From the PM-Talk List Moderator, Michael Greer [e-mail: greers_pm@yahoo.com]
The following was adapted/borrowed from the HRNET discussion list guidelines. They represent good rules to follow when participating on any internet discussion list. Many thanks to HRNET’s list owners for publishing these! [For information about HRNET, go to http://www.onelist.com/community/HRNET]
1. Do not use PM-Talk for commercial purposes or to perform proprietary work.
2. Do not use PM-Talk or the PM-Talk list of members to send unsolicited avertisements. This activity is termed "spamming" on the Internet and can be grounds for losing your PM-Talk membership. Under United States law, it is unlawful "to use any telephone facsimile machine, computer, or other device to send an unsolicited advertisement" to any "equipment which has the capacity (A) to transcribe text or images (or both) from an electronic signal received over a regular telephone line onto paper." The law allows individuals to sue the sender of such illegal "junk mail" for $500 per copy. Most states will permit such actions to be filed in Small Claims Court.
3. Never send chain letters through the Internet. Sending them can cause the loss of your Internet Access.
4. Messages posted to PM-Talk should concern some aspect of project management (PM). It is considered poor ListServ netiquette to post off-topic messages.
5. Do not post copies of copyrighted material to PM-Talk without the permission of the copyright holder.
6. Never assume your e-mail messages are private or that they can be read only by yourself or the recipient. Never send something that you would mind seeing on the evening news.
7. Resist the temptation to "flame" others on the list. "Flaming" refers to directing hostile or personal remarks toward other members of the list with the intent of insulting or provoking them. Remember that these discussions are "public" and meant for constructive exchanges. Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you.
8. When you first join the list, it is a good idea to "lurk" for a few days (i.e., monitor the messages being posted) to get a feel for what common questions are asked, and what topics are deemed off-limits. When you feel comfortable with the group, then start posting.
1. Keep messages and paragraphs short and to the point.
2. Focus on one subject per message, and always include a descriptive subject title, such as "Question about interview validity studies" or "Call for Papers, OD Conference", or "Position Available at Company Name", or "Survey: Your input on telecommuting requested", etc. A good subject line will make it easier for PM-Talk users to locate your message quickly.
3. SUBSCRIBERS TO THE DAILY DIGEST VERSION should change the subject title of their replies to PM-Talk messages. When you click your [REPLY] button, most email programs will automatically title any reply as "[PM-Talk] Digest Number xxx." Readers of PM-Talk will not be able to tell which of the postings for that day you are replying to. Consequently, many readers will simply skip over your message.
4. When replying to someone else's message, consider whether your message would be better read immediately by the entire list or as part of a summary posted by the original author.
5. Please be sure the header of your postings includes your name and e-mail address.
6. In the first two lines of your message, please indicate the topic, and a brief description of the message content, such as "Here is my personal opinion about ... ", or "Here is a list of studies and references that I can suggest regarding ...", or "XYZ Company has a position available for an entry-level project manager".
7. Include your signature at the bottom of e-mail messages when communicating with people who may not know you personally or broadcasting to a dynamic group of subscribers. Your signature footer should include, at a minimum, your name. We recommend that you also include your position, affiliation and e-mail address. Optional information you also may want to include is your address and phone number. Your signature should not exceed 6 lines.
8. When quoting another person, edit out whatever isn't directly applicable to your reply. DON'T LET YOUR MAILING OR USENET SOFTWARE AUTOMATICALLY QUOTE THE ENTIRE BODY OF MESSAGES YOU ARE REPLYING TO WHEN IT'S NOT NECESSARY. Take the time to edit any quotations down to the minimum necessary to provide context for your reply. Nobody likes reading a long message in quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be followed by a one line response: "Yeah, me too."
9. SUBSCRIBERS TO THE DAILY DIGEST VERSION OF PM-Talk should be particularly careful to edit unnecessary quotations from their replies to messages. It is considered very bad form to quote the entire daily digest in your reply to a single message.
10. Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish a title or heading. Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally termed as SHOUTING and considered quite rude.
11. Surround a word with *Asterisks* to make a stronger point. This is the e-mail equivalent of bold type.
12. Use the underscore symbol before and after the title of a book, i.e. _The Wizard of Oz_.
13. Limit line length to approximately 65-70 characters and avoid control characters.
14. Be professional and careful what you say about others. E-Mail is easily forwarded.
15. Cite all quotes, references and sources and respect copyright and license agreements.
16. Keep in mind that internet discussion groups often include members from many countries. Don't assume that they will understand a reference to TV, movies, pop culture, or current events in your country. If you must use the reference, please explain it. Don't assume that they understand geographical references that are local or national.
17. Use discretion when forwarding a long mail message to PM-Talk. It's preferable to reference the source of a document and provide instructions on how to obtain a copy. If you must post a long message, warn the readers with a statement at the top of the mail message. Example: WARNING: LONG MESSAGE
18. It is considered extremely rude to forward personal e-mail to mailing lists without the original author's permission.
19. Do not send messages to the ListServ with return receipts.
20. Do not send attachments to the ListServ. The OneList ListServer will delete any attachments before forwarding your message. You may use the Shared Files section of the OneList web page to post files you wish to share with other PM-Talk members.
21. Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without face to face communications your joke may be viewed as criticism. When being humorous, use emoticons to express humor. (tilt your head to the left to see the emoticon smile) :-) = happy face for humor
22. Acronyms can be used to abbreviate when possible, however messages that are filled with acronyms can be confusing and annoying to the reader. Examples of acronyms commonly used on discussion lists are:
| IMHO= in my humble/honest opinion |
| FYI = for your information |
| BTW = by the way |
| Flame = antagonistic criticism |