AR-talk Guidelines -- release 1.5, May 2 '97
AR-talk is a moderated discussion of Christian apologetics resources, particularly those covered in Apologia Report. If you are interested in finding and sharing new information on apologetics resources, this discussion group is for you.
For more information about Apologia Report check out our Web site at <http://apologia.org> or send the following e-mail to <hub@xc.org>:
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The June 7, 1995 issue of the Wall Street Journal (p1) ran a lead story titled, "Internet Pioneers Abandon World They Created." The article described the frustration of long-time Internet users who have dropped their practice of reading e-mail discussion groups within the fields of their profession. The problem leading to their decision was the continued decline of valuable discussion in the face of a growing influx of banter among amateur and/or uninitiated visitors.
In wanting to attract professional Christian leaders in apologetics and education to AR-talk, here is some advice for all to follow in their participation. The following is a short roster of the most frequent mistakes made by new members to online discussion groups:
1) Jumping into a discussion too soon after joining the group. Learn the practice of "lurking" for your own good. Premature remarks are one of the best ways to lose respect in the eyes of your peers. Don't let impatience trash the first impression you make to the group.
2) Asking unwelcome questions unaware that either:
a) the question has been asked so often prevously that it reflects poorly on the one who asks it yet again, or
b) the question is out of place or off topic. (See below for a growing list of common questions -- and their answers.)
3) Reacting without thorough thinking before posting a response. What you say on-line becomes immediate historic record. You will be known by your words. Once you establish a pattern of over-reacting (whether real or perceived) no one forgets.
Guidelines for Posting to AR-talk
To make the greatest use of the subject line in each e-mail message the following nomenclature should be followed for each post to the discussion group. To help everyone identify, track, and sort each discussion thread, please use a three-letter code at the beginning of your subject line (unless you are posting a reply and not originating a new thread).
Net-wide discussion group/list etiquette suggests observance of the following posting guidelines:
* Trim quotes. Do not include your reply on top of a copy of the entire post to which you are replying. A few lines for identification purposes will suffice.
Likewise, do not be excessive in including quotes set off with right angle brackets or other identifiers.
* Include meaningful subject lines that adhere to the use of the simple 3-letter prefix convention mentioned above as often as possible. Please include the subject of the thread to which you're responding or something else that would be meaningful.
* Consider private email. If your post is something along the lines of "Good thoughts," "Amen, brother," or "I agree," please use private email addressed to the original poster instead of the list. The same is true of requests in response to offers of files or other information; the entire list has no interest in numerous "Me, too" messages.
* Don't post private email you've received unless you have the original author's permission to do so, or it is clear that the post is intended for wider distribution.
* Stay on topic. AR-talk has been set up to promote the awareness of new resources in the field of Christian apologetics. The field of apologetics is notorious for endless argument. AR-talk is not the place for such dialog. AR-talk provides the opportunity to discuss apologetic resources with regard to their content, their affiliation and their availability -- but not the merits of apologetic resources, pro or con. To include the latter would invite a volume of list traffic that could compromise the list's mission.
* Be courteous and considerate. Overlook perceived sleights.
* Elevate the level of discussion. General evangelical Christian every-opinion-counts discussion lists are a dime a dozen on the Internet and Usenet newsgroups.
ARtalk strives for a higher level of discourse. You can help by knowing your subject and documenting your claims. If you don't know how to do this, observe for a while and e-mail participants privately with questions.
* Don't respond to every message. A general rule is to pick one or two topics of interest or expertise and stay with those for a while. A single informative, well-considered message is better than several which may suggest a sense of self-appointed authority prior to the attainment of credibility.
* Restrain your ego. AR-talk isn't about proving your point or defending your views as much as it is about publishing accurate information on resource availability.
* Don't lecture. If, after having subscribed for awhile, you find that you don't care for the sort of discussions you find on the AR-talk, please unsubscribe quietly. Most of us recognize that this sort of thing isn't for everyone, but please don't feel compelled to scold us about "having the wrong priorities" or "aiding the enemy" -- especially in this day of rampant anti-intellectual, wholly uncritical tolerance, and shallow depth of position. Truth has no fear of investigation. If this list rubs you the wrong way, let's just agree to disagree and part on amicable terms.
Trouble-Shooting Tips
1) If you have more than one Internet address, make sure that when you post messages to AR-talk you do so using the address from which you receive your messages. There are occasions where a participant posts a message from a different address -- when this happens, majordomo rejects the message, as only addresses actually subscribed to the list are allowed by the software to post.
2) On some host systems, if you don't check your mail often enough your mailbox fills up. When that happens the host rejects incoming messages to your account. The host also bounces the message to me (as the list moderator) with a "mailbox full" error message. As a result, then OUR mailbox begins to swamp. Consequently, I must remove these problem addresses from the mailing list. If this happens to you, you're welcome to re-subscribe.
3) In spite of the obvious, you'd be surprised how often the following applies. When you change online providers, or if your e-mail address changes for any other reason, you can expect to lose touch with the list. Before this happens, please unsubscribe from AR-talk with your old address and then resubscribe with the new one.
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May we all find AR-talk of great value,
Rich Poll
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Rich Poll <Apologia@xc.org>
Owner/Moderator, AR-talk
<http://apologia.org>
What gives life meaning is not so much what you make of it,
but the degree to which what you find in it
has more significance than yourself.
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End of the AR-talk Welcome Reply.
*Special thanks to the others who have helped me in drafting
these guidelines.*