Searchers @ Dreamhart.org

Searchers is a mailing list for people interested in learning how to search the Internet more effectively. This list has been heavily inspired by, but is not directly affiliated with, Fravia+’s Searchlores. This is one small attempt to keep something of the spirit of that place going now that he’s gone. Membership is open to anyone, but new members will be on moderated status initially.  This document is an introduction to the list and it’s rules.

Mailing List Rules:

Members may be either placed on moderated status or banned for disregarding these rules, the exact penalty to be determined by the moderator based on which rule is broken, the severity of it, and the circumstances in which it was broken.

1. Personal attacks will not be tolerated on this list. Searchers is a list for people to learn together, and share what they have learned with others. Personal issues being aired publicly on this forum would be disruptive, and for that reason should be left offlist.
2. Posts should keep their content reasonably relevant to the subject of searching the internet. Since there are a vast range of topics related to that subject, this should not be very hard to do. Exceptions may be made if a conversation leads off on a tangent that the membership of the list is interested in exploring, as long as it does not disrupt or detract from more on-topic conversations.
3. If, for any reason, you wish to bring a discussion from another list to this one, or crosspost something between another list and this one, please contact me privately first to discuss it.
4. Members may lurk, but this list is really for sharing information. Try to post what you can, when you learn something new. Even questions may help others learn, and as the saying goes: the only foolish question is the one not asked.
5. Do not post or attach copyrighted material, including text copied from web sites, without including a copy of the specific and express permission granted by the copyright holder to post the material publicly, *OR* a valid reason why your posting of the material constitutes “fair use”. This does not apply to linking to the material without posting it directly, nor to material in the public domain. Nor does it apply to posting information about how to find copyrighted material online.
6. Do not behave in a manner which the moderator or other reasonable members of this list will consider disruptive, offensive, or threatening. (A non-exhaustive list of behaviors that would be covered by this rule can be found here)
7. Moderating should be left to the moderator, who will personally issue formal Mod Notes when necessary. Please feel free, however, to contact me and bring any violations of the rules to my attention if you think it may not have been noticed.
8. On rules issues on this list, the decisions of the moderator are final.

Mailing List Guidelines:

This section is meant to introduce you to the atmosphere of the Searchers mailing list, and the way the list operates. It is not a list of rules, as such, but it is recommended reading for all members of this list and anyone planning to join.

Debate Guideline: This list is for learning and sharing information about searching the internet. Debates are welcome, if they are on-topic, but it is asked that everyone please keep it civil and don’t let things get too heated, as that could discourage others from participating in the list.

Personal Information Guideline: Please do not give out private (offline) contact information for yourself through the list. If you want another member to have that information about you, it is best to send it to that specific person through private email. Sending it the the list would make it available to everyone currently on the list, as well as anyone reading the archives, which are public. For obvious reasons, this is a safety issue.

Unacceptable Behaviors:

This is a non-exhaustive list of disruptive, offensive, or threatening behaviors mentioned in rule #6.

1. Spamming the moderator or other members of this list.
2. Using a morph account to access this list for the purpose of avoiding moderation.
3. Threatening the mailing list, it’s members, or the moderation.
4. Uninvited lectures on off-topic subjects.
5. Messages in all capital letters, in “hacker language” (see google’s translation options if you don’t know what I mean), or making excessive use of “cute” or otherwise nonstandard grammar and spelling such as “hw do I srch 4 bux?”
6. Using gratuitous offensive language, especially blanket slurs against other groups.
7. Posts including fighting words (otherwise known as flamebait). This includes, but is not limited to, boasting about how you can kick the ass of other members of the list intellectually, virtually, or physically.
8. Making frequent posts in which the previous message is quoted in it’s entirety needlessly, thus wasting the bandwidth of other members (some of whom pay by the minute for their internet connection.)
9. Posting ads to other sites using the address of other members on this board or the moderator.