Welcome/Information Message

Welcome to The Magnificent Seven General Fan Fiction Mailing List (m7fic). This message contains important information on unsubscribing, going to digest and nomail, list rules, and posting, so please read the entire message and save it (or bookmark it, if you're reading it on the web).

DESCRIPTION:
M7fic is a mailing list for the posting and discussion of fan fiction relating to the television series, The Magnificent Seven (although fiction and discussion of fiction relating to the movie is acceptable also).

For our purposes, "fiction" is loosely defined as any written creative work. This includes (but is not limited to) stories, poems, filks, and essays. A/U's, crossovers, and all other fiction that is connected to Mag7 is welcome here, with two exceptions: 1) No actor fic, and 2) no adult stories (which includes all slash, hetsmut, and/or stories with extremely graphic violence). Adult stories can be posted on M7fic's sister list, M7xf. To subscribe to M7xf, go to http://lists.squidge.org/wws/lists/m7xf and click on 'subscribe' on the left side of the page.

"Discussion" includes any topic related to The Magnificent Seven (as long as the focus is on fan fiction), fan fiction in general, or writing in general. This includes, but is not limited to, requests for information, discussion of characterization or writing techniques, and discussion of fanfic likes and dislikes. Please carefully read the note about discussions toward the bottom of this post.

WEB INTERFACE: The server we're now using allows you to manage your subscription using either email or a web interface. The main page for the server is located at http://lists.squidge.org/wws. Once subscribed to a list on this server, you can log in by clicking the 'login' icon at the top left corner of the main page, or you can click on the name of the list you're subscribed to. Once logged in, you can use the 'help' icon at the top right of each page for navigation tips.

SUB/UNSUB:
You can subscribe to this list by using the web interface at http://lists.squidge.org/wws/lists/m7fic.

You can also send an email to m7fic-request@lists.squidge.org with "subscribe" in the body (no quotation marks).

You can unsubscribe by using the web interface (see above address), logging on, and choosing "unsubscribe" on the left side of the page or by sending an email to m7fic-request@lists.squidge.org with "unsubscribe" in the body (no quotation marks).

DIGEST:
If the volume of mail on the list is too much for you, you can choose to go on digest. You will get multiple posts in one email, sent to you 1-3 times a day on average. You can go to Digest by using the web interface at
http://lists.squidge.org/wws/lists/m7fic. Log in and choose "Subscriber Options", then choose "Digest" from the drop-down Reception Mode box.

You can also send an email to m7fic-request@lists.squidge.org with "digest" in the body (no quotation marks).

NOMAIL:
If you're going to be going on vacation or otherwise unable to check your mail for a period of time, you can either unsubscribe or choose the "nomail" option. The "nomail" option stops mail from the list from coming to you until you request it again. You can go to Nomail by using the web interface at http://lists.squidge.org/wws/lists/m7fic. Log in and choose "Subscriber Options", then choose "nomail" from the drop-down Reception Mode box.

You can also send an email to m7fic-request@lists.squidge.org with "nomail" in the body (no quotation marks).

FULL MAIL BOXES AND ISP PROBLEMS:
If your mailbox is full or your ISP has problems that causes your mail to bounce for a certain period of time, you will be placed on nomail status. If your mail bounces as 'mailbox not found', you will be unsubscribed. Feel free to resubscribe as soon as your email/ISP problems are solved.

POSTING NON-STORIES:
Post to the list by sending email to m7fic@lists.squidge.org. If your post is not a fic, please either use the DISCUSS header for on-topic posts (see the Discussion section below) or OT for off-topic posts (see the OT section below). If your non-fiction post has to do with the ATF A/U, please use the ATF header in addition to the DISCUSS header.

POSTING STORIES:

You can post a story to M7Fic by sending email to m7fic@lists.squidge.org.

--SUBJECT LINE: Please include in your subject line:

• 1. The title of your story
• 2. The rating
• 3. What part of the story it is, and how many parts people should expect
• 4. If you are posting a story in the ATF a/u, please be sure to put "ATF" in the subject line, preferably before the title (ATF: TITLE).

---EXAMPLE: Subj: [m7fic] New Story G 1/4
In other words, the story's title is "New story," it's rated G, and this is part 1 of 4. Note: The server puts the list name in automatically, so you don't have to include that.

--TEMPLATE:
Please use the following template as your header information in the first post of each story you send to the list. You may also include it in subsequent parts of the story, but it isn't required.

SAMPLE HEADER
• TITLE:
• AUTHOR:
• AUTHOR'S EMAIL:
• DISCLAIMER:
• CATEGORY: (Such as action, drama, romance, etc.; if your story is an ATF story, please use that as your primary category)
• RATINGS/WARNINGS: (use US movie ratings: G, PG, PG-13, etc.)
• MAIN CHARACTER(S):
• SUMMARY:
• AUTHOR'S NOTES, THANKS, ETC.:
• ARCHIVE PERMISSION: (Yes, No, or Link to URL)

If your story is related to a challenge, holiday, series, or episode, please indicate which one. Also, if your story is a sequel or series, please give the name of the story it is a sequel to.

In all posts other than the first one, you must include the following information:

• TITLE:
• AUTHOR:
• ARCHIVE PERMISSION:

When giving archive permission, please indicate which archive(s) you wish your story to be placed in or linked from. "List archive" or "M7FFA" refers to the M7FFA archive at http://www.cairdean.com/magnific/ and can be used for both the gen and adult sections of this archive. If you want your story archived (uploaded to the server) at another archive, but would like a link to the story listed at M7FFA, please indicate that with something along the lines of "archive at xxx, link at M7FFA". (You can have your story at more than one archive.)

FORMATTING: For best posting results, please read and follow the formatting tips included below.

• Save your story as a text file before cutting and pasting it into email. Do this by choosing SAVE AS from your FILE menu. Type in a file name in the file name box. Directly below that is a box with a drop-down menu that allows you to choose the file type you want to save with. Choose "plain text," "text," "text only," or ".txt".
• If you use MSWord, WordPerfect, MSWorks, or any other program that autoformats for you, shut off those options before starting your story. Nice as the autoformatting is when you type, it doesn't transmit through email well. It will probably look fine in your program, but other people will see strange symbols that make it difficult to read your story. Note: Autoformatting is a tool that many word processors have. It does things like changing quotation marks to "curly quotes", changing a double dash (--) to a single long dash, inserting apostrophes, etc. You can usually find this option under "Preferences", "Tools", or "Options".
• Send your email as plain text. Almost all email programs give you the option of sending email as HTML or plain text. Some email programs don't read HTML email well, so sending email as plain text is your best option. Again, look under "Preferences" or "Options" to set this function in your email program.
• Don't use italics, underlines, or bold in your formatting. Again, these things don't transmit through email well. Use keyboard characters (that is, characters found on your keyboard) to indicate special formatting. For example, many people use *asterisks* to indicate emphasis. Note: the use of double forward slashes (//) doesn't translate well in email, as some programs try to read it as part of a website URL. If you like that type of formatting for thoughts or emphasis, try using three slashes instead of two.
• Avoid tabs or other forms of indenting your paragraphs. Indentions, especially tabs, don't translate well in email or HTML. (Just don't tell your English teacher).
• ALWAYS double-space between paragraphs. This replaces indenting to indicate new paragraphs.
• Put in some sort of indication of breaks in scenes. Asterisks (**) or other keyboard symbols work well. Just insert five or six of the symbols of your choice. This helps your reader follow your story.

ARCHIVING: This list has two archives.

--The Temporary Archive stores all posts sent to the list in the last month. Please use this archive rather than asking the list for missing story parts. All posts, including story posts, will go into this archive; however, they will be deleted after 30 days. The Temporary Archive can be found at: http://lists.squidge.org/wws/arc/m7fic. You may have to log in at the top left corner of the page prior to seeing archived messages.

--The Permanent Archive (aka The Magnificent Seven Fan Fiction Archive) is run by me (the listmom) and my band of merry helpers. The archive address is: http://www.cairdean.com/magnific/index.html.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): There is a FAQ for the archive at: http://www.cairdean.com/magnific/faq.html.

RESPONDING TO STORIES:
You may respond to stories either on or off list. However, if your response is primarily a personal message directed at the author, please send it to her/him. In other words, if your response to the story is feedback that will benefit most/all authors on the list, or will bring readers' attention to the story, then you can post it to the list. If your feedback is basically aimed at the author and/or is of the two-word, 'great story' variety, you should send it directly to the author.

You may also offer critiques, reviews, and recommendations onlist. In case you're confused: a critique would be an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of a story aimed primarily at helping the author improve; a review would be an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of a story aimed at other readers; a recommendation would be an evaluation of a story primarily aimed at letting other readers know the story is worth reading.

FLAMING:
There will be no flaming allowed on-list. What you do off-list is your business, not mine.

"Flaming" is the act of attacking another person. For example, "you're an idiot for saying that . . ." is a flame, because it attacks the person (calling her an idiot) rather than the idea. Don't do it.

Disagreeing with someone's ideas is not a flame. "I think you're wrong about xxx, because . . . " is not flaming.

While using strong negative language (such as, "That idea makes me want to puke") may not technically be a flame, it is still inappropriate for this list. Please keep your discussions civil and remember to be clear about which parts of your posts are facts and which are opinions.

As a general rule, if you keep your discussions about principles and not personalities, you should do fine.

DISCUSSION:
All discussion posts (that is, anything that isn't fiction and isn't OT (off-topic), should include the DISCUSS header. If you reply to a discussion post that didn't have the correct header, insert the header before you send your reply.

Discussion of matters related to fan fiction or the show (with an emphasis on how it connects to fan fiction) is welcome and encouraged. Questions that relate to story development, location of stories/websites, or attempts to find authors of stories are also welcome.

"Me too" posts and "you go, girl" posts should be avoided, as should posts that basically amount to a private conversation between a few listmembers. Posts such as these should be sent through private email.

In all cases, the listmom reserves the right to move discussions offlist if they are A) becoming abusive or B) wandering too far off-topic.

A note on discussion: Some of the topics that come up for discussion on this list may not be "comfortable" ones for all listmembers. For example, it is perfectly acceptable under list policy to discuss likes and dislikes in fan fiction. However, some people, particularly new or sensitive writers, find such discussions disturbing and even find that the discussions can make them doubt their ability to write, or to write well. Listmembers must choose for themselves whether or not they want to read the various discussion threads that come up.

As long as each discussion stays on-topic and civil, I will allow it to continue. The subject of whether or not discussions in general or a discussion in particular is harmful to someone's feelings, ego, or ability to write is not open for debate on-list. In general, this problem can be solved by the person in question simply not reading the discussion. If you feel that a discussion has crossed the line and is no longer on-topic or civil, you should contact me (katilain@cairdean.com) privately. Your opinions will be heard and considered; agreement is not, however, guaranteed.

Another note: "Civil," for the purposes of this list, can be defined as avoiding flaming, screaming (using all caps), or deliberately insulting language (such as "that kind of story makes me want to puke"). Listmembers should keep in mind that, in almost all cases, what they're expressing is their own personal opinion, which is no more or less valid than that of the other members.

In other words, be polite. You are entitled to express your thoughts and beliefs. You are not entitled to be rude or abusive to other listmembers (or, for that matter, to non-listmembers whose names may come up in discussion).

QUOTING POSTS:
Please do include an excerpt of the post you're responding to; however, limit your excerpt to approximately four lines. Members on digest, in particular, will appreciate your restraint.

OT POSTS:
Certain types of OT posts are allowed. Among these are announcements concerning the show, chats, or other M7 fan-related events (cons, virtual seasons, etc.). REPLIES to OT posts should be private. Discussion of OT posts should be private, as well.

Other types of OT posts are allowed with the listmom's permission. If your OT post is not directly related to M7 or fan fiction, please ask the listmom (Katilain@cairdean.com) before posting.

Certain types of OT posts are never allowed. These include virus alerts (usually scams), forwarded jokes, forwarded pleas for help for lost children, suffering women, or other groups, requests for prayers/good thoughts/etc. for family members, friends, or pets, ASCII text drawings, snowball/waterbaloon/etc. fights, greeting cards, or anything similar to any of the above.

Questions, problems, etc. should be directed to the listowner/mom at Katilain@cairdean.com or katilian@earthlink.net.

Katie
Listmom for M7fic and M7xf