1.00 What is a discussion list? A discussion list is a means whereby a person can send e-mail to a single address (the server), and that mail is redistributed to everyone who is subscribed to the list. By doing this each subscriber does not need to know who belongs to the list, instead the sender only needs to know the address of the list server. For this list, the address is
1.01 How does the list work? Users subscribe to (join) the list by sending a special e-mail message to . Upon receiving your e-mail message, the server sends back a message to you, asking to confirm your e-mail address. After replying to this message, you will become a list member! You will receive a welcome message outlining the basic rules and functions of the list.
Now, whenever a message is sent to the list, you and everyone else on the list will receive a copy of the message. You can send your own messages to the list. Your message will also be delivered to everyone on the list.
Usually, new users prefer to spend a few days simply reading messages before deciding to post. This is referred to as "lurking." There is nothing wrong with lurking. Once you get a feel for how the list works and what type of subjects are being discussed, you can begin posting your own messages and join in the discussions taking place.
1.02 How/When did this list start? The list began in 1996 and was originally hosted in Germany. It was started by 4 April Wine fans (2 from the US, 1 from Canada, and 1 from Germany) interested in providing a way for the AW community to keep in touch and talk about April Wine on a regular basis. The list has grown throughout the years and is now being hosted by one of the list members after the original host was no longer able to provide hosting services.
1.03 Who runs the list? The list administrator is Michael Beaver, a fellow Wino. He has been the list administrator since 2000. Prior to Michael the list was administered by Bob Kohl and the first list admin was Aran (all of which were the list founders along with Mike Bingham).
1.04 Where is this list located? The list is physically maintained on a server in Halifax, NS Canada, running (the software program which powers the mailing list).
1.05 Does the band have anything to do with the list? The band is not directly involved with the list. The list is not an official April Wine service. It is completely run and maintained by faithful April Wine fans. However, some band members are actively involved in posting messages to the list (while they're not actively touring), which makes things quite interesting and exciting!
1.06 Who can join? Anyone can join! As long as you are willing to keep your discussions related to April Wine, you are welcome to join, read and post.
1.07 Does it cost anything to join or participate? Absolutely not. This is a free service and will remain free forever. You will never be asked for credit card info, etc. etc. You can join or leave at will with no obligation whatsoever.
1.08 Why do I have to confirm my e-mail address when joining? For 2 reasons: First, it ensures that the e-mail address submitted is a valid and operating address. If people submit bogus or fake e-mail addresses, this only serves to clog down the list server when it tries to send a message to a non existent address.
Second, it ensures that the person who submitted the request did so knowingly. If anyone could sign up anyone else, people could be signed up or unsubscribed without their approval or knowledge. Requiring the user to verify their e-mail address eliminates such things.
1.09 Can my e-mail address be seen by others on the list? Yes. Whenever you submit a message to the list, your e-mail address will become part of the header for that message. This should not be a problem and is no more insecure than sending an e-mail to anyone else.
1.10 Is my e-mail address kept private? While your e-mail address is shown when submitting messages, users cannot obtain a mass list of subscribers. Many lists allow members to obtain such info by sending a special command to the list server (normally WHO) and they will be sent a list of all subscribers. This list has disabled such a command. Only the list administrator has access to the subscriber list.
1.11 Will I receive SPAM after joining the list? Possibly, but not likely. Unlike lists hosted on large, public servers (like Yahoo Groups, etc.), this list is hosted on a private server sitting behind a firewall. Because of this, there is very little chance that your e-mail messages will be intercepted and scanned. You will most likely never receive SPAM as a result of joining this list. As well, the list itself is completely automated and does not send unsolicited e-mail of any kind to its members. It simply distributes messages from one member to the rest of the group.
1.12 How many messages will I receive each day? That can vary widely. Some days are very slow and you may receive no messages at all. Other days are very busy. However, in this list's history, you can probably expect to receive about 10-15 messages per day. On a light day you might receive 3 or 4. On a heavy day you might receive 30. Rarely will you receive more than 30 messages in a day.
1.13 I hate SPAM. Can I send messages to the list using a fake e-mail address? Absolutely not. See question 1.08 above for an explanation. If you are concerned about SPAM, see the answer to question 1.11 above.
1.14 I need someone's e-mail address from the list and I can't find it. Sorry, but the list does not give out e-mail addresses. Your best bet is to post a message to the list and ask the person to respond to you off-list. You can also try looking back through old messages that you may have saved to find that person's address.
1.15 Can anyone post a message to the list, or members only? This is a members-only list. You must subscribe first in order to post messages.
1.16 I'm going on holiday (vacation). Can I temporarily unsubscribe? Not really. If you want to continue receiving messages you'll need to stay subscribed. If you don't want to receive messages, you must unsubscribe yourself from the list. When you return, you can simply subscribe again to begin receiving messages again. When you re-subscribe like this, you will not be required to verify your e-mail address as that has already been done when you first signed up.
If you don't want to lose track of what went on while you were gone, but don't want your mailbox filled, we suggest you unsubscribe yourself in List Mode, then subscribe yourself in Digest Mode. You'll receive a single e-mail each day while you are gone. Upon return, you can unsubscribe yourself from Digest Mode and subscribe yourself to List Mode again.
1.17 I'm shy. Do I have to post messages, or can I just read them each day? You do not have to post. Many members prefer to simply read without posting. This is called "lurking." and is common. Although you are encouraged to share ideas with the rest of the group, you are in no way required to post. Some members have never posted in years, but simply enjoy keeping up with what's going on in the April Wine arena.
1.18 I don't like getting e-mail every time a new message is posted. Can I get them sent to me once a day instead? Yes, you can. If you don't like getting many e-mail throughout the day, you can subscribe in Digest Mode. When you subscribe in Digest mode, you will receive a single e-mail at the end of each day containing all the posts made that day.
1.19 Can I find out who else is subscribed to this list? No. See answer to question 1.10 and 1.14 above.
1.20 Can I sign up under more than one e-mail address? Although this is possible, we would prefer that you not. However, some people find it convenient to be able to receive messages at work during the day and at home at night. If you have a legitimate reason for signing up twice, there are no hard rules against it. However, other than for the reason just mentioned there really should not be a reason why you must subscribe under more than one address. This just creates more work for the list server. If you abuse this privilege by signing up multiple times without a valid reason, the list administrator may ask you to explain your reasons.
1.21 Is there a limit on how big a message can be? Yes. Individual messages are limited to approximately 40K. This ensures that people do not get bombarded with huge e-mail as well as protects against those who might maliciously send huge e-mail to disrupt the list. 40K is quite large for an e-mail message and you should have no problem keeping to within this limit. Most messages are only 1-2K in size.
1.22 Can I send attachments with my e-mail to the list? Yes and no. You can, but the list server will automatically remove them. Thus, we STRONGLY urge you NOT to send attachments! This is a simple mailing list and not a forum for file distribution. If you need to send a member an attachment, contact that member at their personal e-mail address and send it to them only.
1.23 What is "list" mode? List Mode simply means that whenever anyone sends a message to the list, within minutes you will receive a copy of that message. In list mode, you normally receive anywhere from 10-15 messages per day. See question 1.12 above.
1.24 What is "digest" mode? Digest Mode means that you will receive a single e-mail at the end of each day which contains a copy of all the messages sent to the list throughout the day. Some people prefer not to receive multiple e-mail all day, so they subscribe in Digest Mode. The advantage of digest mode is that you only have to have to read one e-mail message each day. The disadvantage is that you don't get to read the messages until the end of the day. If there is timely information contained in one of the messages, you won't find out until you receive your digest at the end of the day.
1.25 If I'm in digest mode, how often and when will I receive the digest e-mail? You will receive one message every day at approximately 10:00pm AST.
1.26 Can I be on digest mode and list mode at the same time? Yes. However, we ask that you have legitimate reasons for doing so as this creates an extra workload for the server.
1.27 Are the messages from the list saved (archived)? Yes. We are currently looking into different archiving solutions to allow members to search through and retrieve past messages. The list will be notified when this service is available.
1.28 I only just joined the list, can I see what's previously been sent? At this time, no. However, as soon as our archiving service starts, you will be able to search through past messages. See question 1.27 above.
1.29 Why are the archives password protected? To stop spammers from walking through the archives and harvesting e-mail addresses to spam.
1.30 Are there other places I can get current April Wine information? Yes. There are many sources for April Wine information. See the links page.
1.31 How do I contact the list administrator if I have more questions? If you cannot find the answer to your question in this FAQ, you can e-mail the list administrator at
INSTRUCTIONS:
2.00 How do I subscribe (join)? Simply send an e-mail message in the following format:
TO: SUBJECT: subscribe BODY: <leave blank>
Upper or lower case does not matter. IMPORTANT: if you have more than one e-mail account, make sure you send the e-mail using the e-mail address you want to subscribe from! The list server will automatically subscribe the address which sent the e-mail!
Within 10 minutes you will receive a confirmation e-mail asking you to reply to verify your e-mail address. Simply press REPLY in your e-mail program and send the message.
Then, within another 10 minutes, you will receive a welcome message with basic list instructions and rules. Congratulations! You are officially an April Wine List Member!
2.01 How do I send a message to the list? Compose a normal e-mail message and send it to .
If you are using an e-mail program which sends mail in HTML format, we STRONGLY URGE you to change your mailing preferences to send only plain text e-mail to the list!
Although the list server will handle HTML e-mail as gracefully as possible, not all list members have mail readers capable of reading HTML formatted mail. As a result, messages sent to these people will look garbled and will be full of unintelligible lines of HTML code. Not pretty. By sending messages in plain text, everyone can read them easily and the load on the server is reduced (HTML mail is usually at least 5 times as large as plain text mail).
2.02 If I click "Reply" in my e-mail program, where will the e-mail be sent? By default, your replies will be sent back to the list, and not simply to the original sender of the message alone. So remember, when you reply, by default your message will be sent to everyone!
2.03 How do I switch to digest mode? First, follow the instructions for unsubscribing from List Mode. To subscribe in Digest Mode, send an e-mail message in the following format:
TO: SUBJECT: subscribe digest BODY: <leave blank>
Upper or lower case does not matter. IMPORTANT: if you have more than one e-mail account, make sure you send the e-mail using the e-mail address you want to subscribe from! The list server will automatically subscribe the address which sent the e-mail!
Within 10 minutes you will receive a confirmation e-mail asking you to reply to verify your e-mail address. Simply press REPLY in your e-mail program and send the message.
Then, within another 10 minutes, you will receive a welcome message with basic list instructions and rules. Congratulations! You are officially an April Wine Digest List Member!
2.04 How do I switch from digest mode back to list mode? First, unsubscribe from Digest Mode by sending an e-mail message in the following format:
TO: SUBJECT: unsubscribe digest BODY: <leave blank>
Upper or lower case does not matter. IMPORTANT: if you have more than one e-mail account, make sure you send the e-mail using the e-mail address you subscribed with!
Within 10 minutes you will receive a confirmation e-mail asking you to reply to verify your e-mail address. Simply press REPLY in your e-mail program and send the message.
You are now unsubscribed from the Digest List. Next, follow the instructions in question 2.00 for subscribing to the list.
2.05 How do I access the list archives? Answer coming soon…
2.06 Is it possible to receive mail only on subjects that interest me? No. Any message sent to the list will be delivered to everyone on the list.
2.07 Is it possible to receive mail only from certain senders? No. Any message sent to the list will be delivered to everyone on the list.
2.08 How do I set my e-mail program to not send HTML formatted e-mail? Please refer to this web site for instructions on how to turn off HTML e-mail in a variety of e-mail programs.
2.09 How do I unsubscribe from the list? Simply send an e-mail message in the following format:
TO: SUBJECT: unsubscribe BODY: <leave blank>
Upper or lower case does not matter. IMPORTANT: if you have more than one e-mail account, make sure you send the e-mail using the e-mail address you originally subscribed with!
Within 10 minutes you will receive a confirmation e-mail asking you to reply to verify your e-mail address. Simply press REPLY in your e-mail program and send the message.
Then, within another 10 minutes, you will receive a message confirming your removal from the list. You will no longer receive any messages from the list.
If you happened to be subscribed in both List Mode and Digest Mode, you must unsubscribe from Digest Mode as well. See question 2.04 for instructions for unsubscribing from Digest Mode.
2.10 Is additional help or instructions available for this list? Possibly. If your question is not answered in this FAQ, you can contact the list administrator at .
We ask that you make a genuine effort to research your question in this FAQ before contacting the list admin. That is a last resort. Like most everyone else, we all have "real" jobs and limited time.
LIST ETIQUETTE:
3.00 Are there any rules when posting a message? When first joining the list, we encourage you to "lurk" for a week or two before posting. This way you can get to know the list and the type of posts.
When replying to a post, only quote the portions that are absolutely necessary to help the reader and delete the rest.
Lots of communication to other people on the list can be accomplished through personal e-mail. Don't reply to the list unless you think your mail would be helpful and of interest to the majority. You will need to originate a new e-mail to that person and manually type in their name (instead of using "reply").
Include the http:// part of the URL in your e-mail messages about sites for the convenience of readers with smart mail applications. Example: http://cnn.com instead of cnn.com.
Take time to write your message. Many other fellow Winos are taking the time to read your message.
Be civil! We don't have room or tolerance for rude or mean behaviour.
Do not forward any posts to this list without the permission of the person posting the note… This list is confidential and the topics discussed on the list are generally meant only for AW Discussion List members.
3.01 Posting messages IN ALL CAPS… Posting messages in all caps is CONSIDERED VERY RUDE. IT IS HARD ON THE EYES AND IS CONSIDERED SCREAMING! Get the idea? Please post all messages in normal lower case text, using all caps for emphasis or where otherwise normally used, such as abbreviations or acronyms.
3.02 What about grammar and spelling? This topic rears its ugly head from time to time, and tends to get ugly. Many people feel that anytime a word is printed for others to see, proper grammar should be used, and spelling should always be correct. Many other people feel that this list is an informal conversation, and as such, proper spelling and grammar can be considered a bonus, but not a necessity.
Here's the deal. Not everyone on this list is from an English speaking region. Ergo, not all list members learned English as their first language. Anyone who knows more than one language knows that English is one of the oddest, most difficult languages to master.
That being said, proper spelling and grammar may not be so easy for everyone that participates in the list. While it is certainly considered to be "proper" in most circles, it most certainly cannot be mandatory, especially in the world-wide community of the Internet.
Spelling errors are most certainly going to happen, and grammar? Well, most people tend to write the way they speak. Think about that for a minute. Would you stop someone you hardly knew in mid-conversation to correct their grammar? I sure hope not. Don't do it on this list either.
While well-written prose and correct spelling are certainly admirable, public, or even private correction of a strangers writing habits are not. In fact, pointing out spelling and grammatical corrections is simply rude, and has no place on this list. Regardless of what you may think, if you feel the need to correct someone else's grammar or spelling, you will hurt that person's feelings, and that person will forever consider you an arrogant jerk. Perhaps not the goal you had in mind, but people are funny that way.
Be courteous and be nice. Everything else will take care of itself.
3.03 What are we allowed to talk about? As long as it's related to April Wine in one way or another and you're not flaming someone else or the band, your message is fine. List members like to have fun with each other as well, so not every message specifically mentions April Wine. As long as the topics don't get too "off topic" your post should be fine. The list administrator would step in if a message thread ever got out of hand.
3.04 What are we NOT allowed to talk about? If it's not related to April Wine in one way or another, it is probably not of interest to the list. In general, keep your comments clean (the list server has filters for "naughty" words) and refrain from flaming others! Be nice. Be courteous. Before hitting that "Send" button, make sure you REALLY want to send the message. As in real life, once sent, you cannot "take back your words!"
3.05 Can I reply to a message and just say "Me too/I agree/That was funny"? Doing so to the List is generally considered rude, and may get you flamed.
Sometimes though, all you need to say is "me too", or "add me to the list". If so, reply TO THE SENDER, and not to all recipients. This way whomever needs to know that "you agree" will, and the list can go about its business.
3.06 So can anyone out there send any old junk to the list? No. First, the list is members-only. Next, there are certain guidelines that members are asked to follow. In general, you should see only April Wine related postings. The list admin keeps on top of things and if a discussion gets too "off-topic" will try and bring the conversation back "on track."
3.07 This is great! Can I advertise my new band/dog grooming service/resume to everyone on the list? Please please please don't abuse the list in this way. Anyone who consistently and unashamedly sends adverts to the list will be banned with no court of appeal.
3.08 Is it okay to write to specific people on the list? Yes. In fact many times this is encouraged rather than sending a message to the entire list. If what you have to say is only relevant to one or two people, simply send the message to them only so the rest of the list does not have to read through something they would not be interested in.
3.09 Can I meet girls/guys on the list? It could happen, but the list is not a dating service! If you meet someone and "sparks fly," continue your personal conversations off-list!
3.10 Why is it bad to test on a mailing list? People test for several reasons. One is that they are not getting posts from a list, and they want to see if they are subscribed. The other is that they think that their mail is broken, and they want to figure out if they can get mail from an auto-responder.
There are several reasons for my action in response to your test:
It is rude. You are likely having a problem with your personal mail, and you may end up bothering tens or hundreds of people.
It is less than useful. If you have a problem with incoming mail, you send a test to a mailing list. How many tests will you send before you realise you have a problem? Since you do not see the answers, you will send many many tests. This is the main technical reason for people being kicked from the list, to stop repeated testing.
There are ways to test that will not bother the other list members. If you just want to test to see if mail will make the round trip, send a piece of mail to with the subject containing the single word 'help' will be fine. The list server will send you its canned help message in reply. All of your fellow list members will not see your test.
If you want to see if you are still subscribed, then the simple thing to do is to subscribe again. If you are already subscribed, the list server will send you an e-mail saying so. If you are not subscribed, you'll receive an e-mail asking to confirm your e-mail address. In either case, you'll know your status.
If you have a problem you simply can't solve without testing to the list and none of the above approaches work, contact the list administrator at .
3.11 Can/Should I send HTML e-mail to the list? If you are using an e-mail program which sends mail in HTML format, we STRONGLY URGE you to change your mailing preferences to send only plain text e-mail to the list!
Although the list server will handle HTML e-mail as gracefully as possible, not all list members have mail readers capable of reading HTML formatted mail. As a result, messages sent to these people will look garbled and will be full of unintelligible lines of HTML code. Not pretty. By sending messages in plain text, everyone can read them easily and the load on the server is reduced (HTML mail is usually at least 5 times as large as plain text mail).
3.12 How can I tell if my e-mail program is sending HTML e-mail? Answer coming soon…
3.13 I use AOL. AOL sends HTML e-mail and it seems impossible to change that. What should I do? Answer coming soon…
3.14 I'm really offended by Mr. X's post! What can I do? DO NOT FLAME PEOPLE OR BE ABUSIVE! The list admin takes this very seriously and will act accordingly - too many mailing lists have been ruined by arrogance or a quick temper. This mailing list is setup for everyone, especially new enthusiastic listeners who do not need to be abused and belittled. Please be helpful and if you can't think of anything nice to say go and do a jigsaw. There are plenty of angry lists to go to if you want.
If anyone feels they are being unfairly mistreated or have any other problems with the list please rather than the list. He will sort out any such problems offline.
This of course doesn't mean you can't express strong feelings strongly - in fact it's mandatory. But don't attack people, attack things.
3.15 I just sent a message I wish I hadn't sent. Can it be deleted? No. Once a message is sent, it cannot be "un-sent". The lesson here is make sure you really want to send the message before you press that SEND button!
3.16 Someone mentioned something on the list and I can't remember when or what they said. Shall I ask again? Once the archive service is up and running you will be able to search through past messages to find what you want. If you remember who it was that posted the message, e-mail them directly. If not, you can try sending a message to the list, but don't be surprised if someone tells you it's already been answered…
3.17 I just got an e-mail about a terrible virus. I'd like to warn everyone on the list. Please do not post a message that claims to warn about some new virus. These message circulate often around the Internet and 99.99% of the time are hoaxes. These messages usually look very official, and seem to come from someone important at IBM, or a friend that knew someone that saw it happen to someone else or some other garbage.
Remember, these virus alert messages are hoaxes. They have been posted virtually everywhere on the 'net about 10,000 times already. Posting one yourself will most likely get you flamed.
If you have what you think is a valid Virus Alert you would like to share with your friends on this list, please check out some of these sites and see if it is listed there. Some sites update more frequently than others, so please check them all if you don't find what you're looking for.
These sites keep an up-to-date list of all virus hoaxes circulating on the net. Save your self from getting flamed by checking out these excellent sites first.
3.18 I have some bootleg CDRs I'd like to give out. I won't even charge! Is that ok? Absolutely not. This is a discussion list and not a sales outlet. Not only is it behaviour that may get you banned, it is illegal. Don't try it unless you want trouble. Without a doubt you will anger many on the list, namely the list administrator.
3.19 Can people be banned from the list? Yes. Serious abuse or misuse of the list could result in your being permanently banned. See question 3.21 below for specific reasons for being banned.
3.20 Who decides who gets banned? The list administrator is the only person who decides who gets banned. Input from other list members who voice their concerns is taken into consideration when making the decision.
3.21 What type of behaviour would cause someone to get banned? There are several ways to be banned, however, there is no way to describe all potential circumstances that would lead to this.
Obvious examples of actions leading to banning are swearing and flaming anyone (meaning people on and off the list, the band themselves, etc.).
A listee's best bet is to think before sending out a post, in order to be sure they won't regret it later. 90% of the time, an on or off list warning would be given by the list admin. to the offender, in order to give them a heads up that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated on the April Wine Discussion List.
Remember, the list was created to discuss all aspects of April Wine and any of their offshoot bands. Sometimes, if the listee re-offends, they may be suspended and sometimes permanently banned. Keep in mind this has only happened to approximately 3 individuals since the inception of the list.
3.22 I've been banned. How do I get back on the list? You probably cannot. If you've been banned, it was due to serious abuse of some kind on the list. If the administrator has banned you, it was for good reason and you should not expect to be welcomed back to the list.
PROBLEMS:
4.00 I sent an e-mail to the list and it was returned to me. What happened? Answer coming soon…
4.01 My e-mail is not working… Is there any other way to send a message to the list? We are looking into possibly providing a web-based form that would allow list members to send messages to the list directly from a web page… If/When this is implemented, the list will be notified and instructions posted on this FAQ.
4.02 I didn't receive any messages today… How come? Answer coming soon…
4.03 I've moved e-mail addresses, could you change it for me please? If you're prepared to wait a month or so, possibly :) No, you should do this yourself, and it's easiest if you do it before you close your old mail account. Just unsubscribe from the list in the usual way on your old account (see question 2.09 above), then subscribe with the new one as if you were a new subscriber.
If you are really stuck, just e-mail me at , and tell me what the old mail account address was. I'll then do it for you manually.
GLOSSARY:
5.00 What's the difference between a discussion list and a message board? Answer coming soon…
5.01 What's the difference between a discussion list and a newsgroup? A newsgroup resides on a server and anyone that wishes to access the messages retrieves them from the server. On a mailing list all of the messages are sent to your e-mail address as they are received by the server. On a newsgroup you control when the messages get to you. On a mailing list, you get messages all day and all night long.
5.02 What is a "Wino?" If you're an avid April Wine fan, you are a Wino!
5.03 What is a "Troll?" The term "Troll" is Net-Slang for a person that purposely posts an inflammatory or offensive message to a public newsgroup or mailing list in hopes of eliciting a response from as many people as possible. This person is trolling for responses if you will.
A person that sends a "I hate April Wine" message to this list is most likely a troll.
A troll is generally an adolescent, though sometimes someone will troll, and put in a phone number of someone they wish to get revenge on. This is particularly nasty, as an innocent party will be the brunt of many unknowing, but well-meaning angry people.
What can be done about trolls? Ignore them. They thrive on angry responses. When they get none, they move on to better feeding grounds.
Generally, trolls wind up banned from the list.
5.04 What is "Lurking?" Lurking is Net-Slang for only reading posts to a list or newsgroup, and never posting to it. Someone that belongs to the list but from whom we never (or rarely) hear is considered to be a Lurker.
Lurking is not a bad thing. In fact many people that belong to the April Wine list rarely post. Most people are happy to just sit back and enjoy the stories, and learn from the conversations that occur.
When first joining an internet mailing list or newsgroup, it is a good idea to lurk for a while to learn what types of messages are acceptable, and what types are not. Most lists and groups frown on posting for sale messages, though some do allow it. By lurking, you can get a feel for the "atmosphere" of the group with which you wish to converse.
5.05 What is "SPAM?" The term SPAM comes from a Monty Python skit. If you know Monty Python, then you know to what I refer.
In Internet parlance, SPAM is many things. SPAM is posting advertisements to newsgroups or mailing lists. SPAM is cross-posting a single message to many newsgroups or mailing lists. The term SPAM is sometimes used for any post that has nothing to do with the subject at hand, though this is really a misuse of the term (If you can misuse a fabricated term).
5.06 What is "Flaming?" The term "Flame" is Net-Slang for abusive and/or excessive retaliatory messages sent in reply to a person thought to be in need of a scolding.
The Internet is a haven for people that would never speak out in public, but love to bash people that make even the smallest of errors on-line. For Example:
Someone posts a question to the April Wine List, "Is April Wine considered a classick Rock band?"
Someone flames them by replying, "What are you stupid? Not only has that question been beaten to death 1000 times already, but you had the complete lack of intelligence to spell "Classic" with a "k". It's "Classic" you thoughtless dolt. Maybe you should spend more time at the library before you turn on your daddy's computer again."
Flames are often cruel and personal. If you get flamed, you may have made an honest mistake, or asked a question that's been asked to death, or maybe you just posted at the wrong time when someone was cranky. Try not to take it personally. The Internet is a wild place, with few rules and even fewer ways to enforce them. Sometimes you will get flamed for posting a less-than-popular belief. Generally though, if you have the knowledge to back up your position, a lively debate will ensue.
Sometimes people get so angered by a flame that they send one back. This childish game is referred to as a "flame war". Resist the urge. Sending flames is the mark of an insecure person with nothing better to do than insult other people with no power to retaliate.
5.07 I keep seeing things like IMHO, LOL, ROTFL. What do they mean?
IMO = in my opinion
IMHO = in my humble/honest opinion
IMNSHO = In My Not-So-Humble Opinion
OTOH = on the other hand
BTW = by the way
HTH = Hope That Helps
FWIW = for what it's worth
IOW = in other words
FAQ = frequently asked questions
LOL = laughing out loud
ROTFL = rolling on the floor laughing
RTFM = Read The F***ing Manual (hopefully not said too often!)
(the software program which powers the mailing list).
