[Gpdd] Subscribing Info about The New Guinea Pigs' Daily Digest

[GPDD Admin]

SAVE THIS E-MAIL! IT HAS IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS ON JOINING AND POSTING TO
THE NEW GUINEA PIGS' DAILY DIGEST.

We don't want to wait any longer; it's time to get the GPDD back up and
running! 

You are getting this message because you were a Guinea Pigs' Daily Digest
subscriber. If you no longer wish to get the GPDD, then ignore this note,
it is the last you will hear from us. If you DO wish to continue your GPDD
subscription, you will need to do the following:

First, please read this *entire* message, and save it for future reference.

Before you sign up, please be aware that the GPDD is now a moderated list.
With so many members (there were over 1900 when we started to regroup), it
is hard to keep small misunderstandings from quickly becoming large
problems. Hopefully, "gentle moderation" may help keep things running
smoothly. The goal is to make and keep the Guinea Pigs' Daily Digest a fun
and friendly place to discuss all aspects of companion guinea pigs. 

The basic "Rules of Pigiquette" are still there
(http://www.gpdd.org/pigiquette.html), and we expect everyone to follow
them: treat everyone as you would want to be treated. You are free to
express yourself and your views, but without rage or profanity. Remember
that this list is basically a big extended family, and while you may have
some family arguments, you should basically try to understand and tolerate
another's view if you don't outright support it. Also remember that this
list is for everyone of all age groups and interests. Strong language and
profanity have no place here. Any "explicit" wordings will be contained in
an appropriately labeled post as explained below. 

The "Fire Brigade" is being replaced by an administrative team that will
investigate abuse. If you feel you are being unfairly treated via off-list
e-mail, you can bring it to the attention of the abuse team
(mailto:abuse at gpdd.org). Be prepared to supply copies of all offensive
e-mail sent to you as well as any replies you have sent - as both sides
will be investigated. 

NEW POSTING REQUIREMENTS:

One thing that is REQUIRED to post to the GPDD is the proper Topic Header
in the subject line of your post. You MUST include one of the appropriate
keyword topics listed below (and also at http://www.gpdd.org/topics.html)
or your post will be rejected. The reason topic headers are required are
for some of the new features that have been integrated into the New GPDD:

Archive Search: 
The GPDD archives are now searchable, but going forward it will make
searching for a particular subject easier.

Customized subscriptions! 
While the GPDD defaults to "digest" mode when you sign up, you will now
have the option to receive *only* the subjects you want to. By selecting an
"individual posts" option, you will be able to select which topics you wish
to receive. Then, throughout the day (as they are received at the GPDD) you
will get posts on just those topics. 

There's a compromise, though: you either get one big GPDD every day that
contains everything, or you get multiple posts throughout the day on just
the subjects you choose. Of course, you can still scroll past any content
that doesn't interest you, as everything will be labeled!

You'll notice we've added some new discussion areas, and "specialized" on
some topics - such as Rescue, Virtual and Breeding. Hopefully this will
help members of the GPDD Community find other members with similar
interests, as well as making it easier for anyone to find the content they
are interested in. The topics are:

[ANNOUNCEMENT]
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 discussed/pre-approved in
advance. Contact approval at gpdd.org). 

[BEHAVIOR]
Guinea personality characteristics. Is your guinea unique or do other
piggies do the same thing? Cute/fun stories about everyday piggie things. 

[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. 

[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. This section especially geared to new owners to ask those
"stupid questions" without feeling self-conscious. Understanding and
experienced people can often provide great tips and help guide you through
the basics. 

[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. There will be some
crossover here with BREEDING. 

[MISC]
Anything that does not fit the other categories. Posting to this topic area
should be kept to a minimum. If you really feel that another category is
need, please send email to gpdd_admin at gpdd.org for possible consideration. 

[PIGLETS]
Postings by kids of any age to other kids. 

[RESCUE]
Guinea pig railroads, orphaned guinea pigs in need of either permanent or
foster homes. Info about rescue organizations. 

[SILLY]
Guinea pig songs, poetry, the Poo Trail, thoughts about The Great Guinea
Pig Conspiracy; or anything intended to bring a smile and not be taken too
seriously. Longer events and stories should be posted under VIRTUAL topic. 

[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 at gpdd.org.
 

That seems like a lot - but we've tried to cover everything and make
searches easier in the future (as well as making it easy to filter out
stuff you may not want). In the future we may add or delete Topics as
needed. You will probably find that you only post to a few Topic areas
anyway - but keep the list handy! You'll never know when you'll want to
post to a different area!

We've set up "mail-to's" at the GPDD website that may make things easier.
You should be able to go to the Topics page on the GPDD website
http://www.gpdd.org/topics.html and click on the subject you wish to post.
If you have your e-mail program open and all is working right, it should
open a blank e-mail with the proper Topic in the subject line of your
message. This will only work if you use a program (Outlook, MS Exchange,
Eudora, etc.) to create your e-mail. It will not work with webmail-type
e-mail applications (Hotmail, etc.). It hasn't been tested with AOL.


RE-SUBSCRIBING:

You will need to re-subscribe to receive the GPDD. Take a few minutes to
review the Rules of Pigiquette (http://www.gpdd.org/pigiquette.html) and
the GPDD Philosophy (http://www.gpdd.org/philosophy.html). If you agree
that this is the guinea pig list for you, then sign up at
(http://www.gpdd.org/subscribe.html). After signing up, you'll be sent a
link to a page where you can manage your subscription, set delivery
preferences, etc.

GETTING HELP:

Yes, some of the pages and procedures can be confusing. As long as you can
get subscribed and remember to put the topic on your posts, that's all it
really takes. But if you need some help with your subscription or have a
question or problem, drop us a note at Subscription_Help at gpdd.org. 

We'll get back to you as soon as we can - but please be patient. Keep in
mind we are still in the test flight stage. If you haven't gotten a reply
in a couple of days, re-send your note. E-mail is *not* infallible; notes
can and do get lost in the Net, and sometimes if there are lots and lots of
messages, one can escape attention. Remember that e-mail is *just* for
subscriptions and website help - keep all the piggie questions on the GPDD
or DSN!

CONCLUSION:

We apologize for the delay in getting things back online. Between technical
issues and computer viruses, it's always a challenge - to say the least! We
still have loads of work to do on the website, and the New GPDD list will
change and evolve (for the better, we hope!) over time - but that's all
part of the growing process. What's important is that we have our online
guinea pig community where we can visit, exchange ideas and stories, help
each other and have fun. We hope you look forward to the return of the GPDD
as much as we do!

The Guinea Pigs' Daily Digest Team