WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW? 1. You are encouraged to spend the first few days on the list familiarizing yourself with the tone of the list, the types of discussion threads, and this document before you first post. 2. When you reply to a post that was sent to the Avalon talk list, your reply is directed by default to the sender. Please check your message before you send it so as not to send a public post to the private address. 3. The Avalon administrator don't intend in any way to censor you, but you are asked to keep on the list topic: Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, the band members and their projects. Use common sense when posting. A good rule of thumb for most music mailing lists: If you find yourself putting "Off-Topic" or "OT" in the Subject line ... don't post it! There is probably a more relevant forum for that post somewhere else on the Internet. Or it may belong in private email instead of being posted to the list. 4. Posts discussing negative feelings for the artists' work (i.e., dislike of an album or concert) are completely acceptable, and list members are expected to honor these opinions as valid. If you cannot bear to hear an unkind word about the artists, this may not be the place for you. 5. Avalon has gained a reputation for spirited, intelligent debate from strongly opinionated fans. These threads sometimes slip into flamefests that have, on occasion, caused people to leave the list permanently. We encourage strong opinions and rebuttals, but please respect the list's other members and support your opinions with thoughtful arguments and solid information. Personal attacks are NOT acceptable. If you absolutely have to flame, please do it in PRIVATE e-mail. The best way to stop a flamefest from happening is to ignore the folks who try to start them. You may also ask the administrator for assistance in resolving a conflict. 6. If you're unhappy with the quality of the discussion threads, hey, why not, instead of complaining publicly about it, start a thread more to your liking? 7. Please don't be intimidated by how much some Avalon members seem to know. Many members have been avidly following the artists for years and haveamassed a great amount of knowledge, which they are usually eager to share with you. Even the most basic questions will usually be handled politely, often in private email. (And if you are an "expert," please help newbies by pitching in an answer or two when they ask.) 8. Please do not send "test emails" to the public posting address. If you aren't sure about your ability to post, compose a post about the list's subject matter and send it, but save a copy in case something goes wrong. If you believe your post did not go through, contact the list administrator (owner-avalon@smoe.org) and who will help you solve the problem. 9. Commercial posts are, by and large, not permitted. In rare occasions (usually situations where the product being sold is not widely available and of direct interest to the list members), an exception will be made. Contact the list administrator (owner-avalon@smoe.org) to gain permission prior to a post. 10. When you post, keep in mind that 300+ people may read your message. Your posts should be thoughtful, well-reasoned, informative. Again, they should stick to the subject -- please use common sense. Rule of thumb: Ask yourself: 'Would I pay money to read this?' If the answer is NO, don't send it. 11. Harassment of list members or public discussion of their personal lives is unacceptable. If you have a problem with another list member, please contact the list administrator privately. Please do not use the list as a forum for this behavior. 11a. If you join the list under a false name contained in the information you provided prior to joining the list and commence harassing another list member on-list, you will be reported to your ISP and remailers. 12. Publishing, in whole or in part, anyone's private email (i.e., not sent to avalon@smoe.org) without their permission is strictly forbidden. If you have a problem with another list member, please contact the list administrator privately. Please do not use the list as a forum for this behavior. 13. Polls that simply list songs, albums, etc. with no further discussion content (i.e., "What are your five favorite RM songs?") are heartily discouraged, as they cause lots of traffic and have no substantive discussion value. Again, try to direct your posts toward either good discussion threads or newsworthy information. 14. Posts to Avalon should be in plain text only. Binary attachments (photographs, documents etc.) should never be posted to the list, and the list software will automatically remove it from your message. Instead, describe the file you have in a post to the list and ask people to email you directly for a copy; alternatively, you can place it on your Web site and provide the list with a URL (Web address) where they can download it. Violations of any of these guidelines may result in removal from the list, depending on the severity of the infraction or repeat offenses, and I very much prefer to work things out with individuals through private email. ANYTHING ELSE? OK, since you've asked: --Traffic. The amount of traffic one can expect on the Talk version of Avalon is dependent on several factors, including time of year, an artist's recent release, or quality of the current discussion threads. We have seen as few as three posts per day; we have also seen as many as 40 per day. Realistically, we probably average somewhere between 10 or 20 posts per day. --Selling/Trading on Avalon. Using the list to sell or trade items from your PERSONAL collection is acceptable. Avalon is not liable for sales or trade agreements that go bad, but the administrator (owner-avalon@smoe.org) would be happy to arbitrate any problems regarding a sale or trade. The list is NOT to be used for personal business ventures that involve the duplication and sale of copyrighted material for profit. This constitutes activity counter to the non-profit spirit of music mailing lists. In addition, Avalon is NOT to be used for the sale OR trade of ANY unreleased recordings. --Digests, and How They Are Constructed. When you post to Avalon (avalon@smoe.org), your post immediately reaches those subscribed to the Talk list. An automated digest which contains every post made to the list during that previous 24 hour period is sent out when the accumulated posts reach about 40K and/or every day at 9:05 GMT. As the digest is not edited, it is especially important that you only include the pertinent material in any reply you are making. The Avalon Digest is archived at http://www.smoe.org/lists/avalon. LEGAL DISCLAIMERS a. The Avalon list is provided to the Internet community as a free service and is not intended to promote or be affiliated with Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, or any of their affiliated endeavors. It is also not affiliated with the record labels of said artists. No one is charged to subscribe to or participate in the list, although you may incur charges from your Internet provider or online service. b. By posting to Avalon, you are granting non-exclusive redistribution rights to your message to all individuals and organizations who receive it. The Avalon list administrator cannot control nor attempt to control any redistribution of posts to other mailing lists, to any USENET newsgroup, via the Web, or any other type of redistribution, retransmittal, or reproduction. c. The author of a private post also holds a copyright on it, and has a right not to have that e-mail reposted anywhere outside of Avalon without consent. d. The list's subscription list is not sold or distributed. e. Avalon is not responsible for any errors in posts, and opinions are those of the individual posters. No commercial products are endorsed or approved, nor is the list responsible for any problems you may encounter in dealing with any individuals or organizations who post to or participate on Avalon. f. Avalon is not responsible or liable for any losses incurred due to faulty trades or sales made between individuals who found each other through this list. Such agreements are made strictly between the individuals. -- Colleen Matan (cjem@his.com) Avalon Administrator