Posting Rules

All Internet mailing list have similar sets of rules on what you should and should not do. Here are the specific rules for Hammer Film. Failure to follow these rules may result in your posting privileges being taken away or you being thrown off the list altogether.

• Before posting any questions, check recent archived 'digests' to make sure your question isn't answered there. Longtime subscribers get annoyed when they see the same questions asked every few weeks.

• Make sure to include your name and your e-mail address in the body of your messages, as there are some e-mail programs which hide this information!

• Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you. Beware of making strong, emotional, or angry statements. It is easier for written messages to be misunderstood than spoken words. Never write a message in anger and if you have any doubt about how a message will be received, wait a while and reread it before you send it. Any 'sarcastic' or jokey comments should be identified with a smiley face :-) or a ;-)

• Make sure that the subject line accurately reflects the contents of your message, so that other members can skip it if they are not interested in that particular subject. You are free to discuss multiple subjects in a single message, but just make sure the subject line reflects the multiple subjects.

• When replying to a previous message, precede it with something to let everyone know what you are replying to. This can be an excerpt of the previous message, or summarizing what was said before in your own words. A common network convention is to use the > character in the left margin to indicate text from a previously posted message.

• When including excerpts of previous messages in your reply, EDIT them down to the bare minimum which is relevant to your reply. Don't let your e-mail program automatically quote the entire body of the message! Nobody likes reading a long message in quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be followed by a one line response: "Yeah, me too."

• When posting a message, stick to the subject of the mailing list. Anything directly related to Hammer films is on-topic. However, unless there is a Hammer link, seemingly related topics such as other Horror movies and TV series are NOT on-topic, there are plenty of other discussion groups for these subjects. Remember, people subscribed to this list to discuss Hammer Films and actors.

• If someone posts a message that is off-topic and you would still like to reply to it, reply to the individual, NOT the mailing list. Similarly, if someone posts a message that is off-topic, do NOT send a message to the list complaining about it. And if someone else does complain, do NOT reply to that either! A flood of complaints can be more disruptive than the original off-topic message, especially since the original poster ALWAYS feels obliged to defend themselves and then people will all offer their opinions on who's right and who's wrong, etc., etc.., etc...

• Do not mail invitations to other lists or use your membership only to promote your own webpage, rpg, business, etc! Only Hammer Film Webring members may promote their websites on the Hammer Film Mailing List and these sites should not promote other mailing lists. Permission to promote a Hammer website is strictly a perk of webring membership.

• Do not send one line messages such as "I agree", "I don't know", etc., as they really do not contribute much to the discussion. Similarly, limit the number of one-line "cute" remarks as well, as they get pretty tiring after a while. Remember, every message posted to this list goes out to about 120+ people around the world (some who do not know English very well), and are 'archived' in digest form for years to come. Make sure that you have something worthwhile to say before hitting the "send" button!

• Do not use The Hammer Film Mailing List as an IRC or ICQ. ie. don't use it just to tell everyone you are online or to bid them "Good Morning" etc. 'Digest' subscribers will not welcome a 'Digest' full of off-topic personal chat.

• Do not send binary files containing pictures (JPGs/GIFS/BMPs etc) or sounds (wavs/midis, etc), and also do not send overly large text files (>30 kb) to the list. Instead, find an FTP or World Wide Web site to upload your file to, and send a short message to the list telling people where they can download it if they are interested.

• Make sure that you or your e-mail program inserts a carriage return so that every line is LESS than 72 characters long, otherwise some people will not be able to read your messages, or they will be reformatted in transit so that every other line contains the leftovers of the previous line.

• When replying to a message, check the "To:" address to make sure it's going where you want it to. It can be very embarrassing if you send a message to the entire list that was meant to be seen by only one person. (Trust me, I know!)

• 'Hammer Film' has members from many countries. Don't assume that everyone will understand a reference to TV, movies, pop culture, or current events in your country.

• 'Hammer Film' members will also be grateful if you add "SPOILER" headings before you reveal plot details, or 'spoil' their enjoyment of a not yet seen film.

• DON'T SEND A MESSAGE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, AS PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU ARE YELLING AT THEM! It is also easier to read things with normal captilization. Also, separating your paragraphs with blank lines makes things easier to read too.

• If you would like to unsubscribe from the list, do not send your request to the mailing list. Just visit your personal 'subscription' page at http://www.onelist.com .

• If you see someone else asking how to unsubscribe, please help them out by sending them the instructions in a 'personal' e-mail.

• Limit the size of your "Signature" at the bottom of your messages. Nobody wants to see a one line message followed by a 20 line signature!

• If anyone abuses the list by persisting in posting 'off-topic' items, 'blatant adverts' or behaving 'unacceptably', offending members may find they are 'yellow carded' by the list manager. Further such abuse, or totally unreasonable behaviour may result in 'unsubscription'. If 'yellow carded' a member should be the model of good behaviour for six months at which point the member's record will be cleared.