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.

	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.		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).
	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.		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.
	BEHAVIOR Guinea personality characteristics. Is your guinea unique or do other piggies do the same thing? Cute/fun stories about everyday piggie things.		PIGLETS Postings by kids of any age to other kids.
	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.		SILLY Guinea pig songs, poetry, thoughts about The Great Guinea Pig Conspiracy; anything intended to bring a smile and not be taken too seriously.
	RESCUE Guinea pig railroads, orphaned guinea pigs in need of either permanent or foster homes. Info about rescue organizations.		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.

"did not!" "did too!" "did not!" "did too!"

coming soon...