WELCOME TO THE SPURS-LIST!

Congratulations on making it onto The Spurs-list, the longest running of all Spurs chat forums on the internet!

All members of the Spurs-list must read this document BEFORE posting anything to the Spurs-list. By becoming a member of the Spurs-list, you automatically agree to be compliant to the Spurs-list guidelines that make up this FAQ.

Please save or print a copy of this document for future reference. Keep it in a safe place.

We hope that all members have an enjoyable and informative time on the Spurs-list. You have obviously shown great intelligence by supporting Spurs in the first place. So please keep to the following Guidelines and you will be welcomed as part of the global Spurs-list community.

This document is broken down into three sections:

A) GENERAL NETIQUETTE AND LIST GUIDELINES

B) SPURS-LIST PERSONALITIES TO LOOK OUT FOR

C) MAILING LIST COMMANDS



Spurs-list Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions - An Introduction

Q. What is the Spurs-list?
A. The Spurs-List offers a forum for discussion of almost anything related to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club - the mighty Lilywhites!

Q. Where can I find the latest version of this FAQ and Guidelines?
The following locations contain the very latest version of this FAQ and Guidelines.
http://www.thelegend.co.uk/spurslist/spurslistfaq.htm

Confidentiality Statement
Spurs-list members' usernames and email addresses will be kept confidential as per Google Group’s own confidentiality statement. Spurs-list admin holds members’ email addresses purely for the purpose of allowing them to be members of the Spurs-list.

SECTION A: GENERAL NETIQUETTE AND LIST GUIDELINES

Q. Why these General Netiquette and List Guidelines?
A. General netiquette means that your subscription to an e-mail list is a PRIVILEGE and not a RIGHT. Nonetheless, the Spurs-List remains un-moderated. Those who have posting rights are free to post messages that comply with the Spurs-list guidelines.

1. COMPLIANCY

Q. Tell me about Spurs-list Compliancy
A. By becoming a member of the Spurs-list, you automatically agree to be compliant to the Spurs-list guidelines that make up this FAQ. A serious breach of these guidelines will result in your membership of the Spurs-list being suspended or in certain circumstances, being fully revoked.

2. BE A LURKER

Q. What should I do before I first post to the Spurs-list?
A. Be a lurker. Avoid any initial urge to introduce yourself to the Spurs-list. Such messages are sometimes regarded as rather naïve. This initial period will help you to familiarise yourself to the (ongoing) threads and customs of the Spurs-list.

3. POSTING RIGHTS

Q. How do I gain posting rights to the Spurs-list?
A. When you send your first posting to the Spurs-list, it will go to the Spurs-list Administrators for authorisation. When the Spurs-list Admin authorises the message, it will then be immediately posted to the Spurs-list.

4. POST-MATCH CONSIDERATIONS

Q. Should I restrict comments about a game that has just been played?
A. Yes. Comments posted to the Spurs-list regarding a match played within the previous 48 hours must use the word SPOILER in the subject heading. Example: SPOILER: Spurs v other team.

Q. Why must we use SPOILER?
A. As membership of the Spurs-list is truly global, many users only get to see Spurs matches via delayed broadcasts. Using SPOILER allows those to read the Spurs-list without finding out the score before they have had a chance to watch the game first.

5. NEWS STORIES

Q. What are the rules for sending news stories about Spurs to the Spurs-list?
A. Currently, as Google Groups sends email out very quickly, the rules are that all users can send news to the Spurs-list. Anyone sending news to the Spurs-list must adhere to the simple following guidelines...

Q. Subject header
A. You must prefix the subject header with 'NEWS - ' followed by the story's title. Example: NEWS - Spurs sign a new player

Q. How can I avoid duplicating news stories that someone else may already have sent to the Spurs-list?
A. As the Spurs-list is very quick on Google Groups, all you need to do is simply check the Spurs-list first to see if the news story has already hit. If it has not, you may send it.

Q. Do I need to quote the source of the Spurs news story?
A. Yes, you must always quote the source of a Spurs news story. This is partly for copyright reasons.

Q. Is there anything I should be aware of when copying and pasting a Spurs news story?
A. Yes, you must clean up any mucky html and remove any pictures if what you are copying and pasting is from a website.

Q. Am I restricted in where can I source Spurs news stories from?
A. Yes, news is to come only from commercial sports news and news websites, not fans' websites, as the source can not be properly corroborated and is in some instances already copied from commercial web sites. This can have legal implications.

Q. What should I do if I am unsure about the Spurs news story I have discovered?
A. If in doubt, send it to Spurs-list Admin where it will be handled for you.

6. TO POST OR NOT TO POST?

Q. Tell me about posting replies to the Spurs-list
A. There is a great temptation to fire off a reply to the Spurs-list after you have read something that you do not agree with, do agree with or think stupid or wrong. Therefore, please think before you post, and avoid "one-liner" postings.

Q. Tell me about the quality of postings expected on the Spurs-list
A. As this is an intelligent discussion forum for intelligent fans, please make sure before submitting anything that it is up to the quality we should expect from Spurs' supporters! Are you likely to add anything new to the debate? Will other Spurs-list subscribers be interested in your contribution? Is your posting LIBELLOUS? (In which case you are legally responsible!)

Q. So I guess you don't want anything pointless to hit the Spurs-list then?
A. No, nothing that is of no interest to the rest of the Spurs-list should be posted. If you have a question that can be easily answered by looking at web pages or some other source, such as "what was Saturday's score?" or "what does Audere est Facere mean?", don't ask it on the Spurs-list. Other questions or requests are of course welcome.

Q. What should I do if I am unsure about the posting I wish to send to the Spurs-list?
A. In MOST cases the best option is to send a private e-mail to the author, and NOT to the Spurs-list. If you are unsure of the content of your posting, please email it to Spurs-list Admin, who will forward it to the Spurs-list if it is deemed relevant.

Q. Can I set return-receipt for messages I post to the Spurs-list?
A. No. Some users' email clients automatically acknowledge receipt of all messages that they receive. As all Spurs-list messages have the reply to: set to the Spurs-list and not the original sender, auto-replies will go to the whole list. This is not acceptable, and if this happens your posting rights will be suspended until you have informed Spurs-list Admin that you have disabled that functionality on your email client.

Q. Anything else I should be aware of?
A. Always check that your message will go ONLY to the author, by checking your To: and cc: fields. It is also advisable to read all other messages from the Spurs-list before responding to see if someone else has already said what you were about to say.

7. NEVER INDULGE IN PERSONAL ATTACKS ON THE SPURS-LIST

Q. Tell me about anger management on the Spurs-list. Especially if I really dislike something someone posted to the Spurs-list?
A. However much you may disagree with someone's opinion, PLEASE KEEP ANY FLAMES OR INSULTS OFF THE LIST. Everyone can have their say or vent their opinions on the Spurs-list as long as it is to do with Spurs in particular and football in general.

Q. So we can't argue?
A. Yes you can, argument is welcomed; reasoned, intelligent argument is preferred. Personal attacks, insults, and the suchlike will NOT BE TOLERATED on the Spurs-list. Try to keep your arguments civil as insults generate far more heat than light. Persistent breach of this will result in you being removed from the Spurs-list.

8. LIMIT USE OF QUOTES

Q. Should I control the amount of text I quote in the reply to a message?
A. Yes, absolutely. The worst thing you can do is to quote an entire message and add one line to the discussion such as "I agree!" or "What an idiot". If you must, quote ONLY include the SPECIFIC lines you are referring to. A long quote prior to your own comments acts as a strong disincentive for people to read your message.

9. SIGNATURE FILES

Q. I have a really cool signature. Can I add it to all of my Spurs-list postings?
A. It depends; be sensible. Do not attach large pieces of ASCII art to your e-mails as it is rather annoying after a time. Signature files should be limited to under 300 characters. If you are responding to a message, please do not quote the other person's signature file or the message header. Please also take care not to include the mailing list host's signature file in your responses either.

10. RESPONDING TO MESSAGES

Q. What happens when I reply to a message on the Spurs-list?
A. Check the destination of your message is correct before hitting send. If you reply to a message on the Spurs-list, it will go back to the entire Spurs-list. If you want your message to go to just the author, make sure you enter that person's email address in the To: field.

11. FULL MAIL BOXES

Q. What happens if my mailbox fills up?
A. Please try to ensure that your mailbox does not become full. If Spurs-list-Admin receives a message that your mailbox is full, you will be switched to view the Spurs-list on the web only and all emails will stop coming to you. When you are certain that your email account is working satisfactorily again, change your settings so that you can receive email from the Spurs-list again. See section C on how to change your settings.

Q. What should I do if I will not be able to view the Spurs-list for a long time?
A. If you are going away for a long time - such as on holiday - you will need to switch your subscription to view messages via the web only in case your mailbox fills up. Please check with your ISP to see how large your mailbox is. See section C on how to change your settings.

12. AUTO RESPONSE MECHANISMS

Q. What will happen if I set an auto-response on my email client?
A. You should not do this at all as you will become very unpopular and will immediately be unsubscribed from the Spurs-list. If you do, you should first switch your subscription to view messages via the web only so that messages that go out to you do not automatically respond to the Spurs-list. Those responses will go to you again, and a massive loop of messages could build up. See section C on how to change your settings.

13. SUPPORTERS OF OTHER CLUBS

Q. Do you allow supporters of other clubs to subscribe to the Spurs-list?
A. Yes, we welcome them to the Spurs-list provided their behaviour is not disruptive. As with any Spurs-list subscriber, if they say something which is clearly intended to start a flamefest, do not give them the satisfaction. Instead, send a copy of the message to Spurs-list-Admin who will take the relevant action.

Q. How does the Spurs-list prevent this from occuring in the first place?
A. We have reciprocal agreements with several other lists which will result in a disruptive person being banned from those lists too.

14. RED CARD OFFENCES

Q. What sort of behaviour is discouraged on the Spurs-list?
A. The following offences will result in your active membership of the Spurs-list being terminated, should the offence be deemed to be serious enough by Spurs-list-Admin.

  • Threatening violence against another Spurs-list member.
  • Using the Spurs-list to organise or incite violence.
  • Breaking the SPOILER rule for post match comments.
  • Swearing in the subject line. This includes swear words that have had some letters replaced by other characters to hide their true meaning when it is still rather obvious what the swear word is.
  • Excessive gratuitous swearing within the message.
  • Excessive personal abuse, posting likely to result in flame wars.
  • Posting non-Spurs messages.
  • Indulging in activities that are illegal under English law e.g. trying to sell match tickets above face value on the Spurs-list.
  • Trying to organise any direct selling or promotional activity with the intention of making a profit for yourself or any organisation that has no affiliation with the Spurs-list.

    15. SPURS WEB SITES

    Q. Which web sites should I start off with for all things Spurs-related?
    A. The following Spurs-related web sites will help you in your quest for all you need to know about the mighty Spurs. This list will continue to be updated on the Spurs-list homepage.

    The Spurs-list Web Site at Google Groups
    This website is the current host for the Spurs-list.

    The Official Tottenham Hotspur Web Site
    This site allows supporters in the UK and overseas to purchase their Spurs memorabilia across the net. It is run by the club itself so all products are official club merchandise. You can even purchase the club's fortnightly magazine via this source, or become a Spurs Club or Junior Member. Match tickets with an online view of your position in the ground is now a major feature of the official Spurs web site.

    SECTION B: SPURS-LIST PERSONALITIES TO LOOK OUT FOR

    The following people are key members of the Spurs-List. If you have any questions, they can usually help.

    The Spurs-List President
    The Spurs-list was started back in March 1993 by Bruce Munro, who has since been given the honorary status of Spurs-list President.

    The Spurs-List Administrators
    If you have any query about the Spurs-list these are the people to contact:

    Wouter van der Helm
    Bruce Lewis

    SECTION C: MAILING LIST COMMANDS

    1. SUBSCRIBING TO THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. How do I subscribe to the Spurs-list?
    A. Send a message to subscribe-spurs-list@googlegroups.com. Leave the subject and body empty (an empty message).

    Q. How long will it then take for my membership of the Spurs-list to be approved?
    A. You will receive an automated message asking you to confirm your subscription request. Once you have responded to it, you will be a member of the Spurs-list.

    Q. Tell my about Spurs-list compliancy
    A. By becoming a member of the Spurs-list, you automatically agree to be compliant to the Spurs-list guidelines that make up this FAQ. A serious breach of these guidelines will result in your membership of the Spurs-list being suspended or in certain circumstances, being fully revoked.

    2. READING THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. I don't like receiving all these individual messages. Is there a way to change this?
    A. Yes. If you do not wish to receive each and every message from the Spurs-list as soon as it is sent out, you have the option to receive the Spurs-list in digest form instead. You will then receive messages which will contain a collection of the latest postings.

    To receive the digest, you will need to login to http://groups.google.co.uk/group/spurs-list and change your subscription options. Under "Unsubscribe or change membership", select “Digest Email”.

    Q. I'm not supposed to receive any messages from the Spurs-list at all, what other option is there?
    A. You can read the Spurs-list on the web. To do so, login to http://groups.google.co.uk/group/spurs-list and change your subscription options. Under "Unsubscribe or change membership", select “No Email”.

    Q. I preferred individual emails after all. How can I get back to that setting?
    A. To go back to receiving each mail individually, under "Unsubscribe or change membership", select the option “Email”.

    3. UNSUBSCRIBING FROM THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. How do I unsubscribe from the Spurs-list?
    A. Send an empty email to spurs-list-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com and you will be unsubscribed from the Spurs-list.

    4. SENDING MESSAGES TO THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. How do I send a message to the Spurs-list?
    A. Make sure you have read the FAQs and guidelines on sending messages to the Spurs-list elsewhere in this document. Then, send a message to spurs-list@googlegroups.com.

    Q. My first message to the Spurs-list hasn't appeared! Where is it?
    A. All new subscribers to the Spurs-list need to have their first message approved by the Spurs-list Administrators. Only then will it be sent onto the Spurs-list. After your first message has been approved, all further messages you send will be automatically posted to the Spurs-list. If your message fails to be authorised, you will be notified why, and asked to try again.

    5. REPLYING TO MESSAGES SENT TO THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. Is there anything I should remember when replying to messages sent to the Spurs-list?
    A. Yes. It is vitally important that you do not overly quote the text in the original message. This will make your reply contain far more text that is needed; only quote the relevant part of the text you are replying to. Do not reply with simple one-liners like "I agree!" as that adds nothing to the conversation and will make you unpopular with everyone else for making such a pointless posting. And also note that replies get sent to the entire Spurs-list, not the person who sent the original message. You will need to manually enter their email address into the To: field if you want the reply to go to just them.

    6. LEAVING THE SPURS-LIST FOR A SHORT WHILE

    Q. I am going on holiday / will be away from the Spurs-list for a short while. How can I stop all messages without unsubscribing from the Spurs-list?
    A. Login to http://groups.google.co.uk/group/spurs-list and change your subscription options. Under "Unsubscribe or change membership", select “No Email” and you will not receive any emails at all; this setting is for those who want to read the Spurs-list on the web only, and is also ideal for those who do not want to receive emails from the Spurs-list for a short while.

    7. PROBLEMS WITH THE SPURS-LIST

    Q. I haven't received anything from the Spurs-list for a while now and I think there may be a problem with it. What should I do to check things out?
    A. First of all, you must not send a test message to the Spurs-list. You can see if your subscription to the Spurs-list is still valid by visiting http://groups.google.co.uk/group/spurs-list. If you are unable to access Google Groups, or the Spurs-list page, can not log in, or have other serious problems with the Spurs-list, then please email Spurs-list Admin. You will get a reply as soon as is possible, letting you know is happening, and giving you assistance in getting the Spurs-list going again should you require it.

    And finally... enjoy the Spurs-List. May your postings possess as much flair as we expect to see from our beloved Spurs!

    Spurs-list Admin - March 2006.