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First, welcome to any new members.  I hope you find this list to be a useful resource.

These are some posting guidelines I thought it might be worth having on the Wiki for review.

1. When requesting assistance with a problem, make sure to provide as much relevant information as possible.  I.E. The operating system and version you are running, what screen reader you are using, and the name of the specific program with which you are experiencing the problem if applicable.

2. Try to use descriptive subject lines which relate to the problem you are having or the material you are posting.  Using subject lines such as
"I need help"
or
"Very important, please read"
may cause some members to skip your messages.

3. If your question or topic is related to a thread, but may significantly redirect the conversation, you should start with a new blank message and subject to reflect the change.

4. If your question or topic has nothing to do with a particular thread, start with a new blank message and subject.  Starting a new unrelated conversation without changing the subject is referred to as "thread hijacking" and is generally considered bad practice on mailing lists.

5. If you are simply continuing a discussion, posting an update, or further clarification, whether it be someone else's message or one of your own, please do not change the subject line or start a new thread if the topic of the conversation has not actually changed.  Some members group messages by conversation in their mail clients and such changes will make this feature less effective.  It also generates additional threads which means unnecessary clutter in the list archives.

6. When replying to a message, make sure to type your response at the top of the message body before previous replies.  Putting your response at the bottom after previous replies may cause members to work harder to find it or possibly think that your message is blank.  In either case, bottom posting is yet another practice which may result in some members skipping or deleting your messages.

7. When possible, it is best to at least briefly read through all new messages before replying.  This way you can avoid posting duplicate replies to questions which have already been answered, responding to topics that may have been closed, or have otherwise had their status changed.

8. When posting a reply, leave at least the text of the specific message to which you are responding intact.  Removing the text of previous messages from replies sometimes makes it difficult to determine exactly for which message or member a response is intended.

9. Do not reply to test messages unless a response is specifically requested.  Doing so tends to generate unnecessary group traffic and clutter in the list archives.

Note that these are only guidelines which I hope list members will do their best to follow for the sake of clarity and organization.  They are not intended to be, and should not be thought of as rules which will be harshly enforced unless someone is severely out of control.  Although I try my best, I don't always strictly adhere to such guidelines myself so I will not usually go out of my way to penalize anyone else for not practicing what I preach.

Regards,
Carlos