1. This is a closed list. Only subscribers can post to the list. The correct address for mailing postings to the list is 'mercedes@lists.mercedeslist.com', or the simpler 'mercedes@mercedeslist.com' alias.

Only mail sent from subscribed accounts will be posted. Your posting e-mail address (myaddress@myhost.name) must be the address you used to subscribe to the list. If in question, review the headers of the e-mail you receive and make sure you are using that address. Mail from all other addresses is automatically discarded.

Items posted to the list are for use of the membership only, and should not be copied for use elsewhere without the express consent of the author.

2. Maintain the family ambiance. "Keep it clean and polite" is the order of the day when posting. We want list members to be able to show messages from this list to anybody. Our desire is that your husband/wife, daughter, son, mother, or father will be able to read any of the messages and not be embarrassed by the content. The conversational atmosphere should be one of a polite family dinner table where small children are present.

• Expletives used as cuss words and scatological euphemisms are prohibited. This includes attempts to sanitize such words by substituting punctuation marks (e.g., "m**ks" for "marks"), and simply delete the expletive rather than posting "(expletive deleted)" or similar. In most cases there are plenty of polite words to express emotion. Please choose one and use it.
• Explicit sexual references, discussion of sexual acts, and most "double entendre" comments with sexual implications are not appropriate. Off-color humor is not welcome, and most jokes that rely on off-color words or doubles entendres don't clean up with editing. If it wasn't squeaky clean to start with, please don't post it.

• Ad hominem attacks ("flames") on others are prohibited. There is a huge difference between "Your mother wears army boots" and "I don't agree with you." Also, don't slam someone with "you're wrong" even when commenting on a post. Choose something polite such as "Did you really mean to say that? I believe that ...." when correcting someone. Please be gentle, keeping in mind that sharp words can come across much more sharply than intended on an e-mail list, where there are no visual cues to tone down the implications of those words.

• While the majority of list members are U.S. citizens and residents, there are others who are not. The primary list language is English, but in all its flavo(u)rs and spelling, and for some listers English is a second language. In addition, many listers, including Americans, are fluent in several languages. The list is distributed to over a thousand readers, so be careful to avoid over-use of slang. If using acronyms, please spell them out. Not only are many of them ambiguous, but they generally also imply cultural knowledge peculiar to the lister's home environment.

3. Discussion is not limited to MB vehicles, although that is obviously the primary list topic. If a member has a newborn, is fired, is sick, goes on vacation, reads a poem or just had a wonderful foggy drive to work, we would all like to know about it. We are real people living real lives, and part of what makes this list special is the freedom to share these things with others. Over the years, many listers have met and socialized at MBCA (Mercedes-Benz Club of America) and other auto-related events, and on other occasions, including "listfest" gatherings at places like Santa Fe.

• Religion and politics are two universally-recognized controversial topics. Casual references are acceptable, but espousals of beliefs, proselytization, and the like, are intrusions on people's freedom of belief and are prohibited. Please keep in mind that this is primarily an automobile-related list, not a social or political blog. Ad hominem attacks on public figures are prohibited.

• Posting of chain letters to the list should not be done in most cases. In addition, posting material copied from political and social commentators should be avoided.

• Discussion of MBCA politics on the list is prohibited. However, discussion of local chapter activities and "Star" articles is allowed and encouraged.

4. This list is non-commercial. We do not allow use of the list for business or for-profit activities, including the buying and selling of automobiles, parts, and services. Individual listers, however, may post for-sale or wanted-to-buy posts for items for their individual use. This includes one-time garage sales of items that are surplus to their needs, as often happens after selling the vehicle for which they were acquired. Repeated or perpetual "garage sales" or similar activities are considered "commercial" and are prohibited.

• Our membership includes several vendors of automobiles, parts, and services. Most of these people are better-known to list members as sources of information than as vendors. A commercial vendor may include a simple reference to the nature of the services offered and a suitable link to their business or e-mail for those listers who wish to contact them for business reasons. All such contacts must be initiated by the lister desiring a business transaction, never the reverse.

• A vendor who can supply items or services may respond to specific 'where-to obtain' requests from the list, with an indication that "we can supply" followed by contact information. Once again, any business transactions must be initiated by the lister.

• All business negotiations and transactions must be completed off-list.

• Members with commercial connections who wish to make their services known to other listers must contact the moderators at 'mercedes-owner@lists.mercedeslist.com' before posting commercial information.

5. "Spamming" of either the list or individual members is prohibited. Our members do not want to receive unsolicited e-mails with "have I got a deal for you!" offers of Bilstein shock absorbers or other items. Harvesting of list addresses for such purposes in an attempt to "go underground" to dodge list rules will be treated as equivalent to list posting activity.

6. Off-list conduct between members. In general, list rules apply to private e-mails sent by listers to other listers. The moderators encourage friendly e-mail contacts, but will take action if notified with evidence that e-mail is being used in a harrassing or annoying manner.

7. Use the Mailman list software resources to manage your account. You should familiarize yourself with the user options in Mailman, accessed through the main list web page, using your mail address and the password that is mailed to you. Please don't e-mail the moderators with requests to do things that you can and should do yourself. Personalized links to the "self-serve" Mailman pages to administer your account (change or remind you of your passwords, stop mail delivery temporarily, unsubscribe, etc.) are found at the very bottom of every email you receive from the list. Please use them!

8. Digest replies. Listers receiving postings in digest form need to format any responses to digest articles properly. Improperly-formatted digest responses are trapped by the Mailman software and returned to the sender; they will not be posted to the list.

• The digest subject line must be deleted and replaced with the subject line from the article to which you are responding.

• All of the digest contents must be deleted, except so much of the specific article needed to establish context for the reply.

• When composing a new article for posting to the list, please do not use a response to a digest. Write and post it separately as a new article.

• All new members are initially subscribed in individual e-mail mode. Some listers prefer to receive list postings as digests, which include a number of postings within a single e-mail. You may change to/from the digest mode by logging into your personal list options page and following the directions there.

9. Use appropriate subject lines. Please make sure that the subject lines for your posts clearly reflect the topic of the post. When responding to a topic, change the subject line if your response is not relevant to the original subject.

10. Reserved subject line words. The Mailman software is set up to trap several words in subject lines that should appear on the list only with moderator approval. Significant among these are:

• "ADMIN" and "Please Read": These strings are reserved for moderator use only in initial postings. Responses to the initial posting will be trapped, but will be approved if the moderators deem them appropriate. All postings with 'ADMIN/Please Read' in the subject line are policy statements, clarifications, or other important information to be read and heeded by all members.

• "(offlist)": This trap is provided to prevent mails intended for private offlist communication from inadvertently going to the list.

11. Moderation policies and practices. The foregoing rules reflect considerable experience over many years. Most moderator actions are handled offlist, without posting any comments to the list. The moderators read all postings, and coordinate all moderation actions closely.

These rules are necessarily general. In specific cases where the moderators feel that a discussion thread has gone awry, we will issue an 'ADMIN/Please Read' post dealing with the specifics. Also, there have been a few cases where the list's best interests were not served by a strict application of the rules, and the moderators have posted indicating the limits to be applied to the particular thread.

The moderators also participate in list discussions, and it should be understood that unless we are specific, our comments are as list participants, whether we agree or disagree with aspects of the discussion thread.