There have been fairly frequent calls for more clear *rules*  
regarding the list.  As a consequence, I asked for and received  
permission to modify the Type2 list's charter.  The Type2 list is  
more tightly controlled that Vanagon and I have been hesitant to  
attempt to impose that level of control on this list, however there  
have been enough persistent off-topic posts that I see only two  
alternatives.  Either a charter or anarchy. We'll try the charter first.

The following will be added to the Welcome messages that new  
subscribers receive when they join the list.

Please read it.  I will entertain comments and critiques, but not on- 
list.  If you wish to 'chat' about the following, please direct your  
messages to vanagon-admin@gerry.vanagon.com or jr.arnott@gmail.com

Please realize that I have a day job. If your comment is not  
responded to immediately, you can safely assume that I will respond  
when time allows.

Jim Arnott
List Admin
vanagon@gerry

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----------------------------

This is the charter of the Vanagon List.

Welcome to the list! You MUST READ this document and agree to abide by
it if you want to stay on the list.

This list is only about Volkswagen Transporters, Vanagons and  
Caravelles,
model years 1980 through 1991. If you have an earlier bus, or a Eurovan,
you are on the wrong list. For 1950-1967 buses, you will probably want
Thom Fitzpatrick�s vintagebus list. For 1968-1979 buses you�ll be  
looking
for the type2 list. Each can be found at their respective dot coms. For
Eurovans, there is a Yahoogroup list.

To maintain this resource we use (at the time of this writing) a list
administrator and a server admin. You can always get hold of the  
administrator
by sending mail to vanagon-admin@gerry.vanagon.com.

To post a message to the list, send it to vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com.

gerry.vanagon.com is funded entirely by donations from list members.  
We do not
run advertisements or endorse vendors. You will not be charged (or  
expected to
hand over an obligatory donation) for any resource we provide, not ever.

This list has about a thousand people on it (yes!), and because of  
that we
have to have some rules. This is how we maintain the value of the  
list as an
information source.

________________________________________________________________________ 
_______
PRIORITY ONE RULES -- If you screw up here you'll be kicked off the  
list and
quite possibly banned forever (we really mean it):

--Do not EVER post UNSUBSCRIBE messages to the list. Clear  
instructions for
getting off of the list are printed in every single message the list  
server
sends out. Every single one. If for some reason you are having  
trouble getting
off of the list, send mail to the administrator on duty at
vanagon-admin@gerry.vanagon.com

--Do not EVER post "TEST" messages to the list. Don't even think  
about doing
this. If you are having trouble posting, send mail to the list  
administrator
on duty at vanagon-admin@gerry.vanagon.com and they will help you.

--Do not EVER post virus warnings, or messages about important issues  
that you
think should concern everybody in the world. Do not post messages  
unless they
have legitimate Vanagon content. If you think the message you're  
sending is so
important that the "Vanagon content" rule does not apply to you, that  
means that
you should ==NOT== post it.

--Do not ever continue a thread that an administrator has "killed".  
This is
fairly rare, but if an admin says, "please kill this thread," then do  
not post
any more messages on that topic. This is how the admins keep marginal
discussions from growing out of control.

--Do not harvest addresses. It is not appropriate to collect the  
personal email
addresses of list members and send them bulk email about your event  
or "special offer". This is called "spamming" and if you do it you  
will be denounced
throughout Usenet and all the VW mailing lists, banned from our list  
forever,
and we will be talking to your ISP about having your service terminated.

--Do not use an auto-responder without unsubscribing from the list  
first. If
your "out of the office" program starts trying to post messages to  
the list
you will be removed.

--Do not use profanity on the list.  This is not your high-school  
locker room.

________________________________________________________________________ 
_______
PRIORITY TWO RULES -- If you screw up here you will be quietly  
"moderated",
which means a list administrator will intercept and examine every  
message you
try to post to the list. This can slow your messages by up to 48 hours:

--Don't post chatty messages. If it does not have legitimate Vanagon  
content,
do not post it to the list. There should be a good reason that 1000  
people will
download your message. We do enforce the "no chat" rule consistently  
and it is
the number one reason people get moderated.

--Don't post Friday subjects except on Friday. Historically, the content
guidelines are looser on Friday, and that is the only day when it is  
appropriate
to post messages on certain (marginal) subjects.  However, even on  
Fridays posts
must have Vanagon content.  The Friday subjects are:

-- Sightings (you noticed a Vanagon in a movie/TV show/commercial/your
neighborhood)

--Toys (VW models and toys and paraphernalia of all descriptions,  
loved by
collectors but somewhat dull for everybody else)

--Surveys (what is your personal opinion of thus & such Vanagon issue?)
Replies to surveys should always go to the author, never to the list.

________________________________________________________________________ 
_______
ETIQUETTE AND LIST CULTURE -- For some of these issues we use  
"filters" --
software which might intercept your message. For the rest we rely  
upon your
judgment:

--We only accept messages in 7-bit ASCII text. In many mail programs  
this is
called "plain text". You may have to tweak your mail program to get  
it to send
plain text. If you try to send mail in rich text or HTML, your  
message will be
intercepted and returned to you. We do this because it is the only  
way to
assure that everybody on the list can read your mail.

--There is a mail size limit of 20,000 characters and we don't allow
attachments. Do not try to post pictures, they won't get through.

--Please quote only for context. Do not quote other people's entire  
messages
when replying. The list server can identify messages that are more  
than about
50% quoted text and return them.

--Search the List Archive.
In other words, consult the extensive resources available to you at
gerry.vanagon.com before asking on the list. You will get more  
information
faster that way. If you ask frequently asked questions (FAQs) or  
frequently
annoying recurring threads (FARTS), people will be inclined to ignore  
you or
become caustic.

--Vendors are welcome and encouraged to participate in the list-- 
we've had
several vendors who have been valued list members. Specific answers  
to specific
queries about products and pricing are fine, but please avoid  
repeatedly posting
advertisements. What we're looking for here is high information value  
for the
listees. If we think you are merely spamming we will moderate you  
very quickly.

--Occasionally, a list member will have a problem with the  
performance of a
vendor or with a private transaction gone bad. If you are having  
trouble with
a vendor, do everything you reasonably can to resolve it WITH THE  
VENDOR before
you bring it to the list. Do not ambush people. If you can't resolve  
it yourself,
it is a valid topic for discussion on the list, but please stick to  
the facts of
the vendor's product or performance. Flames are not appropriate EVEN  
IF you can
prove you've been shafted.

--Try to write using conventional capitalization, syntax and  
spelling. It
indicates respect for the reader, and intentionally ignoring these  
conventions
indicates contempt.

________________________________________________________________________ 
_______
PRIVACY POLICY

We detest spammers. We will not sell or share our subscriber lists no  
matter
what the inducement. Our list server will not reveal the addresses of
subscribers through automated commands. Our web site does not employ  
cookies.
We utilize a web "reflector" so people can read list mail without being
subscribed to the list; the reflector obliterates your email address  
before
posting your mail where the world can see it.

We do log all web transactions and all mail transactions; this is  
done strictly
for the sake of security. We do not keep track of your browsing  
habits. By
subscribing to this list you have not consented to receive  
"promotional email"
or any other such rubbish. In short, we will not spy on you, and if  
you have
trusted us with your email address we will do our best to see that  
your trust
is not betrayed.

________________________________________________________________________ 
_______
LEGAL STUFF

1. This is not a moderated list. The administrator doesn't see the  
messages
until you do, maybe later than you do, and because of the nature of  
this medium the administrator has no way of retracting messages from  
public view.
Propagation is automatic; once you send a message, it's gonna go, and  
there's
no way of stopping it.

2. Since that is true, the administrator cannot control what is  
posted to this
list, and therefore disclaims any responsibility for the messages the  
list
server propagates. If you post a message, you alone are responsible  
for it. If
you don't like that, then don't post messages.

3. This list is distributed from a server located in the USA. By  
United States
copyright law (and by treaty with many other countries), messages  
posted to
this list are copyrighted with all rights reserved by their  
respective authors. The administrator of this list makes no claim to  
ownership of your messages and will not republish or sell them, and  
neither should anybody else.

However, cross posting is common on the Net whether it is authorized  
or not,
and if you post a message to this list it will automatically be  
entered into
at least two publicly accessible online archives, where it will  
remain permanently. If you don't like the possibility of your words  
being cross-posted
or archived, then don't post messages.