Bay Team email policy
From BayTeam
The Bay Team provides its ALL mailing list for the benefit of members. Some e-mail guidelines apply.
Contents |
[edit] Basic policy
The basic e-mail policy (guidelines) for posting to all(at)bayteam.org are simple:
- Your email should be about dog agility or directly related topics that would be of interest to most Bay Teamers, and not of a general commercial nature.
- When replying, use "Reply-to-sender" and not "reply-to-all" in most cases. If someone requests info, all replies should go to only the requestor, and later the requestor can send a consolidated email with collected info to "all".
[edit] Examples of OK postings
- Agility competitions, fun matches, demos, workshops, seminars, special classes, and the like.
- Training: For trainers, occasional (2-3 times per year) notices about a new class starting or an opening in a regularly scheduled class. See related note in "NOT OK" section.
- Agility equipment: Requests for, or offers of, agility equipment (but not your regular business selling equipment at regular prices).
- Real estate: If dog-related, e.g.:
- House for sale with a yard large enough for dog agility. (But not repeated postings of the same item.)
- Room rental in your house where you will allow dogs.
- Dog for adoption with agility potential. (Preferably evaluated by someone we know, who knows something about agility. Preferably not a full, regular litter of puppies--because we're all responsible enough to have already found owners for most of them, right?)
- Dog-related business--preferably agility-related (but not necessarily)-- that you are just starting (but keep it short and to the point, and no repeated postings), or for a special sale, open house, or discount for club members.
- Personal property for sale or free--if somehow dog related (could just be "I've carried my 2 small dogs and gear to trials in this car and it works fine").
- Hot issues and public policy: BRIEF notice of meetings or deadlines on dog-related public policy (e.g., city council debating spay/neuter bills), and brief statements of opinions. BRIEF, occasional update on other dog-related hot issues (PETA, Humane Society, etc.): Bay Teamers like to be educated but not to be preached to or overwhelmed with emails and rants.
- Special issues of interest to the dog community, e.g., Hurricane Katrina rescue project info.
- Special fundraisers for dog-related charities/nonprofits with special fund-raisers.
- General dog behavior, training, or health: Questions or important notices--but please ask for private replies. (Later posting of a summary of responses is often appreciated.)
- Requests for recommendations for dog trainers, services, etc.--but please ask for private replies. (Later posting of a summary of responses is often appreciated.)
- Occasional general queries for assistance (e.g., "looking for chiropractor in the east bay; reply privately").
- News about Bay Teamers (or friends of BTers).
[edit] Examples of probably NOT OK postings
- Virus warnings and similar things that might be hoaxes unless you have both:
- Jokes, humorous photos (unless it's of a Bay Teamer).
- Other dog sports, including herding, flyball, obedience, etc., unless there's some overwhelming reason why this particular item might be of interest to Bay Teamers.
- General (nonagility) dog rehomings--unless it's a dog that you personally own or are fostering.
- General discussions and opinion pieces on dog-related public policy or politics--leash laws, dog parks, spaying and neutering, Humane Society, PETA, etc. Take discussions on these topics to the forum or the wiki. People can subscribe to those places. You may post a notice to ALL that you have started such a discussion.
- Training: Every regularly scheduled agility class session and every opening in regularly scheduled classes.
- Businesses: Reminder that you have an ongoing dog-related business.
- Businesses: Not related to dogs.
[edit] How might I figure out if it's appropriate?
You can always ask the webmaster.
But, basically, just keep your audience in mind:
- Bay Teamers have only one thing known to be in common: An interest in dog agility. One could infer that most Bay Teamers are interested in dogs in general.
- Most Bay Teamers live within the San Francisco Bay area or within a couple of hours.
- And most Bay Teamers hate getting spam, which might include commercial notices of any kind, including many notices of your regularly scheduled classes if you're a trainer.
- All Bay Teamers, when they join, agree to the purposes of the club, which are spelled out in the Bay Team bylaws:
- ...to ensure ongoing public benefit from the sport of dog agility in a spirit of good sportsmanship through programs and activities:
- ...To promote good public relations through sports participation and recreation by conducting licensed agility matches and sanctioned agility trials and tests open to all dogs, whether purebred or not...
- ...To promote responsible dog ownership by providing training and competitions open to the general public, and by conducting agility demonstrations for the public, humane societies, and similar organizations;
- ...To encourage and promote national and international competition in the sport of dog agility by ...To lease, own, purchase, hold, and maintain real property and other property of any and all kinds in the State of California to accomplish these ends.
[edit] Violations
We'll try to be nice when we remind you about our policy.
The webmaster and the Board reserve the right at any time to request that a discussion or postings on a particular topic be stopped or moved to the forum or wiki.
[edit] History of policy changes
Efinch 15:50, 6 December 2007 (EST): Changed the following (see talk page for discussion):
- In NOT OK, added italicized text:
- Training: Every regularly scheduled agility class session and every opening in regularly scheduled classes.
- In OK, added:
- Training: For trainers, occasional (2-3 times per year) notices about a new class starting or an opening in a regularly scheduled class. See related note in "NOT OK" section.
- In "How might I...", added italicized text:
- And most Bay Teamers hate getting spam, which might include commercial notices of any kind, including many notices of your regularly scheduled classes if you're a trainer.
