Please read and understand all posting guidelines
before submitting posts to the Digest.
Contents (click to jump to selected
section):
Posting to the Digest
Topics
Pigiquette
Our Philosophy
Moderators
Contacts/Abuse Team (The
Fire Brigade)
POSTING TO THE DIGEST
You must first subscribe to GPDD before you may post a message. To post a message to all the list members once you have subscribed, send email to gpdd@gpdd.org.
Your post must contain
a topic, as outlined below, in the Subject line.
TOPICS
In order for
you to post a message to the GPDD, you must have one of
the Topics below in the subject line, along with a short descriptive
phrase of what the post is about. For example: [ANNOUNCEMENT]
Introducing my new piggie or [HEALTH]
Piggie with broken tooth! Shortcut: Click on a topic to post a message now!
In addition
to labeling your post, remember that you should follow the GPDD
Rules of Pigiquette when composing
your message.
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HEALTH
Topics pertaining to illnesses, medications, chronic conditions
(can also be pregnancy questions), vet referrals, etc. CAUTION:
these posts may contain graphic descriptions and/or anatomical
terms. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introduction of new members and piggies to the list. Guinea
births and deaths. Social gatherings (Pignics and other events).
Upcoming show dates and descriptions (ACBA/ARBA, 4-H, others).
Sale of unique guinea pig items.
(All posts for selling something must be approved in advance.
Contact approval@gpdd.org). |
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CARE
Housing, nutrition, bedding, basic care. Posts from people
just starting with guinea pigs, as well as basic questions
and comments from experienced piggie owners. |
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VIRTUAL
Fantasy stories about guinea trips, songs, etc. Since these
postings can get quite involved, we ask that any virtual gp
event be discussed in advance with our GPDD Virtual Events
Coordinator by sending email to virtual@gpdd.org. |
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BEHAVIOR
Guinea personality characteristics. Is your guinea unique
or do other piggies do the same thing? Cute/fun stories about
everyday piggie things. |
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PIGLETS
Postings by kids of any age to other kids. |
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BREEDING
Specific classes, comments about shows past and present (ACBA/ARBA,
4-H, others), breeding questions such as nutrition requirements
during pregnancy, what to expect at birth, etc. |
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SILLY
Guinea pig songs, poetry, thoughts about The Great Guinea
Pig Conspiracy; anything intended to bring a smile and not
be taken too seriously. |
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RESCUE
Guinea pig railroads, orphaned guinea pigs in need of either
permanent or foster homes. Info about rescue organizations. |
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MISCELLANEOUS
Anything that does not fit the other categories. Please try
to find another category topic before resorting to "Miscellaneous." |
thanks
to Ward Takamiya for the witty illustrations!
PIGIQUETTE
The GPDD is a place to share news about all aspects of your piggies'
lives. Sometimes, this may include sad news such
as illnesses or deaths of piggies. The members of the GPDD share
your sorrow and grieve with you. Please remember, though, if you
are posting sad news, many people do not have the background or
medical knowledge to handle all the physical details. When you're
posting to the digest, please do not include extensive physical
descriptions of surgery or death, except by private e-mail to
those who request more information or who privately wish to discuss
specific medical issues and problems.
Do not post private messages (unless they are
of general interest to all, and you have cleared it with the sender)
--This violates general Netiquette rules, not just Pigiquette.
Do not assume that disagreement is a flame. A flame
uses language intended to incite anger or hatred. A flame is handled
by a mature individual in one of two ways: a) responded to with
intelligence and gentle words, or b) ignored.
This is a family list, so please avoid language that
is inappropriate for young eyes/ears. This includes not
only words that would be considered profane; try to use the proper
terms for anatomy, bodily functions, etc. Sensitive topics should
be discussed in such a manner that your mother would not be offended.
Use normal English structure. Avoid slang,
contractions, etc. since many of our members are not native English
speakers. If someone uses a word you are not familiar with, ask
for clarification--learning how another uses language provides
insight into their thought processes.
Additionally, DO NOT USE ALL CAPS. This is equivalent
to yelling, and is always considered rude in online discussions.
Please keep postings short, so that the digest
doesn't exceed incoming mail limits. Shorter posts (under a page
of typed text) gives everyone a chance to speak, while keeping
the digest accessible. Obviously, if you need more words to describe
a problem, please do - as much information as it takes for you
to receive useful replies.
Identify posting topic: antics, medical question,
general care question, response to {question}, general ramblings;
when you post, this allows the skimmers to find relevant information
quickly and makes archive searches easier.
Use language that is not hostile. If you disagree
with someone, say so and give specific reasons why. However, if
the issue is one of lifestyle (to breed or not to breed/to neuter
or not to neuter), please realize that people can sincerely disagree
on such issues without being offensive. Additionally, if you must
argue with someone, do it via PRIVATE e-mail.
We will add items that we feel are appropriate
("we" means everyone who is an active participant in
the GPDD).
OUR
PHILOSOPHY
We believe that a well-rounded online community
of guinea pig enthusiasts, rescuers, breeders and general experts
is an excellent forum for the sharing of information and ideas.
We all agree that differences of opinion exist to enrich, rather
then threaten, individuality. By sharing our views and experiences,
we share a responsibility to remain open-minded and supportive
of others, while at the same time helping each other learn. We
believe that all facets of the worldwide guinea pig community
- whether breeder, rescuer, advocate or pet caretaker - are essential
and worthy to share their ideas.
We do not flame, spam, nor go wildly off-topic. We are not intolerant
of others. We are friendly and supportive of all list members.
We are dedicated to keeping this list's reputation as a valuble
resource for anyone with a connection to guinea pigs.
MODERATORS
Moderators are responsible for ensuring that the content and
tone of mail is consistent with the general tenor of the list.
Each day, they approve or reject posts based on a list of common-sense
requirements. Clearly this is a highly subjective area, and can
cause some folks to feel that they are being “picked on.”
Members can appeal to another moderator or to the GPOC (this likely
will be a fairly rare event). A moderator who is too strict is
as likely to be relieved as one who is too lenient.
The foundation for all decisions is the code of conduct / pigiquette,
which is broad enough to allow for a wide range of posts, while
specific enough to keep all posts within reasonable limits.
People can volunteer for a Moderator position, but these roles
will be filled at the discretion of the GPDD Team. The moderator
list will not be made public, to respect privacy of the moderators
involved.
Moderators work on rotation; the more moderators, the longer period
between their shifts. Usually a moderator will be on-duty one
day every two weeks. If a moderator cannot commit to their assigned
day, it will be their responsibility to find someone to cover
for them. If a moderator is online and sees a situation that needs
a response, and the on-duty moderator is unavailable, he or she
can respond, with a CC to the on-duty moderator.
POST REJECTIONS
GPDD is loosely moderated, and an occassional post will be rejected
in an effort to keep this a friendly and safe place for everyone
to discuss guinea pigs. Here is list of the most common reasons
that posts will be rejected:
INFLAMMATORY |
Some readers may find your posting offensive.
Please reword your message. Slamming/flaming, vulgar language,
or cultural insensitivies have no place on this list. |
MISSING LABEL |
All posts must be labeled by a topic in UPPERCASE,
followed by a description of your message: i.e., "ANNOUNCE
- Introducing my new piggie" --This will make
it easier for people to scan subjects and decide which ones
they would like to read and which ones they would rather scroll
past. More descriptive subject title that "Re: Gpdd Digest,
Vol 1, Issue 2" would also be helpful. Detailed
descriptions of topic labels are above if you are unsure
of your topic category. |
NO
ATTACHMENTS
ALLOWED |
Attachments of any kind are not supported
by the GPDD and will automatically be stripped from your posting.
Photos can be posted in the Member Gallery?
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NO HTML
ALLOWED |
HTML coding makes the digest hard to read.
Save the HTML for your web pages or private posts to receipients
that use HTML-enabled mail programs. |
OFF TOPIC |
This is a list about guinea pigs. An occassional
unrelated topic may allowed if it might be of interest to
the general readership, but we really want to just talk about
guinea pigs. |
TOO
EXPLICIT |
Keep in mind that young children read this
digest. If you are describing a guinea pig's sexual anatomy
or mating behavior, please use the appropriate biological
terms. |
TOO LONG |
In consideration to others, please keep your
posting as concise as possible. Avoid including the whole
digest while replying, and minimize your signature file. Tip:
break up a long post into multiple messages. |
CONTACTS/ABUSE
TEAM
(the Fire Brigade)
"did not!" "did too!" "did
not!" "did too!"
coming soon...
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