Rules of the Ranma ML

Here are some rules that you may need to know before posting/participating in the Ranma ML. Note that in the Ranma ML, the participants basically enforce the rules themselves. Our generous administrator Hitoshi Doi does not intervene unless he has to.

1. No posting of binary files, chain letters, "forwards", or fanfiction. These files clutter up the ML and take up space.

2. If you post to the Ranma ML, _never_ use the "Reply to" or "Reply to all" function in your email system. Always "cut and paste" what you're replying to inside of a _new mail_, and write to the Ranma ML address (ranma@usagi.jrd.dec.com). Using "reply to" or "reply to all" results in a double post to the system, that is, your post appears twice. A recent revision of the server has had this happening less, but nevertheless, please don't use the "reply" option.

3. If you post to the Ranma ML in reply to an existing thread, please do not include the entire mail (potentially consisting of many posts on different subjects) in your reply when you cut and paste. Only cut and paste _what you need to reply to_ - this saves space and worry for those on the ML with unstable servers.

4. Please refrain from making your "signature file" too big, that is, more than 7 or 8 lines. At best, 4-6 is a good length for sigs, and saves sapce.

5. With regards to SPAM, or off-topic posts not related to Ranma, - these are allowed, but do not SPAM excessively or in bulk.

6. If you need to unsubscribe (or subscribe) please do not post to the ML. Email either Hitoshi Doi (at doi@ML.usagi.org) or go to the Usagi ML admin page to sign off or on.

7. Excessive flaming and personal attacks are frowned upon. While there is no official rule from Hitoshi about this, the ML as a whole has agreed that respect and willingness to accept other's opinions is very important to the well being of the list. An excessive violator will be reported to the admin.

8. Public support of Anime piracy or piracy in general on the Ranma ML is forbidden, for obvious legal reasons. Violators will will be removed from the list.

9. Replying to "garbage" SPAM posts in a flammatory or otherwise angry way is prohibited. "Garbage" SPAM are usually things such as advertisements, sales pitches, chain letters, and forwards that happen to appear on the Ranma ML from time to time. If you reply to these, you will be removed from the list.

10. No excessive posting of "one-liners" to the ML. A one-liner is constituted by one line of formatted text, or two or three lines of unformatted text. One-line posts include "me too" expressions, or quoting the entire post and then replying with only one line of text. Excessive one-lining will result in removal from the list without warning.

11. No excessive "role-playing" on the ML. While role-play is allowed on the ML (I, Frank, am even guilty of it, occasionally ^_-), please don't do it in bulk or excessively. Please be mindful that there are those who do not quite enjoy roleplay on the ML as much as you do and be short and to the point. Mixing your RP with Ranma-related posts is one way to alleviate the space you take up with Role-playing. Huge amounts of RP will result in the offending parties being removed from the list.

12. If you are a high-end poster (that is, you post 5 or 6 things at a time into one mailing digest, or MO), please consider the practice of Multi-Replying, which is basically including several replies to several people into one post. This practice saves ML traffic and space, and leaves it less cluttered than if everything was left to individual posts. This should especially be considered for those posters who tend to post short, 2-4 line mails as replies.

13. Above all, respect the opinions of others and their rights to their opinion.

A few "off the record" tips for new people ^_^ (Thanks to Bradster for providing most of the tips)

*Don't brag about your knowledge of the series. After reading a few days of the ML, chances are you'll notice that the depth and breadth of knowledge that resides here easily equals or exceeds yours, and there are individuals who have either possessed your knowledge for years, or can correct you without even double-checking the manga.

*Get a feel for the tone of an argument before jumping in. What you might think is a flame war between faction enemies could possibly be the teasing of friends on opposite sides of the fence, and your unsolicited response may get both parties irritated at you if it is caustic enough. (Only taking time to observe the lines of socialization on the ML will help you with this.)

*It's possible that the questions you ask about the series, or 'what-if' situations you propose, have appeared 2-3x on the ML already, more for the long-term veterans (the ML is in its 4th year now). Don't get discouraged and start yelling if no one rushes to answer you. Just take a deep breath and repost.

*Watch who you piss off. You might be stepping on a land mine.

*Screen names- Avoid using the names of the characters if at all possible. There are those on the ML who take a dim view of that. If you absolutely *need* to use one of those names, be creative and modify it a little (baka-Ranma, Mortimer 'Mousse' Snerd, Stacey Kuonji, etc)

*There's more to the UGMA Gates than RP-ing. Don't ask for one because it looks like it's a license to do unlimited RP.

*While it seems at times that veterans are chastising new people, they may in fact only be reminding them of certain practices on the ML that are unspoken, yet agreed on. Please do not get discouraged by it - it is just that some veterans are more prominent about doing this than others.

*The ML is a diverse place with diverse opinions and people. any people have different tolerance levels for different things, so be wary of this. Just because one, two, or even three regulars enjoy something you are doing or saying does not mean the ML as a whole may enjoy it.

These rules are subject to revision/addition at any time.

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