[Gpdd] ANNOUNCEMENT: How to Avoid Getting Your Post Rejected
Admin
gpdd-admin at gpdd.org
Thu Mar 10 12:26:25 EST 2011
Dear members,
We wanted to take a moment to clarify some points about posting to the
GPDD.
First: in today's litigious environment, we need to be careful when
giving advice regarding medicine and veterinary procedures. Few - if any
- of this membership are veterinarians, so while we may offer advice, we
cannot diagnose, prescribe for or treat medical conditions. Granted,
combined we probably have many *centuries* of practical guinea pig
experience :-) and know a great deal more than an uninformed vet, we
cannot make certain statements without giving a reason or source.
What this means is that when giving advice, health opinions, or
challenging a post, you need to provide some kind of justification. By
justification we mean the source of the information, whether it is
personal experience or a specific article or book that you got the
information from. We don't mean your post needs to look like a term
paper with footnotes and bibliographies; all we are asking is to quote
your source.
Examples:
OK:
"Snuffling can mean different things; I had a piggie that snuffled only
when she ate. I took her to the vet and he said she had over-active
salivary glands."
NOT OK:
"I heard that snuffling was nothing to be worried over. It's an
over-active salivary gland."
OK:
"According to the book 'Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs' (Richardson),
Bumblefoot (pododermatitis) can be managed with baytril."
NOT OK:
"Get some baytril and dose him up."
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Next: Brevity
There are times when a long post is appropriate, and there are times
when a short post is *more* appropriate. Virtual events, Rainbow Bridge
memorials and descriptions of health/behavior problems are all good
reasons for long posts. A reply to a health question should be brief and
to the point: the person that asked probably needs the info quickly, and
they also need to know where the info came from if they want to relay it
to the vet or want to research it. Also, there's no reason that you
can't contact the person off-Digest with more information in depth, or
put "contact me for more info" in your post.
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Personal Messages vs. Posting
Personal e-mails are just that: personal. Dialogs between people should
not be sent to public forums, unless both parties are aware of it and
agree. Don't assume that just because someone sent you some good advice
or shared personal observations that it's ok to post it elsewhere (this
is a basic rule of online etiquette everywhere, not just the GPDD).
Unless the person gives you written permission, or you can edit it so
that the person *cannot* be identified, it should not be part of a post.
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Last: The Language Barrier
Before you hit "send", think about what you wrote. Remember that the
GPDD is international, that for some people English is a second
language. Also remember that a word can have many meanings or
interpretations in different countries. An American that's "pissed" is
angry. A Brit that's "pissed" is drunk.
Peter Gurney (bless him! Candles were lit!) talks about worming on his
care pages (http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/worming.htm). BUT - he's not
actually talking about guinea pigs getting worms, but keeping intestinal
flora healthy. His advice is aimed toward guinea pigs that are allowed
to graze and/or live outside.
In the USA, where piggies rarely graze outside, "worming" is not a
common practice; instead people use a probiotic or similar for
intestinal health (see GPDD archives).
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By sticking to these simple guidelines (and don't forget to use the
proper Header and Subject lines!) for your posts, you will make things
easier for our Moderators as well as reduce or eliminate the chance of
your post being rejected.
Thanks for your cooperation and continued support!
GPDD Admin and the GPDD Team
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