Send an e-mail to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU with the following line in the body:
SunSITE availability pending.
(III) Basic Percy-L Instructions (for subscribers only):
1. Send email messages for group viewing to: PERCY-L@listserv.lsu.edu
2. Send administrative concerns to the list manager: dhall@rouge.phys.lsu.edu
3. All messages are archived at the following WWW address: http://sunsite.unc.edu/wpercy/hypermail
GENERAL--The Percy-L forum is open to the discussion of all topics pertaining to the work of the American novelist and philosopher Walker Percy. There is no standing agenda for the list except the promotion of commentary of the sort which one would expect from people with a special interest in Percy. As such, the list will remain unmoderated unless some future reason requires it. A diverse range of critical perspectives is therefore welcomed, if not encouraged, as long as the manner and method of expression are responsible to and respectful of the parties to whom they are addressed.
INTRODUCING YOURSELF--Please consider introducing yourself to the other mailing list users even if you plan to participate only as an observer. The more we all know what our various interests are, the more likely it is that someone will address them in some way. Then, too, even though the mailing list is first of all a means of communication, it will also hopefully develop into a growing intellectual and professional resource, only to become all the more valuable the more we contribute useful information to it and/or network with each other.
INTRODUCING TOPICS--You should feel free to introduce a new topic for discussion or to respond to an existing "thread" or line of thought already in process at any time, as you see fit. This medium of communication takes multiple "threads" of discourse to be a given: anyone can enter into the discussion at any time, just as those already involved in it can pay as much or as little attention to whatever is of interest to them. Needless to say, both patience and tolerance are encouraged in all matters related to the mailing list, for electronic discussion of this sort is fraught with the potential for misunderstanding, even as it provides for new and liberated channels of discourse.
If no one responds to your posts, you should not assume that it is because of a lack of interest, or that your post is perceived as unimportant. Frequently, the interested reader just doesn't have time to respond, and few of us have time to answer more than a small percentage of the ones that are of interest to us in any case. Therefore, pose your questions and comments well by your own standards, and remind yourself, that, even if there is no overt response, what you have said or asked will be read by a large body of persons. And who is to say in what ways ripples may occur? If overt response is important to you, then wait a month or so and try your query again.
REPLYING TO TOPICS--In replying to posted topics, you should have a beginning line in the message itself in which you indicate to whom you are replying and about what (brevity is encouraged when it comes to quoting). For the same reason, you should also have a closing signature line or block in all of your messages that identifies who you are. How much information you wish to provide about yourself is up to you, but the participants need enough information about your identity to keep track of the conversational flow.
A FINAL NOTE ON THE NATURE OF GROUP DISCUSSIONS--Group discussions are not meant to be exclusively personal, and when people reply to others individually and address them as such this does not mean that the discussion has become "personal" in the sense that it would best be conducted off-list: in other words, the personal and the private are two separate issues. Rather, the question at hand is whether the discussion concerns topics of broader interest to the purposes of the mailing list as a whole. It is therefore more than acceptable to pursue special interests in public electronic-based discussions of this sort as long as there is nothing exclusive of others in it, either explicitly or in tone. However, if you have any problems about topics being posted in the mailing list or in connection with the receipt or posting of your own messages, please contact the moderator.
LEAVING OR RE-JOINING THE LIST--You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF PERCY-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU.
Or, to re-subscribe to PERCY-L send an email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU with the following line in the body of the email: subscribe PERCY-L YourFirstName YourLastName
(V) Tips to help the archiving of your messages and their readers:
1) Please quote messages you are replying to sparingly, using your "cut, paste, and delete" functions. A "reader-friendly" message has a better chance of being responded to. For a good example, see <http://sunsite.unc.edu/wpercy/hypermail/0118.html> as present in the PERCY-L Archive.
2) Short, personal comments along the lines of "I agree," etc. that do not significantly advance Percy content discussion would best be submitted solely to the person they are intended for rather than the listserv address (i.e., the entire group). Please be mindful of the time of the list members--many, in fact, belong to multiple mailing lists--by only submitting posts that in some shape or form better the interests of the entire community (those present now as well as those with an interest in Percy who may browse the archive in the future).
3) Always fill in the "subject" box of your email to help readers identify your topic of discussion.
4) Remember that if you use the "reply" command to a message you have received through the list, your message will be distributed publically to all members of the list. In contrast, if you want to have private correspondence with someone who has sent a message through the list, you much send a "new" e-mail which you have addressed specifically to him or her only.
5) To receive your own posts, you must first send an email to
LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU with the following text in the body of the message:
6) To help individual members of the Percy-L community follow the context of
your comments, strive to be mindful of your use of quoting and quote
identification methods. For example, consider beginning responses as
follows:
At 06:18 PM 9/17/96 -0600, Binx Bolling wrote:
>I am on a search!
>
Then add your own comments about the text in question (i.e., Binx's
search). In turn, if you add other quotes to your message from multiple
posts, repeat the process so it is clear where the material came from. As
always, the better crafted and referenced your message, the more likely it
will generate thoughtful response from the community.