Beginning March 2nd, 2020 the Mailing Lists functionality on RootsWeb will be discontinued. Users will no longer be able to send outgoing emails or accept incoming emails. Additionally, administration tools will no longer be available to list administrators and mailing lists will be put into an archival state.
Administrators may save the emails in their list prior to March 2nd. After that, mailing list archives will remain available and searchable on RootsWeb
POLICY UPDATE.
On 27 September the RootsWeb Privacy Statement was updated to bring it
into closer harmony with the privacy policy of other MyFamily.com, Inc.
properties. The privacy statement provides information about the types
of personal information that we collect and what we do and do not do
with the information you provide. To review the Privacy Policy, go to:
http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/privacy.html
REPRINTS. Permission to reprint articles from RootsWeb Review is granted
unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used
for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice
appears at the end of the article: Previously published in RootsWeb
Review: 29 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 39.
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Posted for the benefit of those subscribers who do not receive the Rootsweb Review.
Bright Blessings
Sandra
List Administrator
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www.visionsplendid.homestead.com/familynames.htmlhttp://groups.msn.com/SMITHsinAUSTRALIA
MSN Messenger - Fedelmar
ICQ - Fedelmar (201309494)
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Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens.
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1. NEWS AND NOTES
1a. RootsWeb Mailing Lists: Staying On-Topic
If you subscribe to one or more of the RootsWeb mailing lists that
cover more than 28,400 surnames, localities, and genealogy-related
topics, you probably realize that each of these lists was created
to serve a specific topic of discussion.
Genealogical discussion concerning your CLAPSADDLE (KLEBSATTEL) family
in Germany would not be a suitable topic of discussion on a list devoted
the USA Oregon Trail Pioneers, for instance. A request for a lookup in a
Philadelphia city directory would be off-topic on a list devoted to
Welsh coal miners.
Most of us recognize the extremes that are obviously off-topic, but with
genealogical matters, it is not always so clear-cut. Some discussion
topics can overlap into another area -- for instance, your CLAPSADDLEs
might have immigrated to Sidney, Australia, opening up a new geographic
area into the discussion. They might have married into the MORSE family,
thus introducing a new surname into a thread or they might have joined
an obscure religious sect about which you'd like to learn more.
Should you continue the discussion on the original list or move the
topic to a different list devoted to the newly broached subjects? It
depends. Sometimes discussions on one list reach the point where answers
and information can better be obtained on another list -- or the
expanding discussion is considered off-topic by the list administrator.
RootsWeb list admins have a great deal of leeway as to what they will
allow on their lists -- within the bounds of the topic for which the
list was created. An admin cannot alter the basic topic of the list and
must adhere to the RootsWeb AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). Beyond the
basics though, some admins permit chit-chat, while others prefer to
limit discussion to serious genealogical exchanges. Some allow a thread
of discussion to veer off-topic a bit, while others put a stop to any
thread that crosses over into another realm of discussion.
How are you to know when you subscribe to a list what will be permitted
on that specific list and what will result in your receiving an
admonishment from the list admin for an infraction? How can you prevent
being removed from a mailing list or having your posts to the list
moderated?
1. Start by reading the text of the Welcome messages for each list when
you receive it upon initially subscribing. Many admins customize the
welcome text to explain the specific rules for that list.
2. Take a few minutes to stroll through the recent archives for the
list, located here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/
Type in the list name to access the browseable archives for the list.
Get a feel for the type of discussion permitted on the list.
3. Lurk on a list before posting a query or data so you can observe
the type of discussion that is acceptable on the list.
4. Read taglines the list admin may attach to the list messages that
spell out what is and isn't permitted on that list.
5. Never assume that a list admin will welcome any off-topic post or
will permit virus warnings, hoaxes, chain letters, jokes, political- or
religious-focused messages. Mailing lists have an international
audience, even though they may be focused on a specific locality. Your
cousins in Scotland could care less about your American political views
and genealogical mailing lists are not the proper forum for such
matters. Don't assume that you are exempt from the rules spelled out for
a list -- they apply to all.
6. If ever in doubt, before posting your message, drop a private note to
the list admin and ask whether it is acceptable. You can contact any
RootsWeb list admin by writing to: LISTNAME-admin(a)rootsweb.com
replacing the generic word LISTNAME with the actual name of the list.
If worst comes to worst and you find yourself on the receiving end of a
private e-mail from a list administrator letting you know that a post
you made to a list was not acceptable; or, heaven forbid, the admin
feels it necessary to post a public notice to the list putting an end to
a topic you started -- don't interpret the admin's reaction as a
personal attack. Don't respond to the list or the admin with an angry
ill-thought-out reply or retort. Consider that the admin is merely doing
the best he or she can do to maintain order and keep the list on track.
A public response by an admin isn't aimed at embarrassing you, but such
may be necessary to nip an off-topic (or otherwise improper) thread in
the bud before it gets out of hand. On busy lists, this can happen very
quickly.
Most admins will forgive a one-time lapse of judgment or mistake from a
list member who learns from the experience and apologizes. However, most
admins do not take kindly to an angry or threatening reply from someone
who clearly hasn't learned from his error and who most likely will
offend again.
List administrators are volunteers who try to provide and maintain an
orderly and usable resource for genealogical discussions. They do the
best they can under sometimes difficult circumstances. Cooperation, not
confrontation, is the key to successful use of mailing lists.
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REPRINTS. Permission to reprint articles from RootsWeb Review is granted
unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used
for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice
appears at the end of the article: Previously published in RootsWeb
Review: 8 September 2004, Vol. 7, No. 36.
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www.visionsplendid.homestead.com/familynames.html
MSN Messenger - Fedelmar
ICQ - Fedelmar (201309494)
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*