Hi Everyone,

I am just sending out a reminder to "old-timers" on this list, and for those of you who are new. Please remember that personal emails, meaning those only directed to one person, shouldn't be posted to everyone in the group. If you think your response to an email would interest even a few, send it to the group. However, remove the name of the individual whom you are replying to at the beginning of your email. For example, it shouldn't say: "Betty, I just read about your son and think security is nuts and hope all missionaries are instructed...." You can send that type of message to the group, but just remove the person's name, i.e., "Betty". Hope this is making sense! If you put a name at the beginning of your email, people think that only that person is supposed to be reading it, and they delete it without reading it.

Please read the following rules.

Email Rules for Missionary Moms:

Introduction:

• You must have a son/daughter preparing to serve, or already serving to be on this list. You can stay subscribed to this list as long as you like...even months or years after your missionary has returned.
• When you post to Missionary Moms, you will be accountable for the list guidelines. Posting to the list signifies your agreement to these guidelines. Please save these instructions for future reference.
• All posts should reflect LDS values and the teachings of the leaders of the LDS church. No criticism of LDS church leaders is allowed. We support and follow the questions outlined in a Temple Recommend interview. We don't support evil in any form. Our church leaders' messages are taken to be righteous counsel, not opinion to be debated.
• If you have questions about email etiquette, please visit the following site: www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

  POSTING GUIDELINES:

• Please sign you name at the bottom of all emails. Also, put what city (or state/country) you are from and where your missionary is serving with the months and years of service. If you have questions about this, just watch what others are doing and pick something you like. The signature doesn't need to be typed in every email if you put it in your email software account settings. Get help if you don't know how to do that.
• No chain letters, unsubstantiated reports of viruses, or posts that sell items.
• You may not post copyrighted materials without permission from the original author. For one thing, it's against the law. Do not forward emails from this list without permission from the contributor, and the list owners. Do not redistribute any private emails sent to the group without permission.
• We do not discuss politics. An exception are topics that are viewd as being political, but where The Church has made an official statement, suc as gambling, abortion, etc. This is an international group, and many subscribers are not interested in who is running for political office. Please be sensitive to others who live outside of the U.S.
• If you send an email off the topic of missionaries and missionary work, please put OT: in the subject line!
• The reason for this email group is to allow us to learn from each other. The list owner reserves the right to "cut a thread" and ask that it be taken to private email if it seems to be denegrating or limited in its appeal or application or the cause of undue contention; based on the list owner's judgement. We rarely have any of these problems, but it's a rule nonetheless "just in case".
• Those who break list guidelines, are argumentative or anti-social or are disruptive to the list will be corrected in private or their right to post to the list controlled. Also, such indivuduals may be asked to unsubscribe. I have rarely had to unsubscribe someone from the MM groups. If someone on the list offends you, please DO NOT post to the entire list that you were hurt or offended. Instead, email the person privately and let them know how you feel. Resolve your differences off-list. If you can't, then email me.

  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ETIQUETTE RULES and adhere to them:

• You may not advertise on this list. I will occasionally list a few things that are available to Missionary Moms if we get a special discount. But, there must be some kind of website to refer people to visit for more information. The purpose of this list is not to sell items or services.
• Always check and if necessary change the subject line to reflect the content of your post.
• Please post comments to the list that would benefit some in the group. Personal email shouldn't be posted to the entire group. Respect and be mindful of other people's time. You are responsible to ensure that the majority of the group's time isn't wasted. An example of a personal email would be: "Hey, Betty, I saw so-and-so the other day at the grocery store. Do you remember her?" Obviously, this is meant for only one person to read, and should be sent privately.
• Please do not post short emails that say, "me, too" or "I agree" or "welcome to the list so-and-so", or other posts that add nothing further to the discussion. Those are to be sent privately. There is nothing wrong with including the above words in a paragraph. However, if you are just writing, "welcome to the group", it can get very annoying to others. Just send your short "welcome to the group" privately to the new person.
• Accusations and flaming (expressing a strongly held opinion, emotional, usually negative) is inappropriate and grounds for removal from the list. If you disagree with someone, do so politely IN PRIVATE! If you wouldn't say it in person to their face, don't say it in an email. Flaming can dominate the tone and destroy the comaraderie of the group.
• Do not send complaints to the entire list! Be forgiving of other's mistakes. Please be kind. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. Use private posts if you must point out mistakes.
• Important hint: USING ALL CAPS IS SHOUTING IN EMAIL AND IS CONSIDERED VERY RUDE.
• If you are offended by someone's post, do not say so to the group, or you may be asked to leave the list. Either delete it, forgive and forget, or discuss it with them privately. If you receive posts that are in violation of rules on this list, please send me a copy. I think I've said this many times above, and therefore you can consider it important! So, yes, I meant to be repetitive.
• Snip off less-relevant parts of posts to which you reply. It is unpleasant and time consuming to scroll through a page or more of quoted material which has already been sent to the list. If you are forwarding a story, please bear in mind that many of us in email land have read the same story over and over again on various other lists, or a few months previous. Many stories are circulated in email land. The best stories you can send to the group are original ones that come through your own experiences, or those of your missionary. If you do feel touched by a good story, just send an email to the group letting them know that you have a good story. Explain the topic, etc., and have them email you if they want a copy of the story.
• PLEASE do not send petitions to the group!! If you find a petition for a good cause, email ME FIRST for permission to send it to the group. Some of the petitions I have seen have circulated for years, are out of date, and are extra long in length. These kinds of petitions can be very, very annoying!!
• Do not CC other groups or individuals! Do not CC an individual already on the list, or they get TWO copies of your email.
• Email attachments are banned from our Missionary Mom's email list. PLEASE remember attachments carry viruses!! I never open them. You would be very wise not to open any attachments. Please use the cut and paste options instead. The only way you can know if an attachment is legit is if the person emails you first and lets you know they are sending you an attachment. PLEASE! Use a virus checker on your computer!!
• Lastly, you can't send pictures to the groups. We have a blog just for that so let us know and we'll post them for you at http://ldsmm.blogspot.com

Thanks for being a member of Missionary Moms, and happy posting!

Betty

LDS Missionary Moms List Owner