NESDAnet User Information -- August 2005
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Subscription
to NESDAnet is granted as a conditional-use privilege, not a right. The
use of NESDAnet is subject to the terms, rules and conditions of its use, as
amended from time to time upon notice from NESDA. Such notice may be provided to you through
email on NESDAnet. Proceeding with
the use of NESDAnet services, or the continued use of these services after
receiving notice of any changes, constitutes your acceptance of such changes. If
you do not agree with all of the terms, rules and conditions, you must not
use NESDAnet. |
NESDAnet is
committed to the professional discussion of issues of interest to the
professional service community and our industry partners, including technical
and parts assistance and respectful discussions. A “Zero Tolerance” policy with regard to the
rules has been implemented, and we are quite serious about these rules. While we do not wish to stifle free
expression of opinions, if free expression will hurt someone else, including
industry partners, it WILL NOT be tolerated.
Refusal or
failure to comply with rules can and has led to persons being unable to post
messages to any NESDAnet e-mail groups.
The moderator has sole discretion in these matters. See the section at the bottom of this page
under “Moderator-Imposed NESDAnet Penalties.”
The moderator may contact you to remind you about a particular
rule if there is a problem. Some of the
rules pertain to things that would only be a problem if they became widespread
-- like forgetting to sign a message.
While this may seem like “nitpicking” it is not personal and assures
that everyone in the group is treated fairly and respectfully.
As you read these rules, please make your best effort to
understand that the moderator is not a control freak, and doesn't wish to
trample anyone's freedom of speech.
There's no getting around the fact that a professional discussion can't
work that way.
The purpose of having rules is simple – we want to keep more
talented professionals involved.
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1) Respect your fellow participants. |
Please realize that we are not trying to control thoughts --
just the way people treat each other in our corner of the Internet. You may explain what is wrong with what the
other person said, but do not explain what is wrong with the other person.
Don't tell them to "get a life," call them whiners, or
troublemakers. People quit when other
people are attacking and defending.
So, we will not tolerate personal attacks. No spelling, grammar corrections, or flames. This is a diverse group so there are going
to be mistakes made; we are not all alike and we want to be respectful of the
diversity in our group. Don't let
yourself get all worked up over it. Please watch your language.
Do not use profanity or anything close. Also -- since most of the mail is not screened before it is
relayed, there is no way to prevent someone from offending you or anyone else
if they decide to break a rule. Be
aware that the moderator DOES deal with them afterward -- sometimes by
preventing them from posting messages, sometimes by discussing the matter
with them privately. If someone breaks
a rule, don’t take it upon yourself to handle it as that is not your
job. Let the moderator handle it. You do NOT get a free shot at anyone. Hecklers,
abusive or rude users -- anyone who will not abide by the rules will be
suspended from NESDAnet. |
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2) Stay on topic. |
Don’t waste other people’s time.
This is not a "chat room."
Please stay on the topic of the electronics industry and related
matters. Before you post to the group,
re-read what you have written and ask yourself, “What does it have to do with
the electronics industry?” You can use
humor but never send a joke just to be funny. |
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3) Do not post material from outside our groups. |
We do NOT repeat jokes, hoaxes -- such as e-mail virus alerts.
We won't argue about how REAL or URGENT they seem, so don't ever think that you
have one of these items that is so important you can't get in trouble over
sending it to the group. You will. Don't post mail someone else sent to you privately. Don't be tempted, in the heat of a private
argument, to take it public by posting some private matters. Any material that's copyrighted is owned by someone -- if you
grab it and post it to a group without permission, you've just stolen
it. That's wrong. It can get you in trouble, and it might get
us in trouble. If you want the group
to know about it, post the URL of the site, or summarize it for us. Normally, quoting a couple of paragraphs IS
a "Fair Use" of a copyrighted work. |
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4) Do not play Moderator. |
If you have problems with something happening on the group, do NOT
complain to the group. Contact the moderator PRIVATELY or just ignore
it. Often the moderator has already
taken private action to deal with the problem. If you play Moderator and jump
into the middle, you will find yourself in trouble with the rules also. Let the moderator deal with it. If you make
a mistake with respect to any of these rules you can tell the moderator but
do not apologize to everyone. That just makes for one more off topic message. Drop it.
Remember too that there always SHOULD be several topics being
discussed at any one time. If you are
not interested in a subject, don't read the messages. We don't allow people to try to
"kill" one subject in order to focus on another one. |
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5) Use useful subject lines and change the subject line when
necessary. |
Remember to change the Subject line to match the new topic if
you are taking off in a new direction.
This is very important if for no other reason than many users have stopped
reading an old topic and they won't realize that you're off onto something
new and interesting. The use of a prefix (T/A for technical assistance, or
P/A for parts assistance) is MANDATORY.
Example: T/A Sony KV35xbr400,
no picture |
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6) Post to the proper list. |
NESDAnet is comprised of several lists: Servicers Only
List: discuss@nesdanetmail.com Exclusively electronic servicers. Discussion amongst members should be posted
here. Industry List: techsupport@nesdanetmail.com All vendors, manufacturers and servicers. Requests for technical support or search
for parts should be posted to TechSupport (full
list) as manufacturers and vendors will be sure to find it there. NESDA Board list: nesda-board@nesdanetmail.com Board of Directors, additional list members at the
discretion of the Board. Board
directed e-mail can be posted by anyone. |
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7) Post quality messages. |
Take some time to make your messages worth reading. Be sincere.
By that, we mean don't toss out an opinion that isn't yours. Sometimes we get a subscriber who makes it a
practice to write something that looks like it says one thing, but can easily
be reinterpreted by the author to mean something else the next day. It's like they are playing a computer head
game, instead of networking with people they respect. The moderator won't play that game -- those
people are prevented from posting to the group. The same thing can happen if you post a message as a favor for
someone else. Don't do it. EDIT YOUR REPLIES. One
major frustration for users of mail groups is when people include a zillion
lines from a previous message, and tack on a two or three line reply to
it. It's not a bad idea to include
text in your replies to the group, but edit out all of those pieces that
aren't needed in the reply. If you
aren't sure how to edit with your e-mail program, ask for help. Don't send several copies of the same message. Don't waste people's time with needless
"Ditto" and "Me too" type messages. They add nothing to the subject at hand. Don't send “test” messages.
If you want to see what happens when you send a message to the group,
send something that makes sense. If
you don't have anything to say, please wait until you do. Don't send "Thank You" messages to the group unless
you also have something to add to the discussion -- for example, a follow-up
question. A simple one line
"thank you" message is a nice thought, but unfortunately, it's one
of those little things that would be a problem if everyone did it.
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8) Post accurate messages. |
Be sure your information is correct before posting. If you have listed part or model numbers,
check for accuracy. |
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9) Sign your posts -- Use short, informative and truthful
signatures. |
All messages should contain your name, company name, street/mailing
address, city/state/ZIP code, company phone, fax, e-mail address, and company
website if you have one. You will find
that others on the list are much more likely to respond if they know who they
are talking to. Additionally, check to be sure your e-mail program is set up so
that your full name shows in the “from” area of a message. And don’t send messages with a blank
subject line. |
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10) Use the CORRECT email address whenever you post a message. |
Understand the differences between this INTERACTIVE e-mail group
and typical e-mail -- between replying to the entire group and replying only
to the author of a message. You can
embarrass yourself, and possibly cause serious commotion by accidentally sending
PERSONAL messages to the entire group.
All administrative messages "subscribe"
"unsubscribe", complaints, questions and comments should be sent
to: webmaster@nesda.com . DO NOT send administrative messages to the
GROUP address. If you reply to a message posted on NESDAnet, by default, the
message will go back to the sender of the message only. This keeps unnecessary mail off the
list. However, if you have a solution
or a comment to a post that you feel strongly should be available to everyone
in the list archives, you will need to change the address in the “TO” line to
the full list address. |
--- Moderator-Imposed NESDAnet Penalties ---
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Moderator’s Notice: |
Incomplete or missing signature
and/or improper subject line. (Contact webmaster@nesda.com for help if necessary.) |
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First Violation: |
Warning notice.
Your messages may be moderated.
Moderated messages are subject to NESDAnet Rules. |
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Second Violation: |
1 week suspension from posting to NESDAnet.
The
acknowledgment and statement should be sent to mack@nesda.com
with a copy to webmaster@nesda.com. |
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Third Violation: |
30-Day Removal from NESDAnet activities. |
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Fourth Violation: |
1-Year Removal from NESDAnet activities. |
Violations are accrued over any 12-month period. Penalties may be appealed to the NESDA Board
of Directors. Such appeals shall be made
in writing to the President and/or the Executive Director. The Board will respond on the Internet within
15 business days. Participants must
comply with the imposed penalty during the appeal process. All
dues and subscription fees are non-refundable.