Canberra Fibromyalgia and CFS pages
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About OzME
and OzME Chat
Ask to join OzME
Basic stuff (how to post, etc)
To read and post online, and read the archives
Stopping mail for a while
Changing your email address
Help! - who to contact
Where is my list mail?
OzME Rules
List etiquette - some advice for avoiding
problems
Mailing list hints and tips :-
Snipping || Important
advice for Digest subscribers
Helpful links :-
Absolute beginners ||
Netiquette ||
Spam, junk mail & virus warnings
|| Is it genuine? || Real viruses
OzME-Chat our sister
list
"The best thing I have done for myself this year is join your group" - an OzME member.
OzME is a mailing list for people with CFS/CFIDS/ME, FMS, MPS, or any other related illness like MCS. People who have some interest in these diseases - such as parents, children, spouses and carers - are also very welcome. The focus is on Australia and New Zealand, but people overseas can apply if they have Aus/NZ links.
The group is for support, information sharing, and discussion of medical issues, activism etc.
OzME was started by Ricky Buchanan (a.k.a. Bek/Gossamer) on her own server, Tertius. (For information about more Tertius.net.au lists for people with CFS/FM see Aussie/NZ mailing lists.) OzME has now moved to Yahoo groups.
To contact the OzME list managers write to ozme-owner@yahoogroups.com.
OzME is a private list. Only members may post and receive mail. Only members can read the archives.
We also have a sister list called OzME-Chat - a social forum where OzME members can exchange chatty posts that would be off-topic on the main OzME list. (You do have to be a member of the main OzME list.) To subscribe online, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OzMEchat/ and click on "join this group". OzME-Chat is run by Nola.
... or send an email to ozme-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .
Before your membership is accepted, you will get an email from the list administrator asking for some very basic information to confirm your eligibility. This is to protect list members - so you can be assured that only people who belong on OzME can join, and you will find yourself in the company of kindred spirits who understand what you are going through.
To send a message: ozme@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe: Send an email to: ozme-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please observe the Rules of the list.
Educate yourself about List Etiquette.
And please, try to remember to snip your replies - here's how.
You need to have a Yahoo ID to do this. Go to my preferences , or click on 'Edit Membership' near the top of the screen, then go to "Message Delivery" and choose "web only". You can also choose "Digest" this way.
This is easy if, as well as being an OzME member, you have registered with Yahoo and have a Yahoo ID. Go to my preferences , or click on 'Edit Membership' near the top of the screen, to add an email address to your account. Or see here for instructions.
If you don't have a Yahoo ID and don't want one, the only way is to unsubscribe and then subscribe again using your new email address. Unsubscribe following the instructions above. Then ask to join again. Drop a line to the list manager at the same time, or you will get the standard "Tell us a bit about yourself" new subscriber letter!
If you have registered with Yahoo and have a Yahoo ID, go to my preferences , or click on 'Edit Membership' near the top of the screen, then go to "Message Delivery" and choose "web only". You can also choose "Digest" on this screen - this will send you a daily summary of all the mail, instead of individual messages.
If you get stuck and really can't understand the instructions above, or what Yahoo Groups Help has to suggest, then email the list manager. But please try to do it yourself first. If it's a more general mailing list issue, some of the information on the rest of this page, or the helpful links, might have the answer. If not, we are here to help - just please remember tho that we're sick too.
You are welcome to email the list manager with any problems you're having with other OzME members. We'd rather try to sort out problems privately, so please do write to the list manager, not the list.
Where is my list mail? If you haven't had any mail from the list for a while, this may be the reason:
No personal attacks
"Flaming" and personal attacks are NOT allowed. Disagreements may occur, and healthy scepticism or discussion is fine, BUT the list discussion is intended to be supportive of all members. (Please see List etiquette - some advice for avoiding problems, below.)No aliases
OzME is a private list - only members are allowed to post, or read the archives online. In this relatively protected environment, we expect you to be prepared to reveal your identity to the list owners and your fellow members. That means using your real name when you post.It is OK to join twice with two different email addresses if you really have to (so you can read the list both at work and at home, for example) as long as this is transparent and everyone is aware there is only one of you.
Don't post other people's private emails to the list
Posting private correspondence (emails meant for just one person) is a violation of privacy. Please check your message headers carefully before pressing REPLY or SEND. We understand brainfog, though. If you do inadvertently repost someone's private mail, the best first response is abject public and private apology.Don't repost list mail elsewhere
Posts to OzME are private and confidential, and should not be sent or posted elsewhere without the author's specific permission (and please let the list manager know, too, in case she finds out and wonders what's going on).No commercial advertising
It's OK to tell people about a product you are using and where they can buy it from, how much it costs etc. - but you should make it clear that you are doing this to be helpful and that you don't have a financial interest in selling it. If you're not sure whether your post is OK, ask the list manager first.Don't name doctors on the list
It is a custom on OzME that we don't name or discuss doctors (either wonderful ones or those we don't like) openly on the list. There are several good reasons for this, one is that our relationship with a doctor is private. If someone posts asking for recommendations for doctors in their area, please send them your suggestions by private email. There are a few doctors who specialise in CFS or FM and are well-known (eg they have written books or spoken at conferences), we make an exception for them, if you're just giving general details about what they do.Stay on-topic (most of the time)
If you want to share some of your life outside of CFS/FM with us that's fine, we'd love to get to know you, but please keep your postings at least somewhat related to CFS/FM. And as a general guide, posts about religion, sport, and the beginning or end of the universe are nearly always off-topic. (So are hobbies and pets except when they relate to how we cope with our illness ... especially fur-therapy!) Politics is only on-topic when it relates to Centrelink, Medicare etc. This rule exists because our members are sick and if there are too many posts on various topics they can't cope and have to un-subscribe. There is another list called OzME-Chat for social chatty posts that would be off-topic on the main OzME list. You are welcome to join that and talk about almost anything.In particular, don't post jokes, advertisements, virus alerts, dire warnings, or mass appeals. Remember that virus warnings are always hoaxes. And any message that urges you to "Send this to everyone you know" is always misleading or untrue (check it out here). Especially if it seems "too important not to send on ... because if it only helps one person it will have been worth it".
"Me too"s and thank you replies
Now and then it's nice to acknowledge on the list that something someone else wrote has been helpful, or resonates with your experience. But in most cases, if that's all you have to say, it's best to send this sort of thing to the writer's private email address. Otherwise the list would be clogged up with brief emails that just say "Thanks" or "Me too!".Format of posts
Please "snip" (edit quotes when you reply) - see below; and don't send attachments. On Yahoo we have a facility to put files on the web if we want to share them with other members.Surveys, research projects, etc
If you want OzME members to participate in surveys or research projects, please ask the list owner first.
If something someone says annoys or offends you
List members are asked not to get involved in administration matters. If people write critical or angry letters to the list about something controversial or potentially offensive someone has said, it just makes things worse. Contact the list manager if something is wrong, and let *me* deal with it - please! For more on this topic, see also "Leave any reprimands to the listowner".
What happens if someone breaks the rules
These rules are normal for a list of this kind, and are consistent with "net etiquette" (see Netiquette, below) worldwide. Compare for example the rules of the Co-Cure list, the Ice Horses list rules - with some discussion about rules in general, and the G4 list rules (scroll down to point 8 - What is Netiquette?).
The rules are practical ones for protecting the list and its members. OzME is a valuable resource and support for some very sick and isolated people. The listowner and manager won't tolerate behaviour that interferes with the smooth running of the list or the well-being of the majority of subscribers. We never want OzME subscribers to suffer stress as a result of belonging to it, or to feel that the list is not a safe place to be.
If the rules are broken, the listowner and/or manager will take action, usually by pointing out what has happened and asking the person not to do it again. If it was an honest and brainfogged mistake that's OK. We will try to be helpful and nice, but if we're not sure you've got the point we will put you "on moderation" and check your posts before they go to the list. We will do this until we decide it's OK to restore full posting privileges. If someone keeps breaking the rules, we will remove the offender from the list. And in serious cases we will unsubscribe them straight away.
This list is not a democracy, nor is it a public forum. Belonging to it is a privilege, not a right. You are expected to obey the rules and follow the directions of the list owners. We are not going to get involved in debate with anyone who thinks we are violating their freedom of speech. WE will decide what is inappropriate or unacceptable.
More information and advice can be found by following the links below
One of the worst things that can happen on a list is a "Flame war". This is when people have arguments and send nasty posts to the list criticising what others have said. The discussion can quickly become very heated. This is especially distressing on a list like OzME where almost everyone is ill. Unfortunately because we are ill we are not only less able to cope with unpleasantness, but also more likely to start it by accident.
Don't automatically assume that a disagreement is a personal attack. People are entitled to their opinions and *will* sometimes disagree with you. Sometimes when you're sick this is hard to deal with, but learn to recognize the difference between them attacking an IDEA, and them attacking YOU. And remember, it is not necessary to convert everyone to your point of view!
It is possible to read emails and reply to them very quickly. Unfortunately you may often regret the result. If someone writes something that you disagree with and you find yourself writing an angry or sarcastic reply, DON'T send it straight away. Read it again later when you've cooled down a bit. You may want to edit it, you may even decide not to send it. It's very easy to cause a nasty atmosphere on the list or start an argument with a few ill-chosen words. (Because of this, I have my email program set so that I have to queue my emails before I can send them ...and because I write most of my emails late at night, I find it best to wait and review them in the morning!)
It's considered good form to remind fellow list members that you only speak for yourself. Talk about your own experience ("X happens for me", or "I've found that X happens") rather than in absolutes ("X happens"). Internet shorthand like IMHO ("in my humble opinion") or AFAIK ("as far as I know") can be useful when expressing your views.
... and noone can hear your tone of voice. If your words might be interpreted as being rather stern or cross, you can soften them by using symbols like :) for a smile, or <G> for a grin.
If you feel someone has been nasty to you, or is being nasty to someone else, or has broken any rules, please leave it to the listowner to restore discipline. If the listowner doesn't seem to have noticed, you are welcome to email them pointing out what has happened. Writing angrily to the list in your own defence - or someone else's - is not helpful. In fact, it will often make things worse by encouraging other people to join in the argument, either for or against.
Sometimes it will be suggested that two people having a full-on discussion on a topic could continue by private email and stop boring everyone else with it. There's nothing wrong with that and it's frequently a good idea. But if one party doesn't want to discuss it privately and says so, leave it at that. The listowner takes a dim view of people getting unsolicited hostile private emails - and worse, phone calls - from other subscribers.
Of course, it's OK to send helpful private emails or messages of support to other subscribers after reading their posts or questions on the list, or to phone them if they have volunteered their number. Many great friendships have started this way, and much valuable information and support has been exchanged.
(For people who aren't subscribed to the Digest)
When you reply to a post, and brain fog permits, please select the main bit you're
answering, or commenting on, and delete the rest of the original post. This is known as
"snipping". If you think it's important to let people know that you have done
this, you can type "[snip]" in the gaps.
Explanation: When you answer an email, usually (depending on how your email program is set up) the whole of the message you are replying to is quoted at the end or beginning of your new email. (There will be a symbol like this > at the beginning of each quoted line.) In private emails this can be useful. But it is annoying on a mailing list, because everyone has to keep reading the same posts over and over again ... especially people who get the Digest version.
If several or all people in the conversational thread leave the quotes in, each post on a particular topic gets longer and longer ... what gets sent to the list is the new post plus the post it's replying to, and the post that that post was replying to, and the post that that was replying to, and so on and on, sometimes right back to the original email that started the conversation off!
This makes what could be a short reply into a long long email, most of which is now irrelevant. It adds to the amount of kilobytes and megabytes that the server and individual subscribers have to deal with, and it makes life especially difficult for Digest subscribers - who have to scroll past all of the quotes in order to get to the next post.
I've frequently seen posts that had so many quotes and requotes at the end, that the final paras had >>>>> at the beginning of every line - meaning they were being sent to the list for the sixth time!
Please check before you post, and delete as much of the previous message as possible. Just leave the sentences or paragraph(s) that are really relevant to your reply - enough to let people know what you are on about.
Also try to remember to delete the automatic footers that appear at the end of each post. They get added each time, so you don't need to leave them on the message you're replying to. I've seen posts with several sets of these at the end.
So - remember to "snip". And if you find yourself replying to a long requoted post, you could do us a favour and clean it up by highlighting (selecting) and deleting all the unnecessary repeated lines.
And if you are a Digest subscriber and you don't snip, you will send the whole of the digest back to everyone. Digest subscribers can't just hit "reply" - ever. See the instructions for replying to posts in the Digest mode..
When you join a mailing list, you usually get the option of Digest mode. This means that instead of receiving each individual email as it is sent, you get a batch of them approximately daily, all together in one long email. Most people find this easier to deal with - and your personal mail doesn't get lost among all the list mail in your in-box.
If you are a Digest subscriber you MUST NOT just hit "reply", type your message and then send it, the way you would normally do. Why? Two reasons:
What you must do: After you have written your reply, change the subject line to something meaningful. Then scroll down to the end of what you have written, highlight all the quoted posts and delete them.
Or, you may find it easier just to start with a new message. (It helps to have the OzME mailing list address in your address book so you don't have to type out the whole address each time.) Copy the subject line from the original post, paste it into your new email, and put "Re:" in front of it. If you want to quote from the post you're replying to, you have to copy it out of the digest and then paste it into your new message as a quote. (It is best not to quote the whole thing - just a few relevant lines to remind readers about the points you're replying to - see Snipping).
What you need to know
Now you're a 'Newbie'
- some tips (written by Moira for the Fibrom-L group)
Helpful advice at Riverland Internet's LOOK HERE FIRST
pages, eg: What's
email?
How mailing lists
work from Learn
the Net
There are thousands of articles about "net etiquette" - the basic ideas are simple common sense but it is helpful to read one or two of the following, as netiquette is part of the rules of every mailing list (including OzME):
Core Rules of Netiquette
- "a set of general guidelines for cyberspace behavior" - excerpted
from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea.
ZNet's Forum Decorum
Basic Electronic Mail
Netiquette by John Kass
Netiquette NoNos
Mailing List
Netiquette Guidelines - from the University of Minnesota
Top
10 Most Important Rules of Email Netiquette from Email.about.com
Email Facts of
Life - ten things you need to know
Fibromyalgia/CFS acronyms
and abbreviations on the Fibromyalgia Community webpage.
IS IT GENUINE? "As a general rule, paying
attention to forwarded email warnings is the worst way to try to protect yourself
from viruses - and not just because the majority of virus warnings are hoaxes"
... says Urban Legends
and Folklore at About.com.
Snopes.com "Rumour has
it" - debunks all the main urban legends and scams.
Check with HoaxBusters before you
press "Forward"!! ...
... or see About.com's Virus
Hoax encyclopaedia
or Symantec's
A to Z list of hoaxes,
or the hoax list at Vmyths.com
Hoaxes and spam generally
How
to Spot an Email Hoax - from Urban Legends
and Folklore at About.com
Inboxer Rebellion -
email hoaxes, scams and misinformation
Vmyths.com - the Truth about Computer Security
Hysteria
How to Get Rid of Junk Mail,
Spam, and Telemarketers - from EcoFuture
Chain letters
- including those "EASY MONEY" schemes: why they don't work (simple
arithmetic), and some good links
MLM Watch: A Skeptical Guide to Multilevel
Marketing - to help you evaluate some of those wonder-supplements you will
be told about by sincere, honest people who just want to share the great news
about how they were cured ...
The Email
facts of life - why those chain letters are ALWAYS untrue. This guide was
written in 1998 and, believe me, nothing has changed since then!!
You will rarely get warnings about real viruses, but they're a very real threat. Be aware! Don't open attachments unless you're sure you asked for them, and invest in some anti-virus software.
Email Virus advice
at About.com - what to do, types of viruses, software to protect your computer
Anti-virus software and virus information:
Symantec (Norton)
McAfee
Sophos
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last revised 22 June 2007