http://www.graywolfphoto.com/pentax/pdml-faq.html Posted every Sunday (if I remember).
---
This is a mini-FAQ for the PDML (Pentax Discussion Mailing List) Last revised:2004.08.17
UNSUBSCRIBING-- To unsubscribe from the PDML you need to send a message with "unsubscribe" as the subject to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sending an unsubscribe message to the list will get you nothing but a bunch of silly replies.
WHY WAS I KICKED OFF THE LIST--About the only thing that gets you kicked of the list is bouncing e-mail. Check that your mailbox at your ISP is not full. It is best if you download all mail from this list, and any other mailing lists you may be on, to your computer and erase the messages in your ISP mailbox. AFAIK all mail clients will let you do that.
LIST MEMBERS-- Remember that the people here on the PDML live all over the world. Their Customs, languages, beliefs, religions, values, and most of all their SENSE OF HUMOR may vary. Always take this into consideration when reading or replying to their comments. Also their command of English may not be up to your standards (mine isn't, and it is my native language), but think about how you would do in their language and give them a break.
99.9% of the people on this list are great wonderful terrific (add 16 more superlatives of your choice here) people who anyone would be glad to have as friends. I, especially, know this because many have gone out of their way to help me from time to time.
POLITICS/RELIGION-- Since some of us, me up toward the top of the list, can not seem to remain civil in these kinds of discussions we very much prefer not to have threads about them on the list. This is violated often, until someone goes off the deep end and then most of us shut up.
CAT PHOTOS-- A former popular list participant swore he would leave the list if anyone mentioned guns again, or posted a link to a cat picture. He left anyway which shows that you might as will ignore such stuff. However, many consider Guns/Abortion/Etc as part of Politics and Religion, so generally they should be avoided. Although Cat Photos are now, seemingly, OK again.
FOR SALE-- Use the following as guidelines. Pentax stuff anytime, although many only want to have to look on Fridays, and prefer "For Sale Fridays". Most of us would prefer that you limit any non-Pentax stuff to Fridays as well. Regular list members only, please.
EBAY-- It is all right to mention your own auctions. Do not mention other items until the auction is over (common courtesy). An exception is obviously funny and BS stuff like the 11 million dollar Canon 1Ds digital, or non-photographic stuff like the wedding dress that was the basis of a long thread here a while back.
FLAMES/TROLLS-- People who can not keep from continually attacking others, or who insist on trying to incite folks to anger should be totally ignored, these are the only folks I filter out of my mail stream, and I would suggest everyone else do the same. For they will, if they have their way, destroy the nicest mailing list on the Internet. Note: losing your cool now and then is not the same thing at all, or I would have to killfile my own posts (embarrassed grin).
COLONS (:) in subject line-- it has been pointed out that some mail readers treat anything with a colon in the subject like a RE: or SV: (both mean the samething) and that can mess up threaded mail readers. So try to use -- instead if you feel the need to separate things in the subject line.
These are the only ones I can think of that have mass general agreement, though common courtesy is always appreciated here. Some folks do not like the off topic stuff, but we who engage in it are usually the old timers here, and are not going to pay much attention to them (grin).
---
ACRONYMS:
HAR!, GRIN!, Etc-- Indications that the post/comment was meant to be humorous, and that you should not take it too seriously. There are a lot of Variations on these, but they all mean various degrees of the same thing. Of course a few folks here just use the old fashioned smiley. :)
PUG-- Pentax Users Gallery. A monthly gallery of photos by PDML members. Things there are kind of up in the air right now. As soon as the maintainer says we have a permanent solution, I will add a link here.
PAW-- Photo A Week (also PESO-- Photo Every So Often), a thing introduced to the list a while back by Shel Belinkoff where you can put up a photo you want commented on and folks will tell you how you should have done it (grin).
WOW-- Workover Of the Week (or WOrkshop a Week), similar to the above where you post a photo somewhere that folks can download it, and they run it through Photo Shop or whatever to show you how they would have done it. Seems like a good learning tool, but I have not seen any lately.
OTHER ACRONYMS-- "OTOH", "IIRC", etc. These are usually pretty standard and list of them can easily be found by doing a Google search for "internet acronyms".
---
DISCLAIMER-- The PDML is operated and maintained by Doug Brewer who volunteered to take it over and maintain it at his own cost when Pentax USA decided they could no longer support it for liability reasons. Pentax has no connection with this current list, and they do not endorse or condone anything posted on it. Doug, not being into censorship, is not liable nor responsible in any way for the content or opinions expressed here on the list. He maintains the list only out of goodwill.
We seem to talk about doing this FAQ about twice a year, but it never seems to go very far. So, if anyone has additions, changes, deletions, or corrections let me know and I will edit this and put it up somewhere it can be accessed at anytime.
