RootsWeb: NEW-ENGLAND-ISLANDS-L New Welcome Letter -- Please read

NEW-ENGLAND-ISLANDS-L Archives

Archiver > NEW-ENGLAND-ISLANDS > 2002-07 > 1026944968

From: List Owner <>
Subject: New Welcome Letter -- Please read
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 18:34:00 -0400

WAIT! Please read this letter and print a copy to save for reference. I have taken the time to write this informational message for you so please take the time to read and understand it. Thanks! *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* WELCOME *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Welcome to the New-England-Islands Family Discussion List. This is a discussion area for anyone who has an interest in Genealogy or History related to ancestors who settled on islands of New England at any time including but not limited to Block Island, Deer Isle, Fox Islands, Isle Au Haut, Martha's Vineyard, Matinicus, Monhegan, Mount Desert, Nantucket and their descendants. My name is David Sylvester and I'm the owner of this list. I'm responsible for keeping it running as smoothly as possible and setting some rules and guidelines. I created or adopted this list as an aid in my own genealogy research and to help others with the same interest. As a member I'll participate in the discussions as fits my needs and share my information to help others find their roots. As manager I'll closely monitor to see that the list is an enjoyable place for all who are serious about finding their ancestors and sharing their information. *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* GENERAL %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* * If you subscribed by mistake or if someone else submitted your email address unbeknownst to you please unsubscribe now. If you don't feel you have the time to read this letter and attempt to understand the information in it please unsubscribe now. * This is a *no nonsense* list. Its rules are simple, easy to understand, and fair. Our members have joined to search their roots and share their information on Genealogy and History and we hope you have done likewise. If you cannot follow a few simple rules or if you're intolerant of the writing style of others or if you tend to write flaming remarks in public forums then you don't belong on this list. If you think a genealogy email list is a good place to post a virus warning then perhaps this would be a good time to send in your request to unsubscribe. If I haven't driven you off yet then read on... * Please keep this letter. I recommend you keep a copy on file in your computer as well as a printed paper copy that you can find easily. If you lose your copy then you may request a replacement from me at or you can find it published at http://www.mdwsweb.com/genealogylists. This Welcome letter supercedes all others of any prior date. * Read this letter -- there is a lot of important information here. It is assumed that by joining this list and receiving this letter that you will read and understand it and that you intend to abide by it's simple rules and guidelines before posting to the list. If not, please stop here and unsubscribe now. If there is something you question or don't understand please feel free to email me at . Send it to me not to the list. * The two commands you'll use in this list are subscribe and unsubscribe You must spell them correctly for them to work. Likewise the list email addresses you use must be spelled correctly or your email won't go where it's supposed to. This is due to the way the internet and computers work. * Remember these addresses: -- If you need help, contact me at . -- To post a message to this list, Genealogical data, a query or reply, etc. (stuff of interest to other members) send it to: -- To subscribe or unsubscribe send a message to: or (for digest mode) and put: subscribe (and nothing else) or unsubscribe (and nothing else) in the body of the message. Note that "l" is an "L" (either lowercase or uppercase will work) and can be thought of as an abbreviation of "list mode" and "d" would stand for "digest mode". If you're subscribed in list mode you'll receive each message individually. If you signed up for digest mode you'll periodically receive several messages combined into one email. Additional information may be found at http://www.mdwsweb.com/genealogylists *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* RULES *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* * Do post This list is for the discussion of Genealogy and History, primarily regarding families of the list surname and related families. Discussion of migration patterns, immigration, ship passenger lists, heraldry, historical sketches, family settlements, census data, wills, inventory lists, family Bibles, grave stone inscriptions, vital records, web sites and other information sources, family reunion announcements, etc. as relates to the New England Island families is encouraged as well as discussion of collateral families. Short family histories, memoirs, family lore, oral tradition and other anecdotal items authored by your ancestors or passed down orally are welcome. A public announcement of interest to Genealogists in general though it may not relate specifically to the list surname is permitted but please use discretion. If you're unsure whether the content is appropriate send it to me privately and I'll review it. * Do not post Do not post virus warnings real or imagined, test messages, chain letters, political announcements, current events, missing persons, items for sale, jokes, cute websites, personal messages such as birthday greetings or chit chat, excess quoted material as explained below, computer support, copyright law, etc. Brief holiday greetings may be included in an otherwise on topic email but do not post solely holiday messages to the list. Exceptions to for sale items: You may announce your own book, CD or other published item if you are the copyright owner; If you have an historical or heirloom item that you would like to "return" to the family you may ask for reimbursement for shipping only; You may bring to the list's attention relevant items of interest you found listed at an online auction site or other publication. Several links to helpful information on viruses are listed in the Further Information section below. As this has been questioned or misunderstood in the past, I repeat: *No* discussion of viruses or any other computer support in this list. Forums for those topics are elsewhere. This is Genealogy. * No excess quoting When replying to the list it is expressly forbidden to repost: -- headers including explanatory notes that were added by this Listowner. -- the previous poster's sig block, surname list or advertisement from their email service. -- the list tagline. A new tagline will be automatically added to your post; resending the previous one is redundant. -- any note from the previous message indicating that their outgoing email was virus scanned. -- any other tagline or advertisement that was added by Rootsweb or anybody else. There is simply no reason in the world to include any of the above in your reply to the list. They have already been seen and only add clutter when resent. See some helpful tips on quoting in the guidelines section below. * No attachments Please do not send file attachments to the list. If you have a file you would like to share with the members, announce what you have to offer, then send the file only to those who request it, via private email. There are many branches of this surname and the vast data in your gedcom or other file may not be of interest to everyone in the list. * No flames No rude comments or flaming in the list! No discussion of flaming in the list. Do not reply to another person's flame in the list. If you feel you *must* comment to the person who sent unwelcome material do so by private email, but please be nice to them. The person you're scolding is your cousin and they may have useful Genealogy information for you in the future. For definitions of flaming and related information see http://www.man.ac.uk/~zlsiira/Netiquette/flame.html http://everythingemail.net/email_help_tips.html#netiquette http://www.namastecafe.com/computer/netiquette%20.htm http://list-etiquette.com http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm http://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html http://netsquirrel.com/roadmap96/map07.html http://www.fau.edu/netiquette/net http://www.albion.com/netiquette http://www.darkmountain.com/netiquette/index.shtml http://www.cs.queensu.ca/FAQs/email/etiquette.html http://www.ezine.com/netiquette.html http://ca.dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Communications_and_Networking/Email http://www.readingeagle.com/krt/tech/email/html/r.htm * Updates Occasionally this listowner will post updates of this letter and other informational emails to the list. Any questions or comments whether you agree or disagree with the content send them to me at , not to the list. * Don't Don't attempt to impose any rules or conditions, expressed or implied elsewhere, upon this list. Rules of other email lists, newsgroups, message boards, chat rooms or other forums may not necessarily apply here. Do not try to regulate this list. If you don't like the way someone formats their queries or responses or the content of their subject titles send a helpful email to the author in private email. If you wish to help someone unsubscribe (You're assuming this listowner has not done so) do it in private email as I do. If you wish to report a violation of the rules or have a question or concern about how this list is run, take it up with me the listowner at , *not* in the list. The list is for Genealogy and History and other members likely will not be interested in your griping. * Violations Again, the Listowner assumes that you understand these simple rules. If you don't feel you can follow them, then you should unsubscribe now. Individuals violating these rules will be put in moderated mode, during which time your messages will be reviewed by me before being accepted and forwarded to the list or rejected. Serious and/or repeated violations may result in your being removed or banned from the list at the discretion of the Listowner. * Summary of rules To sum up these rules, the two key elements are, one: this list is for Genealogy and History, nothing else; and two: this list, as well as any other list at Rootsweb or anywhere else, is unique. What goes at one list doesn't necessarily go at any other list. Before posting to *any* list, first read and understand the rules and guidelines of *that* list. With these two concepts in mind I urge you to reread this section. *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* GUIDELINES %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* * Quoting tips When replying try to quote some portions of the previous message so that other readers are reminded what the thread is about. "Quoting" is repeating some text of the message you are replying to. Some quoting is necessary but do try to use good judgement. Quoting the previous writer's signature block or surname list is unnecessary as is quoting the headers and footers that are automatically added to messages. Quoting an entire digest back to the list is totally unacceptable. See also the item on quoting in the rules section above. Make it clear what is quoted material and what you are adding. Most email programs take care of this for you by inserting greater-than signs > at the beginning of each quoted line or possibly double brackets << before and >> after the quoted piece. Use standard editing methods to cut unnecessary material. Leave one or two blank lines between the quoted material and your added information. See this handy site for instructions on how to Cut and Paste: http://members.aol.com/jaynecg/private/copy.html Traditionally people quote and reply either of two ways: one, portions of quoted material successively followed by new material that you add; and two, all new material added after the end of all quoted text. In recent times people have been seen inserting their new material ahead of the quoted email, leaving most or all of the previous message intact including headers, taglines and footer material. This practice tends to create increasingly large emails with redundant taglines and other unnecessary previously posted material. Please try to avoid this practice in favor of the standard methods mentioned in the previous paragraph. * Subject It helps other readers if you remember to put something in the subject line. While there is no standard or specific format for the subject text, something that relates to the Genealogy work you're doing is helpful. Not too many people will even look at a message that simply says "roll call" or "my surnames". If during the exchange of messages the topic shifts to another related line, sometimes it's helpful, but not necessarily required, to change the subject. An example of a commonly used style is: Subject: Sylvester & Jones family - was Re: Sylvester & Smith marriage * No info, thank you If you *must* send a reply to a query stating that you have no information do so in private email *not* to the list. Use common sense. If you wish to send a mere "Thank you" send it to the individual in private email. However, if your computer crashed or you otherwise lost your contact info, by all means use the list to re-establish contact with those you are conducting research with. * Settings Become familiar with your email program and it's settings. This list is set up so that your reply goes to the list instead of the individual, i.e. all members including yourself will receive a copy. Your email program may be configured to override that setting. Look to see who you're sending your reply to before clicking the SEND button. To join lists about computer email programs and other related subjects go to http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Internet_Help * Filtering Look to see if your email program has filtering. Among other features filtering will move incoming emails into separate mailboxes that you create based on criteria you specify. This is especially useful if you belong to more than one email list. Read the help file for your program or call its tech support for help in setting up filtering in your program. Or join one of the helpful lists referred to in the link just above. * Footers & sigs Surname lists or taglines appended to the end of messages (example: Searching Sylvester Smith Jones etc.) are okay but please try to limit them to say, half a dozen names. Any more than that and many people just won't read them. Try keeping several small lists and rotate them with each succeeding message. Signatures a.k.a. sig blocks longer than five to ten lines are traditionally considered lengthy. Please try to conform to this standard. See also http://everythingemail.net/email_help_tips.html#signature http://coolsig.com http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/http/signatur.html http://www.math.fu-berlin.de/~guckes/sig/improved.html http://ca.dir.yahoo.com/computers_and_internet/communications_and_networking/email/Signature_Files_and_Quotes *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* TIPS %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* * Accuracy Accuracy is important and sources are vital. Ancestor lists are worthless if the information is wrong. * Sources All information need not be accompanied by source citations, but I do recommend strongly that you do include sources or a note stating that they are available on request. For tips on citing sources see http://www.classroom.com/community/connection/howto/citeresources.jhtml http://ww2.wpunj.edu/~library/citing.htm http://users.ap.net/~lancelot/gen/newbies.html#DOC * Is this for real? If information is speculation then present it as such until it is proven or commonly accepted as fact. * Queries When posting your query try to give as much information as you know, i.e. dates and places of all vital events if known, along with enough info on other family members so that the reader can positively identify if they are researching the same family. "Anyone out there researching Sylvesters?" is going to find its way to members' trash bins. See the following sites for help on writing a good query: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/7241/writeart.html http://simmons.b2b2c.ca/QUERY.HTM http://community-2.webtv.net/mpetzolt2/successfulquery http://users.ap.net/~lancelot/gen/newbies.html#REQ http://www.birminghamgenealogy.org/research/tutoials/6stepqry.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnmower/samplequeries.htm * English 101 It helps if you check your spelling and syntax. Certainly none of us are perfect spellers and no one is going to "correct" you but names of ancestors and places should be as you found them in the records or accurate for our current times. Also it's important to post your website URL correctly. Leaving out one letter or the slash / symbol in the URL generates a raft of requests for corrections. Tip: Copy and paste the text from your browser, bookmarks or other document. And take a moment to proof read your message before sending it. For tips on emailing writing style see: http://otn.uoregon.edu/eisenhower/internet_learning/email/good.html http://users.ap.net/~lancelot/gen/newbies.html http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/revise.html * Keep trying Post your query frequently, perhaps once every month or two, if you have not yet found your ancestor. New people are joining the list all the time and they may have the info you need. If you have found your ancestor please keep your membership. You may be able to help a new member find their roots too! * Use the list Please send relevant replies to the list not just to the original poster. Other members may benefit from the data that you provide, thus relevant email traffic in the list is encouraged. *%*%*%*%*%*%*%* FURTHER INFORMATION %*%*%*%*%*%*%* * List homepage For further information on this list see http://www.mdwsweb.com/genealogylists * Other lists See the following sites for information on many Genealogy email lists: http://www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail.html http://www.CyndisList.com/mailing.htm http://lists.rootsweb.com http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=genealogy * Publish my info? To learn how to construct your own Genealogy homepage see http://www.CyndisList.com/construc.htm http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Internet_Help/HTMLHELP.html http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~kathryn/webhowto.txt http://members.aol.com/jaynecg/index.html http://www.ext.nodak.edu/miv/curriculum/w07.html http://www.internetsd.com/html/index.html http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/wizards/webmasters.html http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut * Viruses For information on virus hoaxes and urban legends see http://www.Vmyths.com http://www.urbanlegends.com http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/hoax http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp http://www.stanford.edu/group/partners/hoaxes.shtml For information on real computer viruses see http://www.symantec.com/avcenter http://www.CyndisList.com/internet.htm#Viruses http://www.f-secure.com/virus-info/tips.shtml http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/virus.html http://housecall.antivirus.com http://www.trendmicro.com/pc-cillin/vinfo/hoaxes/hoax.asp For links to other virus info sites see http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/virus_links.html http://special.northernlight.com/compvirus http://www.anti-virus.com To join discussions on the topic of viruses see http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=virus http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Internet_Help/VIRUS-DISCUSSION.html *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* ABOUT *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* This list is hosted by Rootsweb as a free service. To find out more about the many lists and other services available there go to http://www.rootsweb.com and explore a bit. This list is run by me out of sheer enjoyment. My genealogy and personal homepages can be seen at http://www.mdwsweb.com This version of your welcome letter is dated July 15, 2002 *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Enjoy the list! David Sylvester, listowner

This thread:

New Welcome Letter -- Please read by List Owner <>