Zoss Communications, Inc.

The Simple Rules for the Zoss Pens List

JUST A FEW SIMPLE RULES

There are only a few rules we ask everyone to follow when using the pens@zoss.com free internet mailing list for pen collectors. They are simple but important to our ability to maintain a civil and orderly list, since it is so large. These are occasionally reworded to make them easier to remember but essentially have been the same for about 10 years.

The rules mostly have to do with being civil but the ones about "getting even" and "warning people" also have a lot to do with keeping the pens list out of disagreements that might result in litigation.

1. KEEP THE MESSAGE FORMAT SIMPLE:

Try to send all messages in PLAIN TEXT. If you don't know how to fix this there is a place with help - click here. Please do not send messages with attachments. As a matter of courtesy and practicality, do not send "confirm receipt" or "confirm reading" messages to the pens list.

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2. TAKE CARE WITH MESSAGE CONTENT:

a)This is a pens list. Try to keep most messages pen-related - stay on topic. Ignore off-topic messages and don't compound a small problem by sending a public reply, thus building a thread off to nowhere. Be especially nice to new list members and those who are just starting out with pen collecting. All of us were once innocent and we must refrain from making fun of questions that are very basic or otherwise naive or a new subscriber may leave without ever gaining knowledge and confidence. The motto of the list has always been "be nice" and this especially applies to newcomers.

When you reply to a message please edit your reply - cut out a lot of the unnecessary re-quoted stuff. This is especially true when you reply from a digest. Cut off all of those other tag-along messages.

Opinions expressed in the list messages are those of the writers and not those of the list publisher.

3. EXERCISE CARE REGARDING MESSAGE SUBJECTS:

Please do not use the list as an enforcement tool to collect debts, "warn" people about someone you've had trouble with, "SPREAD THE WORD" about your problems or disputes, attack or publicly criticize a brand, dealer, or an individual, etc. Use private e-mail if you want to warn people. A public message like that creates a situation where someone might target the list even though we had nothing to do with the offending one-sided message. Help protect the list by sending those messages, if you must, directly to individuals or place them somewhere else - not here.

Those who push the envelope regarding civility, and who regularly start disputes by posting "baiting" comments about individuals will find they are no longer welcome in the community.

NOTE: This is the rule that causes the most discussion and generates more misunderstandings on the list than all others. There is a new page that discusses my thoughts on the subject. For a review of this subject please click here.

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4. COMMERCIALISM IS ALLOWED BUT SUPPORT THE LIST

Lively sale and trade activity is a part of a thriving hobby but I have had to rein in the activity because of abuses. Some of this section is new information. If you are a collector, your commercial messages are allowed and welcome in moderation (not too often, nor too long, nor too frequently). If you buy or sell using the list, or derive benefit from the list, please consider an occasional voluntary donation to help support the list. However, if you are a dealer (and I don't just mean those with storefronts but also those who trade regularly beyond maybe a short message every month or two) then you're in business and posting sales and promotional messages on this list should be part of your business expenses. Pay your way, please, fair is fair. Even so, more than a reasonable number of messages will cause subscribers to get upset with your overuse. Best in that case to buy an advertisement on the site. There are several ways to help support the list - click here for ideas.

Please patronize the people who advertise on the pens list. If you'd like to consider support by advertising you'll find the details here.

Thanks so much for being nice.

Tom Zoss

CLICK HERE FOR THE FAQ FILE

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Thomas Zoss
Zoss Communications, Inc.
3431 S. Weeping Willow Way, Bloomington, Indiana 47403 USA
Telephone 812-332-2334, E-mail to Tom Zoss