Proposed posting guidelines

[Penny Padgett]

Hi all,

I paid close attention to the discussion about moderating the
Pynchon list that we had a couple of weeks ago.  What I heard
clearly was that most people felt the need for an improvement
in the general level of discourse (which I'm glad to say seems 
to have happened), but not a strong need for a formal moderator.

Many people said many good things about the kinds of posts they
like to see on the Pynchon list.  In order that these
sentiments not be lost, I have collected and summarized them
in the following guidelines.  If these meet with general approval, 
I will ask the good folks at waste.org to include them in the 
welcome message they send to new subscribers, and perhaps to
post them to the list periodically.

Please let me know what you think, either on-list or off-.

Thanks,
Penny

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Pretty much any Pynchon-related topic is OK on this list, from Pynchon 
apocrypha through light discussion of our favourite passages, to 
litcrit as heavy as you want.  If you aren't enjoying what's being 
discussed, start a discussion about something you do enjoy.

Newcomers may want to read the list without posting (or "lurk") for 
awhile.  Everyone may want to spend time composing their posts, 
reread them before posting and ask themselves whether, in the end, 
they would be interesting to the majority of the list members.  


Likely to be interesting:
-------------------------

* Relevant, original, lively, witty, succinct, on-topic posts.  
(They should have at least some connection to Pynchon or his
writings. This covers a large but not infinite range of topics.)

* Well-written posts.  Keep in mind that email is a medium in which
meanings as intended and meanings as read can diverge widely. 
Try to avoid leading others into misreading your intentions by 
thoughtful composition, and also try to confirm your reading 
before launching into a response.

* Posts that, where necessary, quote only enough of previous
messages to establish context.  (It is not usually necessary
to quote an entire message.)

* Posts that display the writer's courtesy to fellow list
members.

* Posts that take into account the diversity of backgrounds in the 
group.  Whatever our vocations, we share an enthusiasm for Pynchon, 
and we are presumably on the list because we are interested in views 
other than our own.  

* Posts that follow standard rules of netiquette, such as those
described in http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html.


Unlikely to be interesting:
---------------------------

* Personal attacks, argumentativeness, discourtesy, and contentiousness.  
Take it off-list, or better yet just skip it.

* Obviously off-topic posts.  These include Internet junk mail like
virus alerts.

* Baiting, and taking bait.

* Posts that are repetitive and add nothing to the discussion. 

* Posts that contain unnecessary material quoted from previous messages.