[Elecraft] Elecraft email List Official Guidelines 2016

[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft]

Elecraft eMail LIST GUIDELINES 2016

For those of you who are new to the list, (and for those of us who have rapidly 
failing memories) here is a quick list of things to remember when posting to 
this list. Please save this for future reference.

The most important thing to remember is that this is a hobby - Let's have fun!

The PRIMARY purposes of this list are to provide a -polite- and enjoyable forum 
for discussing Elecraft products, share mods, new ideas, feedback to Elecraft, 
share experiences using our products, troubleshooting ideas etc.

The Elecraft email list server (reflector) is provided to further the discussion 
of Elecraft products and related items. It serves as a forum for the discussion 
of both technical and operating topics including product features, construction 
and debug problems, sharing your enthusiasm and impressions from using our 
products and more general ham radio related topics of interest to our customers.

(Please -strongly- resist the urge to reply to an OT topic once it has gone to 5 
posts. Once it hits ten posts do not reply at all (go off list if you feel the 
urge to continue.) Also, please do not try to always get the 'last word'..


1. YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED to the [Elecraft] list TO POST to it. (This is done to 
stop advertising spammers from hitting the list.) Any postings sent to 
elecraft at mailman.qth.net by addresses different from the exact ones it shows as 
subscribers will be rejected.

This includes alias (forwarded) addresses like w1xyz at arrl.net. If you use an 
alias to subscribe you must have it as your from: and return address too. 
Subscribing with w1aw at arrl.net from your physical address of joe at aol.com will 
allow you to receive postings, but your postings to
the list will be rejected if their from: and reply to: address does not match 
your subscribe address..

Go to http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft to subscribe and to 
change your list preferences. To unsubscribe or to change your list preferences 
(digest, no mail on/off etc.), scroll to the bottom of the page and log in with 
your subscribed email address and the password that was sent to you by email 
when you subscribed (and sent to you each month).


2. If you want to provide an attachment, .JPG picture or other large file for 
use on the list, first post it to your personal web page and then post a link to 
its address in an email to the list. The list strips all attachments to prevent 
viruses from propagating and to keep the archives at a reasonable size.


3. Top posting is the official standard for this list, and its especially
important for those of us who also read our email on smartphones, iPads etc. 
Scrolling though a long thread before getting to the reply text is difficult on 
these devices and costs everyone a lot of time.

Reading the response first, at the top, is a huge time saver, especially when 
you have to read hundreds of emails daily as we do here. We really appreciate 
your adherence to this.

Please also delete -all- footers and as much of the prior email text as possible 
when replying to cut down on overall email size. Please keep the amount of 
copied text from previous posts to an -ABSOLUTE MINIMUM- in your replies.


4. EMAIL OVERLOAD:
If you are overloaded by the volume of individual messages on the list, You can 
view the daily Elecraft list messages for each month in web format at: 
http://www.elecraft.com/elist.html . These archives are updated hourly and list 
postings by subject. (the Nabble archive looks very useful.) Just click on the 
ones you are interested in to read.

You can also set your Elecraft list email preferences to 'no mail' delivery, 
which still allows you to post to the list when reading via the digest.

You can also change your subscription to the DIGEST version, which sends you a 
single compilation each day.

To change your email list options or to subscribe / unsubscribe, go to:
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Scroll to the bottom of the 
page to log into your preferences page and set your mail options to 'no mail'.


4a. Please make an effort to keep list volume under control by resisting the 
urge to post a comment on every long discussion thread (CW, Soldering etc.) With 
thousands of list subscribers volume can quickly get out of control if everyone 
feels the need to comment. While we do not overly restrict the subject matter on 
this list, please remember that its primary focus is on Elecraft products, and 
their use. Many people rely on it for pointers on building, using and 
troubleshooting their rigs. Other ham Radio topics are OK, but please keep the 
posts on non-Elecraft topics under control.

4b. *** When emailing about a specific rig or option, please add the rig/option 
name(s) to the first part of your email subject line. (K1, K2, K3, KX1 etc.) 
This will be a huge help for those experiencing email overload and will allow 
automatic filtering based on subject line.

Examples: "Subject: [K3] Filter Options"
             "Subject: [KX1] How to use ped portable?"
             "Subject: [XG2] Wow! Its a big help.


5. *** IMPORTANT - PLEASE KEEP ALL POSTINGS CORDIAL.

Restrain the urge to email someone admonishing them about a posting. The last 
thing we want to do is to scare anyone off the list. Overly aggressive postings, 
arguments and negative comments about other posters only serve to scare away new 
potential Elecraft community members.

Waiting over night before hitting 'send' really helps to put things in perspective..

Remember that -everything- you post here is archived and publicly visible for as 
long as the internet exists. Do you really want your friends, employers, kids 
etc. reading what you just posted in anger, foolishness, arrogance etc?

If you have a complaint about someone or a thread please email it directly to me 
( eric at elecraft.com ) and I'll address it.

Please do not post complaints about other postings to the list.

5a. Do not post publicly or privately asking people to stop a particular thread, 
no matter how long, off topic or repetitive it gets. Email me instead. I will 
step in when I feel it is necessary to end a thread. (eric at elecraft.com)


5a1. Please exercise restraint in posting when a thread is getting heavily 
covered. 10-15 posts on one topic in a day is excessive. Please do not vote 
yay/nay or with 'me too' postings. That only clogs our email in-boxes.


5b. Please do not post any direct attacks or snide comments directed at a list 
member. Enthusiastic arguments are encouraged, but please keep everything 
cordial. Members who verbally attack or denigrate another (either via the list 
or via direct email) may be removed from the list.

As the only official list moderator, I'll jump in as necessary to keep 
everything orderly. I do this off line and occasionally to the list when it is 
appropriate.

Our goal is to keep the Elecraft list a fun, relaxed and informative central 
clearing house for Elecraft information and enthusiasm.


6. There are -no- stupid questions. Please feel free to post your technical 
questions and comments to the list.  (And absolutely do not criticize posters 
for their questions either on list or via direct email.)

Elecraft owners are your best source for quick answers (and they NEVER
sleep!) If you don't get the answers you need from the list please email us 
direct at support(at)elecraft.com , which is our customer service address. We do 
try to watch the list traffic, but we may not respond to everything immediately 
and may miss some postings sent to the list or our personal addresses.


7. Please do post your experiences with your Elecraft kit, DX worked, crazy
ideas, product ideas, complaints (yes - we do want to hear them, but please keep 
it polite  .

7a. Commercial postings are allowed if they relate to Elecraft products, QRP, 
QRO, home-brewing, building etc. and are of interest to this list's membership. 
Please keep them as short as possible and provide web links to more detailed 
information. I'll step in if we feel someone is posting too many messages of 
this type.

7b. Please limit commercial postings to one per month per offering or
product area (i.e. Builder for Hire postings, ham radio related products etc.)


8. Also, please -DO NOT USE CAPS- to emphasize words or phrases. This is 
interpreted as shouting rudely on the internet. If you want to emphasize 
something, surround it with -dashes-.


9. Send parts requests direct to parts at elecraft.com, instead of to the list.


10. If you don't get an answer to a question from the list, or by searching the 
list archives, don't forget to check the Builder's Resource Page at 
http://www.elecraft.com and our support email address: support at elecraft.com


11. Please note that Wayne, I and our support staff do not read 100% of the 
emails on this reflector - especially when we are busy at hamfests, ramping up 
new products in production etc. If you expect us to reply to a posting, and we 
do not do so, please email us directly or contact our great guys at 
support at elecraft.com


12. And above all, HAVE FUN!. We hope that this list is both a good technical 
resource and that it serves as a Elecraft community gathering place. We enjoy 
reading it every day and it really helps us keep our energy level high so we can 
continue getting exciting new products out the door to you!


73, Eric WA6HHQ
Elecraft COO, List Moderator, Modulator etc.