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List guidelines
The articles, discussions, and information on this website were shared through the kindness and generosity of HolisticBird List Members and friends of the list. If you would like to see an important discussion thread or other helpful information added to this site, please contact one of the list moderators.
Introduction
My name is gloria and I own the HolisticBird list.
The internet is a world wide community. Internet discussion lists are not democracies. They are dictatorships run by a list owner or a board. Each list has its own character. Some are casual and some are strict. This list is relatively strict.
If you do not enjoy a controlled list, do not join. If you have joined by mistake, please leave. Life is too short to remain where you will be unhappy or where your complaints will make others unhappy.
Don't bother to criticize the way the list is run. It won't be changed to suit you. Don't bother to criticize me. Many have already done so. I didn't change for them and I won't change for you. Those who complain the most are often those who contribute the least. What a surprise.
The HolisticBird list was created to provide quality information about improving the health and life of companion birds from the wholistic perspective. This is what most of our members want for our list and that is what we will have.
Those of you who share our goals and are comfortable living with list rules are welcome to stay. Those who do not are encouraged to leave. It is less humiliating to leave on your own than to be removed for inappropriate behavior or attitude.
I made the rules. If I happen to break one or two, consider it my reward for hours spent on behalf of the list and its members. It is not license for you to do the same. Granted, this is an unfair double-standard. You can adapt.
If you join this list to socialize or chat, you join for the wrong reason. This list is about holistic health for birds. It is not a social club. It does not serve a dual purpose. If you need to socialize, join another list.
Anyone who violates list rules will be unsubscribed without warning, except for me of course, and several really neat and lovely people who have been model members for years. My advice would be to follow their fine example. That way you will learn a lot and enjoy your stay.
List Guidelines
1. The list focus is holistic health and healing for birds.
Anything else is off-topic and may not be posted.
Off Topic Subjects
No SPAM. (that includes putting our list in your address book and sending the same message to all of your lists.)
No JOKES
No FICTION
No MAUDLIN TEAR-JERKER STORIES circulating the net
No ADVERTISEMENTS of anything you make or sell
No NEGOTIATONS for selling or purchasing
No POLITICS (including letter writing campaigns for anything)
No VIRUS WARNINGS (send them to the list owner for evaluation)
No SLANDER or LIBEL (slander is a verbal lie; libel is a written lie)
No RUMORS or GOSSIP
The above list of off-topic subjects doesn't include everything but is a good indication of what is inappropriate. If you have questions about whether a topic is acceptable for the list, stay out of trouble and ASK LIST OWNER.
Appropriate Topics
If you have an idea for a topic to be added below, feel free to suggest it either on list or to me privately. I'll be happy to consider it. No doubt I missed something.
Topics should relate to birds but people and other animals could be used as examples through analogy. ( eg. If your dog has a skin ailment from a food allergy, this could relate to a bird's skin ailment from a food allergy.)
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2. Respect one another.
List members come from different political, cultural, and religious backgrounds. We are together to discuss avian health and healing. There will be no name calling, comments, or innuendo intended to hurt or demean members of this list. Personal attacks are not tolerated.
3. Disagreeing is not the same as disrespect.
It merely questions a concept. Do not take disagreement personally. We can disagree with respect for the other person's feelings and beliefs. We can discuss the issue and share our reasoning. After a discussion, if it is determined that we cannot reach agreement, then we drop the subject and agree to disagree. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
4. We strive for accuracy. We courteously challenge.
Do not present your opinon as fact. Be prepared to support facts with more than your own opinion. Holistic healing methods take enough of a beating without someone making thoughtless grandiose claims that have little basis in reality. Expect the references supporting your claim to be checked.
5. Trim your Posts
Do not quote the whole post or the whole digest. Double check BEFORE you click send.If you don't know how to trim posts, check the tutorial.
Do quote the sentence or two of the post about which you are replying and paste it into your reply.
If it's a private discussion between two people, take it private. An example would be telling someone where they can purchase something in their area. Such information is of no use to members of the list who do not live in that area.
6. Have the subject line of your post reflect its contents.
This is very important because list members use the subject line to determine whether or not to waste their time reading the post. Some members are only interested in particular topics.
7. Don't join the list and think you are going to change it or tell us how to run it.
This isn't a new list. It was started in 1999. We have not been anxiously awaiting your arrival with suggestions for our 'improvement'. If you don't like this list exactly the way it is, then it is not for you. There are many bird lists. Join one or more of them.
8. List Trolls will be banned.
What is a list troll? 'trolling,' as used here, is like a game of fishing. List trolls join lists to cause trouble. They 'bait' listmembers with comments and innuendo. When a sensitive person is 'hooked', trolls 'play' that member with the intention of making that person lose control, get hurt, get angry, or leave the list. Sometimes trolls work in pairs or trios. If so, they usually join the list within a day or two of one another. Sometimes the troll is only one person who has joined with two or more aliases in order to appear as more than one person.
Occasionally a troll is someone who joins the list for attention. It might brag about its intelligence or credentials. This type of troll is seldom as knowledgeable as it pretends. It often gives inaccurate or unsupported advice, generating confusion and conflict on the list.
9. Leeway
is occasionaly granted, at list moderator discretion, to those who have been on the list for a long time and have shared their time and knowledge with other list members.
These guidelines will be adjusted as necessary