What is it?ABC Science-Matters List
Posting Etiquette
Responding to an existing thread
Starting a new thread
Humour in Posting - use of Emoticons
How to turn off HTML
Filtering Tips
History
The Usual Suspects (or Featured Members)
Subscribing
Unsubscribing
What is it?Science-Matters is an open unmoderated email discussion list covering science, science issues and media coverage of science. It is hosted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and was first established in April 1997.
The list is free, and open to everyone with an interest in science. The list is quite active and generates between 15-30 messages per day.
Email lists are a way for people with a common interest to communicate, but always remember that when you send a message to a list, hundreds or even thousands of people will receive a copy of your message.
Rule Number One is to always remember that any messages you send to an email list are regarded as public, not private communications. They are subject to the same laws of libel and defamation that apply to other media. Science-Matters is un-moderated and the views expressed within it are those of the individual message-posters, but members should understand that defamatory messages are a complete NO-NO. The ABC reserves the right to remove any subscriber identified as having posted a defamatory message to this list.
General guidelines.
[Prepared with the assistance of Science-Matters subscriber Ian Musgrave]Don't attach documents to the messages you send to the list. Not everyone has email accounts which allow them to receive attached documents. Attached documents also have the potential to carry viruses, so it's never a good idea to read them when they come from an email list anyway. It follows that sending an attached document to an email list is more likely to annoy people than help get your message across.
If you have something to say - try to include it in the the text of your message, or else point to a web URL where people can find the same content. (That way it's their choice).
Be reasonably concise in posting or replying to posts. There is no longer any need for terse, one line replies or heavy use of abbreviations such as OTH, IMHO, ROTFLMAO etc. The modern Net is a lot faster than it used to be. Even so, posts which take up more than 3 screen pages will lose interest fast, unless you are a riveting writer. Posts should be kept under 2000 words, preferably in the under-500 range. This of course, depends on the complexity of the issue at hand.
When asking questions include enough information so that people can understand what you want to know. (Sounds obvious - but other list members don't always know where you are coming from).
There is no such thing as a stupid question, so don't be afraid to ask.
If including someone else’s post don't include the entire post to make a one line reply (unless the post is a few lines long). When replying to a long post, edit the post to the relevant section that you are replying to. Always mark your deletions! (eg. <snip intro>).
If necessary, break a reply up into smaller threads so that logical sections are easily followed. Do this carefully, not wantonly.
Judicious use of paragraph blocks will make your text easier to read and makes building the logical (or otherwise) structure of your post easier (and easier to follow).
Be polite this isn't alt.flame. For some obscure reason many pleasant, courteous people become abusive curmudgeons when participating in Lists. There's no need for that. Be especially gentle with newbies - we're all on our own learning curve!
Proof-read your posts before replying so that spelling errors or late night lapses of logic can be caught. If you are angry when replying, go make a cuppa before posting, then come back when you have cooled down a bit and re-read your post. Did you really mean to say that?
Do not include attachments, binary or otherwise. The default settings of recent Microsoft and Netscape email programs appear to attach an HTML version to every message. This results in a lot of clutter in subscribers "attached" folders. Digest subscribers see it as a lot of unreadable garbage after your message - a waste of bandwidth and disk space. If you are using an email product that does this, please find out how to change the default settings so that the program won't automatically attach the unwanted HTML copy.
Above all, retain your sense of humour.
Responding to an existing thread
Novices can get a quick rundown of posting netiquette here
On 26 Aug 2002 at 14:05, Peter Macinnis wrote:
Could I commend to people the use of a deft hand in trimming excess fat from messages? If you are only sending a one-line "Yeah, me too", we don't need to see three generations of nested end-matter from the list. I tried digest mode earlier this year, and gave up trying to read what had been sent because of the clatter put there by people who did not stop to weigh their missiles. No, not a typo, but I intend no offence.
and Steve van Z replied
I would like to add another suggestion if I may. I discovered that my lines were too long and reduced them. There are a few others amongst us who have the same problem, so if people would shorten theirs it would improve readability very much. Most of you will know how to, but here it is:
"Go to Options (Properties) - outgoing mail - formatting - reduce line lengthUsing HTML formatting in replies to the list always rouses the wrath of the regulars:
Tips on how to avoid this solecism can be found here.
Peter Macinnis posted:
For the record, mail in a friendly mailing program can be sent either in plain text (no formatting) or in formatted form, which means adding lots of HTML code to make it look spiffing. Trouble is, in other places, it looks REALLY unspiffing. If you can turn it off, you should, to help those with software that does not handle it, and those getting e-mail in digest mode, where all the codes show up.
Jenny Robinson supplied the following hints, as part of a longer message:
To those who can't use their e-mail effectively and are causing problems for others on the list, PLEASE learn HOW to use your e-mail program ("client" is the jargon word).
- If you use Outlook Express, click on the Format Menu and choose "Plain text".
- If you use Hotmail click on Tools when in the "Compose" Window and then select Richtext editor OFF.
- If you use Yahoo mail, click on "plain" at the top of the Compose window
Also, each e-mail client (ie Outlook Express, Hotmail) has a comprehensive HELP file that, if you spend some time using it, can actually HELP you learn what to do. This includes sending messages in plain text rather than HTML or fomatted text.
There are also a large number of on-line tutorials on using e-mail (and other applications). I have a several pages of links to such sites, on one of my websites at
http://users.mullum.com.au/jennyr
Please feel free to visit and explore.
Simply e-mail the ABC Science Matters list with the topic new thread indicated in the subject line.
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[If you send this message from your web browser, please make sure that you have set its preferences so that it knows your correct email details].
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You can leave the list by sending a message to listserv@your.abc.net.au with the words:
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You should then receive a message asking you to confirm your intention. If not, the most likely reason is that your email address may have slightly changed since you first subscribed. The second most likely reason is that you may have accidently included your SIG in the message. This can confuse the robot software. If you have problems when unsubscribing, email the humans responsible for the list at: science-matters-Request@your.abc.net.au
(If you put "HELP" in the heading of your message, the response will be much faster).
Please Note: The address you use to unsubscribe is different from the one you use to reply or post messages to the list. The first time you send a plaintive (or aggressive) request to be unsubscibed to the usual address you will usually be politely referred to the message at the foot of every response -
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For information about how to manage your subscription, please go to:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/io/faqsm.htmIf you continue to bombard the list with requests or demands to be removed forthwith, the wrath of the regulars, who have been through this many times before, will be truly horrific, and may cause severe damage to your self-esteem.
