Rules

Over time we have had to institute some specific rules to deal with problems that have come up and to keep things orderly. These were presented to subscribers when they sent the subscribe command and they agreed to them when they replied to the questionnaire.

First and foremost, we go by the Scout Oath and Law. The listowners also feel that this is not something you turn on and off. Meaning, the standards here apply across the board. Further meaning, don't expect to stay a member if you have a habit of making good on your patch-L trades, but let the Scout Oath and Law slip on trades made at a trade-o-ree. Really.

ALL Commercial Activity Prohibited

You must not make any offer to sell any items or otherwise undertake commercial activity in any post to Patch-L, in keeping with the rules of our host SUNY-Buffalo. Doing so can result in your immediate removal from the list. Saying you have an item for sale but not listing the price is still a violation.

Improper Behavior/SPAM

Any improper behavior on this list will result in your immediate removal. Improper behavior includes public flaming, posting unnecessarily long listings of available stuff, offers to sell items (If you want to sell, do so via private e-mail), complaints from other users regarding improper conduct (including private flames to other members that are not in keeping with the Scout Oath and Law), or any violation of the Scout Oath & Law. Also, please do not reveal secrets of OA ceremonies or discuss non-patch issues.

Subscribers who reply to the entire list and continually include irrelevant part of the message (address headers, patch-L footers, signature lines, non-pertinent part of the message, etc.) will likely find themselves set to review and their messages discarded until they figure out how to stop wasting bandwidth. When you fail to do this, it's like filling the bathtub just to get a glass of water. Don't do it. In the alternative, Listowners may set your account to digest so you see the full effect of your and other's sloppiness all at one time.

Any attempt to circumvent system security at SUNY Buffalo will result in the immediate removal of your address from the list. SUNY has been gracious enough to allow this listserv to remain on their system without charging the users or Eric, so let's avoid wasting unnecessary bandwidth. This list is set to private for a reason: we don't like SPAM, we never have, and our members don't want it on the list. Therefore, if you post anything to the list not related to the topic of this list, your rights will be revoked immediately. Chain letters, requests to go to web sites to sign petitions are particularly not welcome. We all have our causes, but Patch-L is not available to you to espouse it.

Computer Virus Warning Postings are prohibited.

IF YOU POST ANY MESSAGE REGARDING COMPUTER VIRUSES WITHOUT FIRST CLEARING IT WITH A LISTOWNER, YOU WILL BE DROPPED AS A SUBSCRIBER.

To find out why we have this rule, do a web search on the words "computer virus hoaxes". Call us quirky, but we have this thing about OUR subscribers being responsible citizens. Not yelling fire in a crowded theatre is part of the picture.

The KAK virus

The fix for this problem has been available from Microsoft for more than a year. If you use a WINDOWS operating system, INTERNET EXPLORER 5 and/or OUTLOOK EXPRESS and have not fixed your software, you should do so. Why? Because you won't always know you are infected. On the flip side, should a message come through the list an infect you, then you are as guilty as the person who sent the infected note. You'll get no sympathy from the listowners and both parties will be placed on review until we can confirm that they have cleaned their systems. If it happens often enough, Listowners have been known to tire and just cancel the membership of the offender.

Postings on behalf of non-subscribers are prohibited.
Also, you should not post or forward the requests of non-subscribers for trades, sales, web-rings, or other means of bypassing the patch-l screening process. If you have a friend who wants to get their message out - have them subscribe like everyone else.

All attachments are prohibited.

Attachments and long lists of items pose problems for some patch-l members so they are prohibited from postings to Patch-L. If you need to offer an attachment (scan, long list, etc.) or long list, you should describe it and offer to send it privately to anyone who requests it. Or post it on a website and provide the URL.

Complaints/attacks or postings questioning the trading habits of others is prohibited.

We have had some problems in the past with personal trading problems being posted to the list with the resulting donnybrook of postings on behalf of the plaintiff and defender. As a result we have imposed a blanket ban on such postings by subscribers. If you have a problem trade with another subscriber, you can contact a listowner for assistance. If it's with a non-subscriber, then you can forward the details for our private watch-list when we review new subscriber requests. Think of it like a trade-o-ree. The operators of a trade-o-ree do not equip the tables with microphones tied into the public address system and then invite all comers to voice their problems, complaints and warnings about others in attendance. Neither do we. If you really feel it's important to share your problems publicly, start a website and use YOUR resources to do this, not ours. Patch-L is NOT available to you to air your trading problems publicly. You can, of course, share information about other traders privately - just don't post it to Patch-L. You are strongly urged to join ISCA or other collecting organization, where information about bad traders is occasionally published.

We are aware that the Patch-L subscriber list is not reviewable by the subscribers. This is to prevent a thief who makes it through our screening process from downloading a shopping list. This will not prevent such an individual from building a list over time, but they will have to work for it.

Mistakes Happen.

You will occasionally see a violation of the rules from a subscriber who "forgot" or didn't bother to read the rules. They get a private reminder in most cases, sometimes put on review until we are sure there won't be a repeat performance, then are subject to removal if the practice continues. If you have any question about what you can and can't do, please ask Don or I for guidance.

So. Go forward and do good.

Updated August 28, 2003