Adventures in Genealogy: Mail List Manners
Or
Rednecks, Common Courtesy and Flamin Emails
By Bill Hocutt
Now I have mentioned before that I am on a few of them mailing lists. Now I aint gonna bore yall with some of the stories about the thangs I have seen on the Roadkill Recipe list but I do wanna talk about manners with yall.
Now I know the rules on each list is different and something that is considered fine on the Beef Jerky and Beer list will get you thrown off the Caviar and Toast list, but there are some common sense rules of conduct that apply to all of them.
RULE 1: If You joined a list for Nebraska Genealogy the odds are that folks don't wanna discuss New York City Deli's. Or to put it another way try to stick to the subject.
RULE 2: Don't pour sand in other people's Capt. Crunch. Now stop and think about it if you join a list for one of the Southern States odds are some of these folks had ancestors that fought and died for the Stars and Bars. This is one of my personal pet peeves. Even if you think the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression) was about Slavery (Which it Wasn't) there are a few inescapable facts you need to consider. The war ended over 130 years ago -----You aint that old and neither am I. Whether you agree with them or not our Southern Ancestors fought and died for their country. Their actions were no more Treasonous than those of Washington or Jefferson. My final thought on this subject is simple it don't matter what you say or what you call us we are as Proud to be Southerners as you are to be Northerners.
RULE 3: Don't say nothin on the list that you wouldn't say to your Grandma. In my whole life I have yet to find a single time that foul language, insults or belittling someone has done anything but hurt folks and makes em mad. Instead of slamming someone on the list try writing a rational intelligent response. Face it folks we aint all gonna be friends or see everything the same way but different don't mean stupid.
RULE 4: You don't gotta read every email. If you are on the "Tulip" mailing list and you get 3 or 33 emails with a subject line of "How to make good Armadillo Chili" just delete them. You don't gotta read em. Trust me most list owners will step in and take action if the off subject conversation goes on too long.
RULE 5: The List owner may not always be right but he or she is the 800 LB Gorilla. ON the average the listowners are good hard working people who are just trying to help us, but they are not saints. If you don't like the way he or she runs the list then write them a personal email. Don't send it to the whole list, Don't badmouth him or her on the list and don't try to disrupt the list. If he or she fails to respond to your personal email or you cant live with his or her decision then Unsubscribe.
RULE 6: Don't respond to Stupidity. If someone flames the list or one of the members by all means write a personal note to the person who was abused but don't put it on the list. Those people out their doing the flamin get a kick out of disrupting the list.
Ok, I am gonna climb off my soapbox now. What it boils down to is use common sense and common courtesy. We are all adults lets act like it.
Adios and Keep Smiling
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I would also like to invite you to try some of my Fiction
I would also like to strongley suggest you
read "The Value of Surname Web Pages & Mailing Lists"
http://members.aol.com/dearmyrtle/99/990215.htm
by
DearMYRTLE
