Seattle Writergrrls (SW) encourages writers to thrive in their craft by catalyzing interaction in a creative and informed community

What is the purpose of the Seattle Writergrrls discussion list?

To support and encourage each other in our writing and career growth. Also, to keep the discussions going in between our events and to connect with members who can’t make it to our meetings.

Who can join/subscribe to the Seattle Writergrrls discussion list?

Anyone who supports the Seattle Writergrrls mission and agrees to follow the List Guidelines.

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How do I subscribe?

Read the List Guidelines and follow the instructions for subscribing.

Which should I choose, Digest or Regular?

Although the list traffic tends to be fairly light, you may prefer one method over the other:

• In Digest mode, you get daily compilations of each day's traffic. The advantage of Digest is that you get fewer individual e-mails. Each Digest is 30KB maximum.

• Regular subscribers get more individual e-mail messages. The advantage of the Regular subscription is that you can sort and filter your messages, using your e-mail software features.

The Seattle Writergrrls discussion list is currently about half Digest and half Regular subscribers. If you want to switch, it's easy. Go to My Settings and follow the instructions.

How do I specify Digest or Regular?

Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From your Sw-discuss Subscription Settings page, scroll down to the "Your Sw-discuss Subscription Options" section and follow the instructions under Digest Mode.

Where can I find the list archives?

Go to http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/private/sw-discuss/. You can browse the archives by Date, Author, and Thread for messages sent since September 2002.

Mailman archives are updated monthly, as messages are sent.

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How do I post to the list?

Send an e-mail to: sw-discuss@lists.drizzle.com.

What should I post to the list?

See the List Guidelines for full details about encouraged subjects.

Encouraged subjects include the following: questions and answers about writing, editing, grammar, and usage; requests for feedback on your work, resume, or Web site; requests for input on work-related issues; announcements about relevant upcoming events; job postings; good news (for example, you just got published); introductions; housing assistance to other Writergrrls.

What's off-limits?

See the List Guidelines for full details about discouraged subjects.

Discouraged subjects include the following: spam (jokes, chain letters, off-topic posts, advertising), virus warnings, pricing talk and non-writing related political debate. Flaming—sending abusive e-mail—is also discouraged.

Can I forward a post off the list?

With written permission from the author, yes. Without it, no.

I want to respond to a post. Should I reply just to the person, or to the whole list?

It depends. If your reply would be useful to the whole list, go ahead and reply to the whole list. The list default is that you reply to the original poster only, but you can choose your e-mail's Reply All feature or put sw-discuss@lists.drizzle.com in the Cc: line.

If your reply is more personal (you're thanking someone, quoting them a rate for your services, sharing an experience that you consider to be highly personal), reply just to that person.

If you're a Digest subscriber, you can either start a new message and paste in the address and subject line, or reply to the entire Digest message. If you reply to the Digest message, however, you must delete everything that's not relevant to your post.

How much of the original post should I include with my reply?

You can snip the entire original post from your reply if its subject heading is descriptive enough (for example, "Is it Web site or website?"). To "snip" a reply means to excise all text quoted from the original message except for what is truly crucial.

When you forget to snip and you include the entire original message, all members must download a larger message. Remember that some members subscribe to the list in Digest mode, which means that they get daily compilations of that day's traffic; those members are greatly inconvenienced when they must scroll through multiple copies of the same message.

Why doesn't my reply automatically go to the whole list?

By default, Mailman is set up to reply only to the original poster. Use your e-mail's Reply All feature if you want to CC the list.

If you're a Digest subscriber, you can either start a new message and paste in the address and subject line, or reply to the entire Digest message. If you reply to the Digest message, however, you must delete everything that's not relevant to your post. Otherwise, you'll be sending an entire digest (plus your reply) back to the list.

I got lots of great answers to my question. Should I post a compile?

Yes, that would be great! First, be sure to ask permission of anyone who posted to you privately. Be aware that a compile may surpass our message size limit, and therefore require List Manager approval before it goes out to the list.

I'm offended by another person's posting. What should I do?

Unless the poster has clearly violated a List Guideline, just delete it. If you think the poster has violated a guideline, forward the message to the List Managers. Tell the List Managers why you feel that the post is in violation of the List Guidelines.

Why can't I send an attachment to the list?

E-mail viruses and worms travel most frequently through attachments, so our list is set up to block them. Preventing the spread of these annoying and sometimes destructive programs is more important than allowing any given file to go to our subscribers.

What alternatives do I have to including the attachment?

Include the information in the body of your e-mail (copy and paste), or provide a link to a Web page so that members can see the content or retrieve the file if they choose to do so.

Why did my nice HTML formatting get turned into plain text?

Because e-mail viruses and worms can also be imbedded in HTML scripting, the list is set up to strip all HTML formatting.

When HTML is converted to plain text, it can add extra characters (such as numbers and equal marks at the end of each line) to your e-mail message. Send your message in plain text, and you can avoid mystery characters appearing in your e-mail due to the conversion process.

What are all these funny characters doing in my HTML e-mail?

Stripmime removes the HTML formatting from your e-mail, converting some of your message into special characters such as equal marks. Send your message in plain text, and you can avoid mystery characters appearing in your e-mail due to the conversion process.

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My friend has a job to offer/event to advertise, but doesn't belong to the list. How can s/he get it to the list?

We welcome relevant job postings and announcements. The address is infogrrl at seattlewritergrrls.org.

What's the best format for posting a job or project to the list?

Include the company name, contact info, preferred method of contacting employer, and whether forwards are okay. Give a link to the company's job site if there is one.

I think my friend would be a perfect match for a job listed. Can I send it to him/her?

If the person who posted the job hasn't specifically said that forwards are okay, you can't. With written permission from the poster, you can.

Yes, within reason. Remember that this list now has over 1000 members. If you advertise your services repeatedly, it can be seen as spamming, which could hurt your business more than it would promote it. If you're not certain if your posting will cross over to spam territory, e-mail the List Managers and they will advise you.

Appropriate:

• Submitting your Web site to the Resources page.

• Replying privately to an individual who has put out a call for services.

• Posting an "I'm teaching a screenwriting class" type e-mail to the list once or twice.

Not appropriate:

• Posting excessive reminders about your services.

• Pasting your own promotional/marketing text into an e-mail to the list. The link/summary rule applies here: One short paragraph with a URL is okay; a full press release is not.

• Pasting in whole articles from your online newsletter.

• Using a signature file that's more than six lines long.

• Whole press releases.

• Whole newsletters.

Remember also that pricing talk is not allowed.

Why can't we talk pricing on the list?

Discussion of rates and prices on the list can be seen as price fixing, which is currently illegal in online forums such as our discussion list. The HTML Writers Guild offers an excellent explanation of these legal reasons on their site: http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/priceFAQ.html.

Mentioning your rates on the list falls also under the "no spam" rule. It's fine to e-mail someone privately if they ask for your rates.

How do we learn about setting rates and making salary requests, then?

Ask for a link to an online salary survey or a guide to setting your rate.

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What are the Seattle Writergrrls guidelines on pricing discussions?

Any discussion of pricing or compensation for products and services rendered is not only discouraged, but strictly prohibited on the Seattle Writergrrls discussion list. Discussion of rates and prices in a professional forum can be considered a form of "price fixing" and violates United States antitrust laws. You can view complete guidelines on pricing discussions at http://www.seattlewritergrrls.org/guidelines.html. You can also browse our resources page for relevant links.

Are there any instances when pricing discussions are acceptable?

No. Members are encouraged to offer professional resources such as links to online salary surveys or guides for setting rates.

Is it OK for me to send an announcement of a class, workshop, or seminar that lists the cost of the event?

Yes. Including cost for such events is allowed for a couple of reasons. Registration fees are already set, thus there is no discussion on setting them involved. Including the cost of a class, workshop, or seminar gives Seattle Writergrrls subscribers all information needed to decide whether or not to sign up, in one convenient location. (Though, if a Web page about the event is available, remember to provide only a brief description and a link to event details.)

What if I am unsure if my question is inappropriate for the list or not?

If you are not certain if your question or topic is appropriate, please forward it to the List Admin for review. If you are unsure that a resource related to pricing, rates, or salaries is appropriate, feel free to forward that for review as well.

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Can I get an e-mail virus or worm from subscribing?

In a word, no. Most viruses and worms travel through e-mail attachments and malignant scripting, and this list has been configured to prevent both. Files get stripped from posts before the posts are distributed to subscribers. In addition, our list software converts HTML tags to plain text, rendering harmless any scripting within the HTML.

We've taken all currently-known measures to protect the list from viruses and worms. However, virus creators are always looking for new inroads, so we encourage you to take common-sense precautions with e-mail and attachments:

• Install anti-virus software and update it regularly.

• Learn more about viruses online. Symantec, the maker of Norton antivirus software, is a popular site.

I just heard about this terrible virus! Should I alert the list?

No. Send virus warnings to the List Manager, who will forward verifiable ones to the list.

If you'd like to research the possible virus on your own first, here are some ways to find out if it's legitimate:

• Search Google for the virus name. The first page of results will probably indicate if the virus warning is legitimate or a hoax.

• Search the Computers section of the urban legends site Snopes for e-mail hoaxes.

• Search the site of the anti-virus software company Symantec. If the virus is legitimate, this site is a good source of information.

I think I got an e-mail virus! What should I do?

For current information on viruses, go to the Symantec Security Response page. If this link is broken, try the Symantec main page.

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How do I change my password?

Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From the Change Password section of your Sw-discuss Subscription Settings page, you'll need to enter your old password and then type in a new one.

What if I’ve forgotten my password?

Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From the Get Password Reminder section of your Sw-discuss Subscription Settings page, click E-mail My Password to Me.

I haven't gotten my Seattle Writergrrls mail in a while. What's going on?

At times the list traffic is low, but a few other things could be happening. You may want to check a few possibilities:

• Are you looking in the right e-mail account? If you have more than one e-mail account, you could be looking for your Seattle Writergrrls mail in the wrong Inbox. Try signing in to My Settings and see if your e-mail address works there.

If you know you're looking in the right account:

• Did you recently go on vacation without setting a hold on your Seattle Writergrrls mail delivery? If you're subscribed at work, your autoresponder may have caused too many messages to bounce, and Mailman may have disabled your subscription. (Nothing personal—just go to My Settings and enable mail delivery.)

• Did you recently make changes to your e-mail filters? Your e-mail client may be interpreting your Seattle Writergrrls mail as bulk or junk mail and be filtering them to your trash.

Or it could be your Internet service provider (ISP):

• Your ISP sees your Seattle Writergrrls-discuss messages as junk mail (because they're not addressed directly to you) and filters them to your trash.

• Your ISP is down or has made changes to its e-mail setup that you don't know about.

Contact the List Managers if you need help.

I want to start getting Seattle Writergrrls e-mails at my other e-mail address. How do I do this?

You must first unsubscribe from your current Seattle Writergrrls address, then resubscribe at your new one. Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From the Unsubscribe from Sw-discuss section, follow the instructions.

I'm going on vacation. How do I stop Seattle Writergrrls e-mails while I'm gone?

By disabling your mail. Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From your Sw-discuss Subscription Settings page, scroll down to the Your Sw-discuss Subscription Options section and follow the instructions under Disable Mail.

To receive messages again, follow the same instructions and choose Enable.

What happens when I choose "Disable"?

You stay subscribed and you can still view the archives, but your mail delivery is temporarily stopped.

How do I unsubscribe?

Go to My Settings, type your e-mail address, and click Edit Options. From your Sw-discuss Subscription Settings page, follow the instructions in the Unsubscribe from Sw-discuss section.

This information is also listed at the end of every post.

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