INFO: HWG-Theory Admin FAQ

HWG-Theory Administration FAQ

G'Day fellow Theorists

This document is to reacquaint you with HWG information and to introduce
the list guide program to those members who are not familiar with it.

Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for managing to refrain from public
flame wars during the recent debate.  Theory always brings out opinions,
and it is very easy for strong opinion to be interpreted as criticism.  On
the whole I thought the last discussion went quite well.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to introduce Jason Ferner, one of
your new List Guides for HWG-Theory.  Welcome Jason and good luck ;)

-----------------
Table of Contents
-----------------
1. What are list guides and who are the list guides for hwg-theory?
2. Mailing List Tip of the Week
3. What is the HWG-Theory mailing list? (Charter info)
4. What topics do NOT belong on HWG-Theory?
5. How do I subscribe and unsubscribe?
6. How do I send a message to the list?
7. How can distinguish mail from this list?
8. Can I view previous posts?  (Guild archives)
9. What other lists are available?
10. Some handy URLs
11. How can I volunteer to help the guild?
12. I have more questions. Who can I ask?
-----------------

1. What are list guides and who are the list guides for HWG-Theory? 

List guides are members of the HWG who have volunteered their time to help
maintain the quality of the guild lists and assist members whenever possible.

At present the List Guides for hwg-theory are Chris Higgs and Jason Ferner.
 Any questions about the hwg-theory mailing list feel free to contact me at
<lg-basics(at)hwg.org>.

2. Mailing List Tip of the Week 

 *** Editing Replies ***

Editing replies refers to (at minimum) the removal of unnecessary header
and signature lines in the message you are replying to.  Apart from
unnecessarily adding to server load, lack of editing tends to irritate
members subscribed to the digest mode.

I could also point out that fully quoting a post you disagree with really
only serves to restate the argument you are refuting - so careful editing
makes good sense.

3. What is the hwg-theory mailing list? (Charter info) 

HWG-Theory is for the discussion of why/why not certain design strategies
or new technologies should be incorporated into website design.  This
includes common questions like "frames vs non-frames", "black backgrounds",
and "web accessibility".

While these are often controversial issues, all members can benefit from
hearing other viewpoints and changing their views as technology and our
intended audience change.

4. What topics/messages do NOT belong on hwg-theory

Flaming is always inappropriate. Sarcasm, personal attacks, and the like,
are not appropriate on the list and only add fuel to "flamewars".  If you
really feel the need to respond in such a way, then please do so via
private email.

For additional information on basic netiquette, please review the Guild's
Netiquette Guidelines at: 
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/netiquette.html

5. How do I subscribe and unsubscribe? 

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send mail to <hwg-theory-request(at)hwg.org> with
either 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the BODY of the message. Do NOT
include your email address. Your email address will be determined from the
headers on your message.

The procedure for subscribing and unsubscribing to the digest form of the
list is almost the same as above. The only difference is that you send the
message to <hwg-theory-digest-request(at)hwg.org>.

Please note that when unsubscribing from a list, you MUST post from the
same email address you used to subscribe.  If your email address has
changed, you will be unable to unsubscribe automatically and should contact
the list owner at <owner-hwg-theory(at)hwg.org>.

The charter and more information on subscriptions can be found at:
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-theory/index.html

6. How do I send a message to the list? 

Send your messages to <hwg-theory(at)hwg.org>, for both regular and digest
version of the list.

7. How can distinguish mail from this list?

Some mail programs allow you to apply filters to your mail to identify
where the mail has come from.  You can distinguish posts from the
hwg-languages list based on the SENDER field.  This is set to
'owner-hwg-theory(at)hwg.org'.  The HWG Mail Filtering FAQ
<http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/filterFAQ.html> contains further
information.

8. Can I view previous posts? (Guild Archives)

Yes.  Many topics have been covered in depth already and the answer is
sitting there waiting to be picked up.  Before posting, check list archives
through the Guild's Web pages.  The archives are searchable by subject, and
you'll likely find the answer you're looking for more quickly.  

The archives can be found at:
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/archives.html

9. What other lists are available? 

A full list of available lists can be found at:
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html

The links on this page will take you to subscription information.

10. Some handy URLs

Complete list of the HWG mailing lists
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html

HWG-Theory charter and subscription information
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-theory/

Mailing List Policy 
  http://www.hwg.org/lists/cover.html

HWG Resources 
  http://www.hwg.org/resources/

List of FAQs 
  http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/

11. Feel like volunteering to help the guild?

There are many ways in which you can assist, such as becoming a list guide,
a classroom assistant, or maintaining a FAQ on the Guild web site.  For
further details on current position vacancies look at:
  http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/volunteer/help-new.html

12. I have more questions. Who can I ask?

If you have any questions, please send them to <lg-theory(at)hwg.org> and the
list guides will respond as quickly as they can with an answer or solution.

If you have any suggestions to help improve this FAQ, please send them to
<lg-theory(at)hwg.org>. The List Guides are always trying to improve the
quality of the FAQs and welcome any and all suggestions from the members.

Chris Higgs
List Guide, HWG-Theory

Chris Higgs <c.higgs(at)landfood.unimelb.edu.au>
Institute of Land and Food Resources,  
University of Melbourne, http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au
List Guide Manager, HTML Writers Guild, http://www.hwg.org

HWG hwg-theory mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA