Artlives FAQs
Spanish version

A. What this group IS
         1. This group IS a place where serious thought is expected of the participants.
         2. This group IS a place where you should expect to learn something, both about yourself and others, and hopefully about life and art.
         3. This group IS a place for participants to practice debate, analysis, critical thinking, and communication skills, though all are expected to do so in a respectful,  constructive manner.
        

B. What this group is NOT
         1. This group is NOT a place for voicing unjustified opinions. If you say something, be prepared to back it up or apologise.
         2. This group is NOT a place for preaching of any kind. We want to share ideas, not force them on each other. Our members come from many different societies, and our aim is to be tolerant to diverse thoughts. Remember that for many members, English is not their first language.
         3. This group is NOT a place for picking fights or for game playing! Debate is fine, but unwarranted belligerence will not be tolerated.
         4. This group is NOT for sales pitching, etc.

II - Advice to the newcomer
         In addition to following the general guidelines given below (section III), the following suggestions are for newcomers:
         1. Spend some time "lurking" before you post. Get a feel for how this group works and what the people are like. Introduce yourself and post the link to your website.
         2. This group is restricted to members only and free speech is encouraged, but keep in mind that this is an ART group. We have a subsidary group called Artliveschat to eleviate the volume of emails that are not about art. Please use it!
        

III - Guidelines
         A. General
         1. Do not cross-post. This group is for members only and we ask that you respect the privacy of it.
         2. Be as courteous to others as the situation allows. Debates can get very heated, and  sometimes phrases like "that's nonsense" or "you have a hole in your head" can get thrown around. Participants must realize that this is all part of the discussion process. Stand firm in the face of criticism, rather than taking it personally.
         3. On the other hand, excessive rudeness will not be tolerated. Do not throw insults just because you have taken a disliking to someone, for whatever reason. If you feel that someone is being unecessarily belligerent towards you, give them the benefit of the doubt before you flare up. If someone attacks you outright, do your best to defend yourself without making the problem any worse.
         4. In general, try to promote a certain amount of friendliness and understanding. We are all here (hopefully) for one purpose, which is to further our own knowledge of things. Help others see your point of view, but don't get angry if they refuse to acknowledge it as the correct one.
         5. Lastly, keep in mind that (at least in most cases) the written word gives you the only impression you will have of the others here.
        B. Threads
         1. In addition to the general group guidelines, ocassionally someone starting a thread will provide rules of discussion for that specific thread. Generally, it is proper etiquette to follow these guidelines. You have the right, of course, to question the thread-starter on whether these restrictions are appropriate.
         2. Make your contribution to the thread meaningful. It is annoying when someone clutters a thread with simple statements of opinion like "No, you're wrong". If you want to be listened to and understood, it is your responsibility to both be clear and give justification for your what you say.
         3. Make your contribution to the thread relevant. Threads often branch off into many different topics, some of which have little to do with the original topic. While it is a fine thing for discussions to proceed this way, it also makes the thread "messy" and hard to follow. So in general, if what you have to say has little connection to the original thread topic, you should          consider starting a new thread instead. In this way things will stay better organized, those with similar interests can follow their preferred "sub-thread" more easily, and newcommers will not be as overwhelmed when trying to sift through previous posts.
         C. Posting format
         There aren't and shouldn't be any strict rules for posting format, but if you want to be understood, and if you want people to listen to you, it is advisable to take some of this advice.
         1. Avoid excessive quoting. It simply clutters a post and makes it hard to follow. Quoting a whole message is usually unnecessary, and confuses the reader. Don't send messages to the group that could easily have gone to an indiviual - such as "Thank you" and "Well done" in response to a post.
         2. If you do quote, try to quote only relevant passages (especially when replying to a VERY long message). This way readers will understand what you are saying without having to constantly refer to the original message. However, usually one or two sentences will suffice for this purpose-just enough to signal what you are focussing on.
         3. Feel free NOT to quote when 1) the message you are replying to is especially short, and 2) if your own reply is clear enough that no quoting is necessary.
         4. If your message is long, use paragraphs. Try to divide it into sections if the material permits.
         5. Sometimes, if you quote a message that already had quotes in it, several different people will end up being quoted your post. Usually, these "re-quotes" should be deleted unless they are essential to your reply. If you must keep them, insert short headers into the various sections, such as "So-and-so said on Mar.13:", etc., so that readers will know what has been said by whom.
 

IV - Enforcement/Grievances
         Specific behaviour of group members towards misfits:
         1) If a group member is concerned about the behaviour of someone in the newsgroup, then he should consult the other members of the group if action is to be taken. If he receives more support than opposition, he can take action through the administrator.
         2) This action will consist of a brief posting to the misbehaving individual. It is a simple remark like this: I would like you to have more respect for the rules in this group. I invite you to read our "charter/FAQ" or statements with similar encouraging tone.
         3) If a misfit continues to misbehave, then he is asked to justify why he is not acting according to the rules that he is supposed to have read. Something like this: Now that you have taken notice of our "charter", why don't you act according to our rules here?
         4) If the misfit reacts in contempt, he will be asked to explain why. His posts may be moderated in the meantime.
         5) If the misfit reacts in playing innocence (such as not understanding or not having had the time to read), he is given just one other chance.
         6) If the misfit disagrees with the rules, he is given one chance to explain why. If he/she doesn't come up with something meaningful, he is unsibscribed. If he/she does come up with something, he deserves a counter-argument. He/she will be provided with such.
         7) If arguments don't help, he/she is unsubscribed.

In truth, we don't see why any reasonable person wll not want to conform to these guidelines. We are not trying to restrict what anyone can say, but simply to create a structured, fertile atmosphere in which it can be said.

The list owner is Alison A Raimes, who was the founding member of Artlives, Luis Formaiano is the Spanish co-owner and the moderator is Bill Steinhurst. Please contact either of them for more information.

                            Enjoy Artlives !