Listserv Rules and Etiquette

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As with any community, there are guidelines governing behavior on any listserver of the West Virginia Association of Geospatial Professionals (WVAGP). For instance, violating antitrust regulations, libeling others, selling, and marketing are not permissible. Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the list manager noted on the association’s website. WVAGP reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership on all lists for members who violate these rules.

• When responding to any WVAGP list, keep your messages brief.
• Avoid using "reply to all"; or better just not use the list address so that "reply to all" doesn't hit the ListServ.
• Stick to the topics intended for discussion on any of the WVAGP lists.
• Avoid sending messages with limited substance, such as, "I agree!"
• Include a signature tag with every message. Include your name, affiliation/company, location, and e-mail address.
• Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from. If you have a conflict with an individual or wish tosend a personal message, use private e-mail addresses.
• Don't be critical of people's queries posted on WVAGP. Many people are new to the concept of a listserv. Send them a private message and "gently" make suggestions if you think it is warranted. We are here to grow, share, and learn from each other.
• Do not ask your e-mail program to confirm receipt or reading of messages sent to the WVAGP address.
• Ensure the discussion topic is included in the email subject line.
• Attachments are permitted but refrain from sending large files (> 1MB) or .exe files.
• List serve members who are soliciting information on a particular topic should request that all responses be sent to them directly. In turn, the solicitor of the information will compile, organize, and forward the responses to those who may be interested. This approach decreases the number of ListServ chain messages which may annoy members who are not interested in a particular subject.

By participating in the WVAGP listserver, you agree to the following:

• You agree not to solicit business from members or anyone viewing a posting.
• You agree not to post commercial messages. Contact people directly with products and services that you believe would help them.
• You agree not to enter any agreements, understandings, or discussions regarding prices, discounts, and terms or conditions of sale profit, profit margins, or cost data.
• You agree not to challenge or attack others. The discussions on the list are meant to stimulate conversation not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may.
• You agree not to use obscene or offensive language.
• You agree not to post materials which are libelous, abusive, offensive, defamatory, or constitutes unauthorized advertising.
• You agree not to post materials that encourage criminal conduct or violate, local, state, federal, and international law.
• You agree not to communicate any material which advertises or solicits others to engage in non-competitive activities.
• You agree not to post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission for the copyright owner.
• You agree not to post GIS job openings that are outside of West Virginia.

Legal Disclaimer:

Comments, opinions, or statements posted on WVAGP are the opinions of those who post the statements and do not necessarily reflect the views of WVAGP. WVAGP accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information posted on this site.

Information posted on WVAGP is not private. By posting a message, you have given the right for WVAGP and others to reproduce and distribute information posted.
WVAGP archives all messages posted.

WVAGP reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.

What’s a Listserv & How Can it Benefit Me?

A “listserv” or “listserver” is essentially an e-mail discussion group. An electronic listserv provides a forum for subscribers to post and/or respond to messages from an entire group of people with similar interests. Through the listserv, you can send an e-mail message to a single e-mail address (WVAGP-L@LISTSERV.WVNET.EDU) and have it sent to all subscribers. Subscribers will receive your message as an e-mail transmission. If they have a response or comment, they can reply to your message and their response will also go out to all of the subscribers. Occasionally, it's more appropriate to respond directly to the sender of the message rather than to the whole group. In that case, the body of the message contains the e-mail address for the person who originally posted it.

The content of the WVAGP listserv is limited to discussions relevant to geospatial information and technologies in West Virginia. The listserv benefits WVAGP members by providing them with an easy, accessible, and quick way to get feedback from peers or share information. Here are a couple of examples of appropriate WVAGP listserv discussion topics:

• We’re having trouble with ______ (software) on ______ (platform). Are any of you having the same problem and what have you found to be a successful solution?
• Our agency is putting together a Request for Proposal (RFP) to capture new orthophotos for our county. Does anyone have sample RFP’s that I could use as a template? If I receive several examples, I am willing to compile them and to make them available for others.
• Do you have suggestions about where we might find digital cadastral data for the entire State? Is this information in the public domain?

How to Join the Listserv:

The WVAGP listserv is open to WVAGP members only and there is no additional fee to subscribe. Members may join when they submit their membership application or may subscribe or unsubscribe from the listserv on the association’s website.

Happy listserving!