KSBIRD-L GUIDELINES (rev.03/2005)

******************************************

PLEASE SAVE THIS FILE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

******************************************

LISTOWNERS (to contact any listowner, send an email to ksbird-l-request at listserv.ksu.edu

Chuck Otte: cotte@ksu.edu or otte2@cox.net

Dave Rintoul:

KSBIRD-L is hosted at Kansas State University. A searchable archive of list messages dating to the inception of KSBIRD-L in March of 1996, and a web-based interface for changing your subscription options, can be found at the URL:

http://listserv.ksu.edu/ksbird-l.html

PHILOSOPHY OF KSBIRD-L

KSBIRD-L provides a forum in which to share knowledge concerning wild birds. Lively discussions on topics related to wild birds, birding, and birders are invited. These exchanges should be informative, entertaining, and respectful. Members are encouraged to feel a sense of community in which they can post without risking humiliation or personal attacks. Anonymity is discouraged, as we have found that respect of the opinions and perspectives of others is more prevalent when everyone is identified and known (see privacy statement below).

These guidelines clarify permissible and impermissible behavior on this list. The listowners prefer to guide KSBIRD-L with a common-sense approach that permits free and open discussion; we assume that all subscribers are adults and will appreciate being treated as such. But that means that the subscribers have a big responsibility to know and abide by these guidelines, so please read them and bookmark this page for future reference.

HOW TO POST

E-MAIL STRUCTURE

Format: Plain text (ASCII) only. Anything else may be unreadable to many subscribers and can wreak havoc with some subscribers' e-mail software.
Not allowed: HTML, UUENCODE, specially formatted documents such as Word, WordPerfect, and RTF, and ALL ATTACHMENTS.

WHERE TO SEND KSBIRD-L MESSAGES:

KSBIRD-L@listserv.ksu.edu

FORMAT OF MESSAGES

SUBJECT: If the topic is new, choose a brief, informative title. Remember that many people (and many search engines) look for key words in the subject line, so give some thought to this often-ignored aspect of your message. Do not leave subject line blank. If your post falls into any of the following categories, please use these formats:

RE: [subject]--Reply to previous post (do not change or edit subject unless the topic changes significantly from the original. If you are responding to a message in the DIGEST, please paste the subject of that message in the Subject: box rather than Subject: DIGEST.)
RFI: [subject; location if meaningful]--Request for information
RPT: [place name, dates]--Trip report
(Long): Append to subject if post is 2-4 pp. Divide posts of 5 pages or more into two parts.
ADMIN: [subject] -- reserved for administrative message from listowners


REQUIRED ELEMENTS -- Your real name and your e-mail address (to use as a hotlink, precede with "mailto:") must appear in the message.  Please also include your city, state/province, country so that other subscribers can place your message or questions in a local, regional or global context. Most e-mail programs include an option to use a signature text file so that this information can be added automatically.

Optional - Your website link, GPS, or other info

LANGUAGE and SCOPE

We expect that all messages will be in English and would be appropriate for readers of all ages.  KSBIRD-L readership is not only within Kansas, but across the United States.  Please bear in mind that not all subscribers are familiar with Kansas.  When describing birding trips be as specific as possible EXCEPT as noted below.  Indicating the county of the sighting is strongly encouraged.  References to locations found in the DeLorme Kansas Atlas and Gazetteer are acceptable.  Never use shorthand or abbreviations without first referencing it.  For example, you may think that everyone knows these shorthand codes, but a new birder on the list might think that your FOS TV was the Florida Ornithological Society's television show instead of your first of season Turkey Vulture.

TOPICS

Wild birds, birders, and birding are the accepted topics. Unacceptable topics are virus alerts, chain letters, and the practical aspects of pet/caged/domestic birds.  Topics not recommended include feral cats, politics and arguments (but not news) about avian conservation-related matters, exact locations of, and/or directions to, endangered species (especially nests) or any owls or raptors, and the ethics and/or morality of hunting or  falconry.  Some of these topics (e.g. chain letters) are banned for fairly obvious reasons.  Many of these banned topics have been heatedly discussed too many times in the past on this list. All of these topics are almost guaranteed to generate more heat than light, unfortunately, and we ask your cooperation in keeping discussions of that sort off this list.  Topics of a more general, or non avian, conservation nature are discouraged.  Those wishing to engage in those discussions are encouraged to join the KSCONS-L list at listserv.ksu.edu.

Posting of copyrighted material for which the poster does not own the copyright (e.g. newspaper or magazine articles) is not allowed. If you think that the KSBIRD-L subscribers need to read such material, please send a brief message to the list, indicating the topic and including the URL (web address) for the material.

Any offer of a product or service for sale is considered advertising. Advertising is not allowed on KSBIRD-L, with the exception of brief announcements by nonprofit organizations of events in which they participate or new products they produce. These should be in the form of a single sentence, indicating a link to either a person or a website where additional information can be obtained.

Reports on trips and comparisons or reviews of products/services by KSBIRD-L subscribers who have no financial stake in them (in organization, operation, manufacture, marketing, or as a competitor) are not considered advertising. While trip reports from all locations are welcomed, please remember that this is a list about Kansas birds.

We strongly encourage all birders to maintain appropriate ethics in their bird watching activities.  It is hoped that all birds reported on KSBIRD-L were viewed in compliance with the American Birding Association's Code of Birding Ethics.  Additionally, it is asked that you refrain from publicly naming birders that you observed violating the Code of Birding Ethics or state and federal law.  If they need to be reported to the authorities, then please do so, but let's keep KSBIRD-L free of "dirty laundry airing"!

The simple mention of a subscriber's occupation, business or employer, and/or webpage in a signature of 5 lines or less is permitted.

If a subscriber is in doubt about the appropriateness of a proposed posting, please contact one of the listowners. If a subscriber is in doubt about the appropriateness of a posting which has already appeared on the list, PLEASE do not post a public comment or question about it, but PLEASE do send a message to one of the listowners. In most cases the listowners will have already privately contacted the sender of a questionable message, and in ALL cases it is neither necessary nor desirable to start an on-list discussion about such administrative matters. Remember, the name of the list is KSBIRD-L, not Guideline-L.

FREQUENCY & BREVITY (guidelines for posting)

Limit yourself to about one message a day or seven per week. This is not a hard-and-fast maximum, but a sensible guide.

If you quote a previous message in your reply, PLEASE snip unneeded portions, particularly the headers from forwarded messages!

Limit messages to 10 or fewer typewritten pages (about 10K).   KSBIRD-L does have a 200 line limit per message.

It is not necessary to weigh in on every topic.

HIGH VOLUME (guidelines for reading)

Not all topics are of interest to all subscribers. The subject line is your guide to weeding out posts.

A thread has run its course when no one is interested in posting further. Use the DELETE key if you've seen enough.

Consider taking a break -- go on NOMAIL or INDEX (see LISTSERV COMMANDS).

NETIQUETTE (Behave like a responsible adult and you may persuade others to do the same.)

Posts that offer intelligent, reasoned debate in a civil tone or argue a different point of view, but are respectful of the poster and the list as a whole, are welcomed.

Posts that belittle, nitpick, ridicule, attack, or insult another poster and his/her ideas are unacceptable.

Subscribers' expertise, both in KSBIRD-L topics and in the use of the internet, varies widely. Show tolerance of posts by new subscribers and posts that are occasionally off-topic, poorly written, or not up to your personal standards.

Be slow to take offense to a post. You may have misjudged the poster's meaning. Tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language--especially to convey humor--are absent in this forum!

If you do take offense, allow yourself a cool-down period before you hit SEND. Even then, consider sending your message privately rather than to the list.

It is assumed that all users will conform to the Electronic Mail Policies of Kansas State University. An updated version of this document can be found on the KSU website at the URL http://www.ksu.edu/vpast. Please read this if you have not already done so.

Retain a sense of proportion. Most of the world, believe it or not, is totally oblivious to KSBIRD-L!

PRIVATE MESSAGES

The above rules of netiquette also apply to private messages from one subscriber to another.

Private posts are appropriate for "me-toos," "attaboys," and information not meaningful to other subscribers. Do not send such content-free posts to the entire list, please.

Be aware that no internet message is truly "private," and be careful what you reveal to unknown correspondents.

LISTSERV COMMANDS

ADDRESS FOR LISTSERV COMMANDS

Post all commands to: listserv@listserv.ksu.edu

DO NOT POST LISTSERV COMMANDS TO THE KSBIRD-L ADDRESS!

SUBJECT - You can leave the "subject" field blank when you send a command message

BODY- Use the following forms (either uppercase or lowercase will work).

To Subscribe:

SUB KSBIRD-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname

To Unsubscribe:

SIGNOFF KSBIRD-L

If your e-mail address has changed, two commands are required. (Note: If you cannot send from your old address, contact one of the listowners to make the change manually.)

SIGNOFF KSBIRD-L [from old address]

SUBSCRIBE KSBIRD-L Your Name [from new address]

Suspend Mail: (to turn off the KSBIRD-L mail if you are going away for a vacation in Attu, for example)

SET KSBIRD-L NOMAIL

Resume Mail: (to resume getting KSBIRD-L mail when you return from that vacation!)

SET KSBIRD-L MAIL

Daily Digest: (you get only one LONG message per day; this message includes all KSBIRD-L  messages for a 24-hour period. N.B. If you use the DIGEST option, and want to reply to a message, PLEASE do not include the entire digest in your reply!):

SET KSBIRD-L DIGESTS

Daily Index of Subject, Length, Author: (you get one daily message with only Subject, Length, Author):

SET KSBIRD-L INDEX

Get Help:

HELP

More Info on Listserv Commands:

INFO REFCARD

To get an index of all of the archived KSBIRD-L messages:

INDEX KSBIRD-L

To get a file from the archive:

GET KSBIRD-L LOGyymmx [yy=year, mm=month, x=week of month]

Archive Search (with WWW Access):

http://listserv.ksu.edu/ksbird-l.html


REMEDIES FOR OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR

If you feel abused by another subscriber to the list:

Use that DELETE key. Ignoring the offender is often the best policy. If ignoring doesn't work, try responding to the author that you do not wish to receive personal messages from him/her, and ask the person to desist. Then ignore again.

If the offenses continue, contact the listowners.

If the offenses take place in private e-mail, contact the offender's internet service provider and report the harrassment.

If you are threatened or menaced, call your local law enforcement authorities.

Responsibilities of the Listowners:

The listowners will not publicly chastise or humiliate an offending subscriber. If a message appears to be in violation of the guidelines, a private message may be sent, reminding the member of his/her acceptance of these community standards. Further discussion of the application of the guidelines to a particular message (by this or any other subscriber) should always be conducted via private channels, and never via the list.

If the subscriber continues to violate the guidelines, the listowners may set the subscriber to REVIEW (where messages are previewed by a listowner who will decide whether or not to send them to the list). In some cases, the listowners may set the subscriber to NOPOST (where the subscriber is barred from posting messages until further notice). Finally, serious or repeat offenders may be DELETED (unsubscribed from the list) at the listowners' discretion. The listowners would greatly appreciate it if, by voluntary adherence to these guidelines, you never cause them to exercise any of these three options.

KSBIRD-L listowners cannot take responsibility for private communications from one of its subscribers to another. However, if necessary, the listowners may attempt to settle a dispute by following the above guidelines.

IMPORTANT - KSBIRD-L messages are archived at Kansas State University as well as being mirrored at several private web sites. This is a valuable service, since it allows you to go back and search the archives for information on the many topics that have been discussed on the list over the years. However, these archives contain all the information in all messages posted to the list, including email addresses and names of subscribers. If you feel strongly that you do not want your name and email address associated in a searchable archive on the internet, PLEASE DO NOT POST MESSAGES to the list.

It is likely that the advantages of archiving these messages greatly outweigh the possible disadvantages, but that is a personal decision that only you can make. The listowners assume no responsibility for preserving your privacy; that is your personal responsibility. If you want to remain anonymous on the internet, it would probably be best if you did not subscribe to any mailing lists, including this one.



Although this seems like a lot of stuff to remember, it won't take long for it to become second nature for you. In fact, if you participate in other listservs, you will find that these guidelines are helpful there as well. Thanks for joining KSBIRD-L, and please help us all learn about the fascinating world of wild birds and birdwatching!

These guidelines are adapted from the guidelines of the national/international discussion list, BirdChat.

last updated August 12, 2016 (CEO)