[EVA] [Admin] State of the List Address

[Tom Rothamel]

Well, the last week has been a bit busy for me, so I haven't been paying
as close attention to the list as I should have. Now, that changes.

In the 250+ messages I just read, I noticed a a few common violations of
list protocol. Here's a partial list:

	- One liners: They are discouraged. Except in exceptional cases,
          one line is too short to provide a coherent message. (HINT:
	  yours is not the exceptional case.)

        - Overquoting: As a general rule, one level of quoting is
          sufficient. Quotes should be < 50% of your message. Quotes
          should be distinctly seperate from the rest of your message/

        - Large signatures: A signature should not rival your message for
          length. <6 lines is generally a good length, more is allowed 
          for coherent signatures (things like single quotes) in some
          cases. Don't push it.

Not knowing how to use your mail program is no excuse for sending
ill-formed messages to the list.

Also note that when my time is limited, I tend to simply tempban people
rather than sending out warning messages. While this may seem somewhat
evil, it does protect the list while I work out the problems with the
person involved.

Lastly, remeber that the messages you send are resent almost 500 times.
This consists of a nontrivial drain on computer resources. While I don't
mind hosting the list, I do ask that you keep this in mind when deciding
to send a message to the list.

- Tom - http://tr.ml.org/~tom/ ----------------------------------- SiL-66
	Many an ancient lord's last words had been, "You can't kill me 
	because I've got magic aaargh."
		- Terry Pratchett on magic armor, "Interesting Times."