Using the Listserv and Netiquette

Email Distribution List ("ListServ" or "ListProc")

The HSUSA_Students@listproc.sjsu.edu Email distribution “List” is an important vehicle for disseminating and sharing information for Health Science Undergraduate students. Dr. Perales (dperales@sjsu.edu) is the List Manager. He will enroll you as a member of the list. Once enrolled, you should check your email regularly for incoming messages. Not everything distributed on the list will be relevant to each student. However, many messages will alert you about key dates, upcoming activities, employment and educational opportunities, and other important events.

Electronic bulletin boards can be useful, but they carry with them a responsibility in knowing how to use them. When you have something for everyone on the mailing list to read, send your message to the HSUSA_Students@listproc.sjsu.edu address. However, if you have an administrative question of the list owner, for example, "where are the archives?" or "what is this mailer error I got from sending to this list?" send your message to dperales@sjsu.edu address. ListProc commands, such as requests to be added to the list or removed from a list should be addressed to listproc@listproc.sjsu.edu, where the ListProc resides. Proper format for ListProc commands are outlined in http://www.cren.net/ftp/listproc/userman.rtf. It is in bad taste to send messages to specific members on the list and requests to List administrator to the entire mailing List.

Netiquette: Good Manners on the Internet

(Source: www.cren.net -- the originators of the ListProc software)

Now that you are a member of a List, you need to decide how are you going to interact with your newfound Internet community. Over the years, users of the Internet have formed their own set of social norms and rules for interaction on the Internet, referred to as Netiquette. Netiquette is the forms, manners, and actions established by the Internet community by convention as acceptable or required behavior in social interactions via e-mail. In other words, it is politeness to your fellow list subscribers.

The rules of netiquette can be boiled down to one sentence: Never forget that the person on the other side is human. Because your interaction with the network is through a computer, it is easy to forget that there are people "out there." Situations arise where emotions erupt into a verbal free-for-all that can lead to hurt feelings. Please remember that many different people are reading your words. Try not to say anything to others you would not say to them in person in a room full of people. Do not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your presentation of the facts. Screaming, cursing, and abusing others only serves to make people think less of you and less willing to help you when you need it. If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a chance to calm down and think about it.

Here are specific netiquette pointers:

Be brief. Never say in ten words what you can say in five. Say it succinctly and it will have a greater impact. A good message is only one screen in length. Remember that the longer you make your message, the fewer people will bother to read it.
Use descriptive subject lines. The subject line of a message is there to enable a person with a limited amount of time to decide whether or not to read your message. Tell people what the message is about before they read it.
Consider your audience. When you post a message to a list, think about the purpose of the list and the audience you are posting to. The people on the list are busy people, with many personal, academic, and profession obligations. You do not want to send unnecessary messages over the list; this is considered “ spamming.” Promoting specific agendas or point of view will get most of the list’s subscribers annoyed. It is also considered bad form to use the Internet as an advertising medium.
Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications, it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be misinterpreted. Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to make sure that people realize you are trying to be funny.The net has developed a symbol called the smiley face. It looks like ":-)" and points out sections of messages with humorous intent. No matter how broad the humor or satire, it is safer to remind people that you are being funny. But also be aware that quite frequently satire is posted without any explicit indications.
Summarize message you are replying to. When replying to a message, summarize the part of the message to which you are replying. This allows readers to appreciate your comments rather than trying to remember what the original message said. Do not include the entire message since it will irritate the people who have already seen it.
Cite references. If you are using facts to support a cause, state where these facts came from. Don't take someone else's ideas and use them as your own.
Identify yourself. It is a good idea to have a few lines at the bottom of your message with your name and e-mail address. However, don't overdo signatures; keep them short. The main purpose of a signature is to help people locate you, not to tell your life story.
Internet abbreviations. The Internet is notorious for use of abbreviations and symbols for conveying various feelings and other information. “Smileys” are one sort of universal symbol of the net. :-) It means that something is being said in jest or that the person is generally happy. A few of the more commonly used abbreviations are BTW, WRT, FYI, and IMHO. BTW is shorthand for "by the way." WRT is "With respect to". FYI is "For Your Information" and IMHO is "In My Humble Opinion" or "In My Honest Opinion."

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