Dear Va-Roots Subscribers:

The unpleasant exchanges last week suggest that it might be time to
issue some reminders. (It seems that these things always arise on
holiday weekends when I am out of the office and have no access to the
Internet in order to act as referee or to throw cold water.)

First: We all know that the Internet is alive with viruses and other
electronic devils, and we should all be very cautious about opening
messages and attachments from unknown sources. Va-Roots automatically
rejects all posted attachments, so you will never receive an attachment
through Va-Roots. If it looks as if you have, it is a fake coming from
someplace else and pretending to be from Va-Roots.

Second: Be nice. Always. When we first got e-mail at the Library of
Virginia, the person who taught us how to use it issued this wise
warning: Never send anything by e-mail that you wouldn't want your
grandmother to see on the front page of the next day's newspaper.

Third: Please do not ever send anything in questionable taste to another
Va-Roots subscriber without knowing in advance that it will be welcome.
Offensive messages to Va-Roots subscribers off the list are not
acceptable, either. It being easy to make a mistake and send a message
intended for one audience to another, don't do it.

Fourth: Because private views about politics and religion can be as
unwelcome on the list as naughty pictures, please refrain from posting
your own opinions on those subjects, too.

Fifth: If you learn privately or via the list that you have exhibited a
behavior that annoyed another subscriber, don't do that again.

Sixth: Please do not routinely post full texts of messages to which you
are replying. Take a few seconds to be considerate to all of the rest of
us.

If you have difficulties with Va-Roots or a Va-Roots subscriber, please
let me know; but remember that I haven't access to the Internet except
when in my office at the Library of Virginia.

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
[log in to unmask]

Visit the Library of Virginia's web site at http://www.lva.lib.va.us

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html