Introduction

This section was originally included to cover posting guidelines for the Station Analysis Mailing List. It is included here for the sake of completeness.

A general guide on netiquette is available at www.albion.com/netiquette/ .

Mail List Etiquette

This Netiquette summary is © 2000 Jukka Kolehmainen and is used here with permission.

• DO quote some of what you're replying to. Quoting one token word isn't good enough. Try to leave at -least- a sentence or two that's directly connected to what you're saying and make sure there's enough there for context.
• Trim the posts. Always remove the previous person's sig file. Then, edit out as much as you can of the previous post, only leaving the part that relates to what you're saying in return and, in most cases, remove any posts previous to that one.
• We aren't counting lines, but as a basic rule there's supposed to be at least 50% new material in your post (concise one line answers to a specific question are the exeption). That means the post should be roughly half previous message and half (preferably more) your response.
• Be creative. To make it work, you'll either have to trim more or write more.
• Please do some proof reading. Everyone makes spelling or grammar errors or typos, but a lot of posts look like they should have been written in crayon. Also, read to make sure what you said makes sense.
• If you're replying to someone's offer of pictures, bootlegs, etc., reply by private email, not to the list. The same goes for conversations between two people or personal questions. Lists aren't chat lines, there are other people on the lists who have to download, read and delete everything you post, and many European and Australian members pay for internet access by the minute. Lists concerning trade, selling or buying should be on separate homepages and the URL in your sig file or alternately inform any interested parties of your interest in such activities in the signature.
• Don't type in all caps. It's extremely rude and makes you look stupid. It is also considered yelling. True, being faceless, you can be as rude as you like on the net, but no one's impressed.
• Do whatever you like in private email, but a sigline on a post shouldn't be more than 5 lines max, and that's even pushing it.
• Many people read your postings. Be civilized so that anyone bothers to read your posts. Most of us use filters to get rid of annoyances and supplement them after few stupid posts, then when you actually have something to say, no-one bothers to read that post. Also, stay on topic, if the list discusses music, no-one will be interested in your cat's digestion problems.
• Always reply under the part you want to say something to. If someone receives list mail in digest form, it is annoying to search for the reply from the old already read mail. Never answer mail over the quoted part and with one word. One-liners are an big no no.
• When you post, have something to say. Don't just follow a post with "me too". Everybody has an opinion, but don't post forced posts just to agree with someone. Always when making a point or opinion, explain it thoroughly.

A more general rule for netiquette on the list is to not make comments that are specifically aimed at provoking someone. Everyone on the list welcomes constructive comments of their work, but just stating that someone's ideas are rubbish is no help to anyone. Additional examples of provoking someone include criticising their nationality, their sexual preferences or their beliefs. These sort of comments should on the whole be kept away from the list. People who persist in offending others out of spite will find themselves forcibly unsubscribed by Glenn, as part of his duty as List Administrator.

The preferred format for posting in is Plain Text. The reason for this is that using HTML (so called Rich Text) in a post causes problems for those whose mail readers can't decipher them. It also causes problems with the digest. When a previous post is replicated as a reference, any irreverent sections should be removed. Duplicating a whole message just to add a one line comment is a waste of bandwidth and is annoying to most people on the list. Care should also be taken in criticising people's spelling. There are people of all nationalities on the list and also some who are dyslexic, so exercise a little patience.

Finally there are several members of Nightfall Games on the list as well as several people who have been involved with Nightfall in previous years. Although they are all willing to assist people's enjoyment in the game they should not be pestered unnecessarily. People seeking more information about the background to SLA Industries will find more information in the SLA Industries Background section of this FAQ.

Classifying Posts

All posts have [sla] in the header added by Topica to allow people to filter the newsgroup emails away from their general email. More specific subjects which can be added in the header are:

• OT - Off Topic post
• BPN - Bluesprint News File
• TRUTH - Contains discussion about Nightfall IP
• Fiction - Fiction
• Mature - Contains mature material
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
• Humour - Contents should not be taken seriously
• Long - Post is of long length

Abbreviations

Over the years, the Station Analysis list has developed its own abbreviations for subjects that are repeatedly discussed. More specific terms appear in the list which include:

• IMLWoP - In My Little World of Progress (refers to ideas confined to your game)
• WoP - World of Progress
• DN - DarkNight
• Necs - Necanthropes
• BW, 'wasters - Brain Wasters
• IP - Intellectual Property (the material that defines the concepts behind SLA)
• WotC - Wizards of the Coast
• The Bible - The Writers Guide
• The Writers Guide - A document detailing everything about the game, including The Truth.
• The Truth - The generally accepted Truth behind SLA Industries.
• SD - SLA Date
• MWOP - My World of Progress
• MLWOP - My Little World of Progress
• SLOP - SLA Operative
• HJ - Halloween Jack
• WL - Wave Lindsey
• AFAIK - As Far As I Know
• IMO - In My Opinion
• IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
• Dava - Dave Allsop, the creator of SLA
• IMG - In My Game
• YWOP - Your World Of Progress
• YLWOP - Your Little World Of Progress
• NF - Nightfall Games Limited
• HH - Hogshead Publishing
• DoM - Department of Misinformation
• DU - Depleted Uranium
• LAD - Life After Death