Darrell A. Martin, Volunteer RootsWeb List Admin

Rules for All Lists

Summary:

            I admin with flexibility and a light touch, for the most part.

            You need to know and follow RootsWeb’s A.U.P.

            No virus or other alerts, ever, period.

            You flame – you’re GONE.

            Keep administrative discussions of all kinds off the list.

Details:

1. Each list has its own look and feel, to which the members become accustomed. I intend to change nothing without a reason, and if it's visible to the subscribers I am likely to ask for opinions even then. I welcome suggestions for improvement. Such suggestion should be sent privately.

2. There are some exceptions to my "light touch" approach. One is "Rootsweb's Common-Sense Acceptable Use Policy" at

            http//www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/aup.html

You are responsible for following the A.U.P.

3. Another exception is that virus alerts, scam alerts, and all such are forbidden, and one offense may result in temporary or permanent banishment from the list, without warning. If you have just discovered proof of the virus which will end the Internet -- tell ME, off list. Let the other list members get some genealogy done in the last few days left to us.

4. Be polite. You may contradict any idea expressed on this list as vigorously as you like, if your language is cordial and non-personal and you are not disrupting the list as a whole. Another way of putting it, is this: if you flame, you’re gone. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how much you believe you have contributed to the list.

5. Praise publicly, complain privately. Except to provide evidence correcting statements of fact, all criticism of others or their messages should be sent to me, privately. Another exception: if I should happen to say something you like as admin, don't clutter up the list with the e-mail equivalent of the Parliamentary "Hear, Hear!"

6. The list has a topic with a genealogical connection, and is hosted by the largest and oldest free genealogy site on the Internet. There is a reasonable expectation that messages will have some connection with the list topic. What that means is for the most part left up to the list subscribers, but there are limits.

7. An intolerance for irrelevancies and an inability to filter out unneeded information are not positive traits in genealogists. Please accept slightly off-topic messages, the opinions of others, expressive signature blocks, and the like, with good grace; or if you can't manage that, with silence.

8. Newbies are my friends. A newbie I haven't met has the key to that elusive ancestor I have agonized over for decades. Please don't insult or patronize newbies on this list.

Darrell A. Martin

list admin