RWC Challenge Group Rules
Welcome to the Romance Writers' Community Challenge Group. PLEASE take a
moment to review this message before you begin posting to the list. It's a long,
but the rules are numbered and just scanning down and reading the first line of
each rule will probably be enough, unless you are new to e-mail list or new to
one of the rules for this list. If you have any questions or problems let me know.
To learn more about the other RWC groups, or to look over the below rules and
other info about the group any time, simply check out this site
http://www.charlottedillon.com/RWC.html
Charlotte Dillon ~*~ RWCchallenge-owner@yahoogroups.com
Resources for Romance Writers
www.CharlotteDillon.com
About Us:
On the RWC Challenge group I send out writing challenges and you take which
of them you wish. The challenge might be for a go-for-broke weekend where you
write as many new pages on your manuscript as you can, or it might be a two
week challenge where you get to set your own goals of writing or rewriting and
how many pages you hope to finish each week and or day, or it might be a long
one, like a two month challenge. You take part in any challenge you want to and
skip the ones you don’t wish to take. To take part in one of the challenges, you
usually only have to write in to the group and share what your goals will be for
that challenge. Don’t worry, I announce each challenge before it begins, explain
what kind and how long it will be, and give details on what info to send in if you
want to join in on that particular challenge.
After you share your goal with us....you are in on that challenge and you have to
stick with it. You can report in to the list daily or weekly, or a little of both, which
ever works for you. I think all members should have to report in at least once a
week though....or there is no push. (Smile) The hope is that having to write in
and say you didn't reach your goal on any day that week, or didn't even write
that week, will add that push. Just like being about to write in and say you did
double your goal pages, will add a push.
Even if you aren’t taken one of the challenges, please give those who are a few
moments of your time and send in a reply when they report in. A “great job” or a
“keep trying” from someone else can really help. That’s why we are all here, to
support, encourage, and help each other get more writing done.
The Rules:
1) No flames! None! Never! Members should feel free to post info or ask for info,
without fear of flames. People who like to fight need to find another list....since it
WILL NOT be allowed here.
2) Trimming. Highlight and delete! It's easy. Trim any post you reply to on list.
What should be in your reply is your text and little else. The little else is a few
short lines from the body of the message your reply is to, and the single from
line that let's us see the name and or e-mail address of the person that message
was from. If there are a number of questions or points in the post that you want
to reply to, trim down to one point or question, add your reply below it or above
it, then trim down to the next, add your reply, and so on, cutting out any
unneeded parts. Don't forget we've already seen the post, we've got the subject
line, we'll have your text, and that should be all we need to know. We don't need
the whole header in the text that gives the group address, the subject line, the
time and date sent, ect... We don't need the other person's sig file or any thing
more than those few short lines that will refresh our memories. (Smile)
Why does trimming matter? Tight trimming keeps members from having to
skim through a whole lot of repeated text and unneeded stuff, just to find your
reply text. Untrimmed messages become a nightmare for those set to digest, or
those who have little spare time, a slow computer, or hand problems like corporal
tunnel. And besides, it's simply polite when you are replying in a group setting
where others will likely also reply. Can you take a guess at what a reply that is
untrimmed or half trimmed will look like by the time three or more people have
replied in the same way? A real mess. By the way, if you are on digest, and use
reply, then it is very, very important that you remember to always highlight and
delete or start with a blank message and just copy and paste what you want to
reply to in it!
If you are one of those who forgets to trim, or doesn't like to trim, or can't figure
out how to trim, please set up your e-mail program so the text of the message
you are replying to is not included in your reply, or please open a blank message
for your replies. Untrimmed messages won't be posted to the group. So
trimming saves the moderators from having to send you a reminder and you from
having to resend your message. It's a win/win.
3) Subject lines. If you reply to a post, but change the topic, please change the
subject line. If you are on digest, you always have to change the subject line if
you hit reply. If you send a new message in, don't leave the subject line blank.
This way members can skim through quickly and delete those messages they
aren't interesting in.
4) Copyright Law -- No Copy & Paste! But for links. Do not copy anything from a
newsletter, website, or another e-mail list and post it to the list without asking
the author first.
5) No Spam! Not Any! Please don't place ADS or SPAM on the list – even those
dealing with writing.
6) Posts: Try to keep all messages on topic that are sent through the list. All
messages should deal with writing goals being made, kept, not met, congrats,
little pushes and pats on the shoulders, or responses about such.
7) Off topic posts: When someone sends an off topic post, PLEASE make sure
you reply to that post "off list". This means no chit chat about day to day life and
such! We do have a Social list for chit chat where you can talk away. To join,
send a blank message to RWCsocial-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
8) Signature (sig) lines. Please make sure you sign each message with your name
(first or nickname is fine) and your e-mail address. There are some e-mail
programs that don't show the senders address. Sig lines should be a reasonable
length, that means no more than four lines. Blank lines or anything that takes
up a line, counts, even if it’s just that the line is so long it becomes two, then it
is two. Please feel free place things in your sig line like the address to your
website, or the title of your book, and so on....but no ads selling things.
To start sending messages to the Challenge group simply send email to
RWCchallenge@yahoogroups.com
If you do not wish to belong to the group, we would hate to see you go, but if you
must... you may unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to
RWCchallenge-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
I give the below info in case you ever need to resub...or have a friend who would
like to sub..... To subscribe to this group, send an email to
RWCchallenge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
You may also visit the Yahoo! Groups website to modify your subscriptions:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWCchallenge
Regards,
Charlotte Dillon
RWCchallenge-owner@yahoogroups.com
Moderator, RWClist
moment to review this message before you begin posting to the list. It's a long,
but the rules are numbered and just scanning down and reading the first line of
each rule will probably be enough, unless you are new to e-mail list or new to
one of the rules for this list. If you have any questions or problems let me know.
To learn more about the other RWC groups, or to look over the below rules and
other info about the group any time, simply check out this site
http://www.charlottedillon.com/RWC.html
Charlotte Dillon ~*~ RWCchallenge-owner@yahoogroups.com
Resources for Romance Writers
www.CharlotteDillon.com
About Us:
On the RWC Challenge group I send out writing challenges and you take which
of them you wish. The challenge might be for a go-for-broke weekend where you
write as many new pages on your manuscript as you can, or it might be a two
week challenge where you get to set your own goals of writing or rewriting and
how many pages you hope to finish each week and or day, or it might be a long
one, like a two month challenge. You take part in any challenge you want to and
skip the ones you don’t wish to take. To take part in one of the challenges, you
usually only have to write in to the group and share what your goals will be for
that challenge. Don’t worry, I announce each challenge before it begins, explain
what kind and how long it will be, and give details on what info to send in if you
want to join in on that particular challenge.
After you share your goal with us....you are in on that challenge and you have to
stick with it. You can report in to the list daily or weekly, or a little of both, which
ever works for you. I think all members should have to report in at least once a
week though....or there is no push. (Smile) The hope is that having to write in
and say you didn't reach your goal on any day that week, or didn't even write
that week, will add that push. Just like being about to write in and say you did
double your goal pages, will add a push.
Even if you aren’t taken one of the challenges, please give those who are a few
moments of your time and send in a reply when they report in. A “great job” or a
“keep trying” from someone else can really help. That’s why we are all here, to
support, encourage, and help each other get more writing done.
The Rules:
1) No flames! None! Never! Members should feel free to post info or ask for info,
without fear of flames. People who like to fight need to find another list....since it
WILL NOT be allowed here.
2) Trimming. Highlight and delete! It's easy. Trim any post you reply to on list.
What should be in your reply is your text and little else. The little else is a few
short lines from the body of the message your reply is to, and the single from
line that let's us see the name and or e-mail address of the person that message
was from. If there are a number of questions or points in the post that you want
to reply to, trim down to one point or question, add your reply below it or above
it, then trim down to the next, add your reply, and so on, cutting out any
unneeded parts. Don't forget we've already seen the post, we've got the subject
line, we'll have your text, and that should be all we need to know. We don't need
the whole header in the text that gives the group address, the subject line, the
time and date sent, ect... We don't need the other person's sig file or any thing
more than those few short lines that will refresh our memories. (Smile)
Why does trimming matter? Tight trimming keeps members from having to
skim through a whole lot of repeated text and unneeded stuff, just to find your
reply text. Untrimmed messages become a nightmare for those set to digest, or
those who have little spare time, a slow computer, or hand problems like corporal
tunnel. And besides, it's simply polite when you are replying in a group setting
where others will likely also reply. Can you take a guess at what a reply that is
untrimmed or half trimmed will look like by the time three or more people have
replied in the same way? A real mess. By the way, if you are on digest, and use
reply, then it is very, very important that you remember to always highlight and
delete or start with a blank message and just copy and paste what you want to
reply to in it!
If you are one of those who forgets to trim, or doesn't like to trim, or can't figure
out how to trim, please set up your e-mail program so the text of the message
you are replying to is not included in your reply, or please open a blank message
for your replies. Untrimmed messages won't be posted to the group. So
trimming saves the moderators from having to send you a reminder and you from
having to resend your message. It's a win/win.
3) Subject lines. If you reply to a post, but change the topic, please change the
subject line. If you are on digest, you always have to change the subject line if
you hit reply. If you send a new message in, don't leave the subject line blank.
This way members can skim through quickly and delete those messages they
aren't interesting in.
4) Copyright Law -- No Copy & Paste! But for links. Do not copy anything from a
newsletter, website, or another e-mail list and post it to the list without asking
the author first.
5) No Spam! Not Any! Please don't place ADS or SPAM on the list – even those
dealing with writing.
6) Posts: Try to keep all messages on topic that are sent through the list. All
messages should deal with writing goals being made, kept, not met, congrats,
little pushes and pats on the shoulders, or responses about such.
7) Off topic posts: When someone sends an off topic post, PLEASE make sure
you reply to that post "off list". This means no chit chat about day to day life and
such! We do have a Social list for chit chat where you can talk away. To join,
send a blank message to RWCsocial-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
8) Signature (sig) lines. Please make sure you sign each message with your name
(first or nickname is fine) and your e-mail address. There are some e-mail
programs that don't show the senders address. Sig lines should be a reasonable
length, that means no more than four lines. Blank lines or anything that takes
up a line, counts, even if it’s just that the line is so long it becomes two, then it
is two. Please feel free place things in your sig line like the address to your
website, or the title of your book, and so on....but no ads selling things.
To start sending messages to the Challenge group simply send email to
RWCchallenge@yahoogroups.com
If you do not wish to belong to the group, we would hate to see you go, but if you
must... you may unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to
RWCchallenge-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
I give the below info in case you ever need to resub...or have a friend who would
like to sub..... To subscribe to this group, send an email to
RWCchallenge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
You may also visit the Yahoo! Groups website to modify your subscriptions:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWCchallenge
Regards,
Charlotte Dillon
RWCchallenge-owner@yahoogroups.com
Moderator, RWClist
FAQ About the Challenge Group
1) Do I really need to report in when I'm taking part in one of the challenges?
Yes! Letting us know how things are going, or not going, is the difference between
taking a challenge as part of a group, or just trying to go it alone. Group challenges
almost always push us to do more, especially when we know we have to confess
when we've really missed the mark. In other words, the only way to get the
support of this group is to take part fully. Report in and reply to others when they
report in.
2) Do I have to take every challenge that is set for the group?
Nope. You pick which ones you want to take, skip the rest. Do please try to reply
in and support those who are taking the challenge though, even if it's one you
have skipped. This group is only as good as the support its members offer to each
other.
3) I have a new e-mail address. How do I change it with my groups so I can get
messages at the new address, or even at more than one address?
You can do it the hard way, and unsub from each group with the old address and
resub to each group with the new address, or you can do it the easy way. (I always
say go for the easy way if there is one.) The easy way: Go to any Yahoo Group
home page, sign in, then click on My Groups. The link for it can be found near the
top of the page. Next you click on My Email Preferences, then Add Email Address.
You can follow the directions on the screen to add your new address, a second or
third address, or even remove an address. To pick which address you want each
group's messages to go to, you can click on My Groups, then on Edit My Groups,
and then use the pull down menus there to pick which address or addresses you
want to use, and even to pick how you want those messages delivered. When done,
don't forget to click on Save Changes. By the way, the address for a Yahoo
Group's home page can be found at the bottom of any message that comes through
to that group.
4) I sent a message to the group almost an hour ago, but it hasn’t shown up yet.
Should I resend?
Not yet. Almost always, any message sent goes through. Sometimes they don’t
show up in your own in box, but reach the group page and everyone else. So the
first thing to do is to check the group page and see if your message is there. If not,
wait at least a few more hours. Sometimes Yahoo has glitches that can slow down
messages by hours. If you wait and notice that other messages seem to be coming
in to the group fine, then it’s time to resend. This shouldn’t be a problem that you
have to deal with often. More often than not messages pop through to the group
within a reasonable time with no trouble.
5) Can I use e-mail commands to change my membership settings?
Yes, sure can. Simply take the sub address for the group… RWCchallenge-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com and change the command word in the middle of it to
fit the command you want. So if you want to stop getting messages for a while, you
would send a blank message to RWCchallenge-nomail@yahoogroups.com. If you
want to switch to daily digest you would send a blank message to RWCchallenge-
digest@yahoogroups.com. If you want individual messages you would send a blank
message to RWCchallenge-normal@yahoogroups.com.
6) What is digest?
With daily digest instead of getting each message individually as it is sent to the
group, you will get about 25 of them in one message file, usually only once a day. It
makes it really easy to scan through subject lines and pick which messages you
want to read or skip for those who have very little time for an active group like
RWC, but still want to take part.
7) I tried to send a file through to the group, but it didn't work. Why?
All RWC groups are set up so that no HTML or attachments can be sent through
them to members. This is a safety net to protect members from computer viruses.
8) I'm going on vacation for a couple of weeks and need to stop getting messages.
Can I do this without leaving the group?
Yes, you can by going "no mail". You can change your mail setting from the group's
home page here, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWCchallenge, or with a simple
e-mail command. See question number 5 for info on how to use e-mail commands.
9) The rules say no flames. I’m new to on line groups, so what is a flame?
A flame is an attack on a person or their opinions. A flame is a message sent with
heat to it, anger, or sharp words. It’s a message sent without thought or caring for
the person you are replying to or for others in the group who will have to see it.
Tension isn’t a good thing for any group. RWC is a warm, friendly place for writers,
so flames are never welcome.
10) Why does it matter if I forget to trim sometimes, or if I trim only half way?
A few reasons. One, tight trimming is the rule ALL of the time. Two, as many
members as
RWC has, if even half of them start forgetting to trim sometimes, it would be a
mess. Three, those untrimmed or half-trimmed messages make the digest a real
pain to get through, and we have lots of members set to digest. Four, there are
new members often, so think of those new members who have their messages
bounced back to them for not trimming, and then right after their message is
rejected, two messages come in that aren't trimmed or that are only half-trimmed.
That has to make those new members feel like they are being singled out or picked
on--and it doesn't make me feel very good either.
11) Why am I still on moderation and how does moderation work?
All new members are set to moderated when they join any RWC group. This means
that when that member sends a message to the group, that message comes to me
first, off list, so I can see it before it hits the main group. Being moderated isn’t a
problem for members. Moderated messages are checked off and on all day every
day and put right through. This is the way I block spammers, as well as make sure
that new members took the time to read and understand the rules. Members are
left set to moderated until they have posted enough for me to be sure they
understand and are willing to follow group rules. Once I’m sure of that, they are
removed from moderated and their messages go right to the group. Unless they fail
to follow the rules, or send in flames or spam, they stay set to unmoderated. My
goal at all times is to have as very few members set to moderated as I can.
Moderating members is a lot work and takes a lot of extra time that I just don’t
have, so we both want the same thing.
Yes! Letting us know how things are going, or not going, is the difference between
taking a challenge as part of a group, or just trying to go it alone. Group challenges
almost always push us to do more, especially when we know we have to confess
when we've really missed the mark. In other words, the only way to get the
support of this group is to take part fully. Report in and reply to others when they
report in.
2) Do I have to take every challenge that is set for the group?
Nope. You pick which ones you want to take, skip the rest. Do please try to reply
in and support those who are taking the challenge though, even if it's one you
have skipped. This group is only as good as the support its members offer to each
other.
3) I have a new e-mail address. How do I change it with my groups so I can get
messages at the new address, or even at more than one address?
You can do it the hard way, and unsub from each group with the old address and
resub to each group with the new address, or you can do it the easy way. (I always
say go for the easy way if there is one.) The easy way: Go to any Yahoo Group
home page, sign in, then click on My Groups. The link for it can be found near the
top of the page. Next you click on My Email Preferences, then Add Email Address.
You can follow the directions on the screen to add your new address, a second or
third address, or even remove an address. To pick which address you want each
group's messages to go to, you can click on My Groups, then on Edit My Groups,
and then use the pull down menus there to pick which address or addresses you
want to use, and even to pick how you want those messages delivered. When done,
don't forget to click on Save Changes. By the way, the address for a Yahoo
Group's home page can be found at the bottom of any message that comes through
to that group.
4) I sent a message to the group almost an hour ago, but it hasn’t shown up yet.
Should I resend?
Not yet. Almost always, any message sent goes through. Sometimes they don’t
show up in your own in box, but reach the group page and everyone else. So the
first thing to do is to check the group page and see if your message is there. If not,
wait at least a few more hours. Sometimes Yahoo has glitches that can slow down
messages by hours. If you wait and notice that other messages seem to be coming
in to the group fine, then it’s time to resend. This shouldn’t be a problem that you
have to deal with often. More often than not messages pop through to the group
within a reasonable time with no trouble.
5) Can I use e-mail commands to change my membership settings?
Yes, sure can. Simply take the sub address for the group… RWCchallenge-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com and change the command word in the middle of it to
fit the command you want. So if you want to stop getting messages for a while, you
would send a blank message to RWCchallenge-nomail@yahoogroups.com. If you
want to switch to daily digest you would send a blank message to RWCchallenge-
digest@yahoogroups.com. If you want individual messages you would send a blank
message to RWCchallenge-normal@yahoogroups.com.
6) What is digest?
With daily digest instead of getting each message individually as it is sent to the
group, you will get about 25 of them in one message file, usually only once a day. It
makes it really easy to scan through subject lines and pick which messages you
want to read or skip for those who have very little time for an active group like
RWC, but still want to take part.
7) I tried to send a file through to the group, but it didn't work. Why?
All RWC groups are set up so that no HTML or attachments can be sent through
them to members. This is a safety net to protect members from computer viruses.
8) I'm going on vacation for a couple of weeks and need to stop getting messages.
Can I do this without leaving the group?
Yes, you can by going "no mail". You can change your mail setting from the group's
home page here, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWCchallenge, or with a simple
e-mail command. See question number 5 for info on how to use e-mail commands.
9) The rules say no flames. I’m new to on line groups, so what is a flame?
A flame is an attack on a person or their opinions. A flame is a message sent with
heat to it, anger, or sharp words. It’s a message sent without thought or caring for
the person you are replying to or for others in the group who will have to see it.
Tension isn’t a good thing for any group. RWC is a warm, friendly place for writers,
so flames are never welcome.
10) Why does it matter if I forget to trim sometimes, or if I trim only half way?
A few reasons. One, tight trimming is the rule ALL of the time. Two, as many
members as
RWC has, if even half of them start forgetting to trim sometimes, it would be a
mess. Three, those untrimmed or half-trimmed messages make the digest a real
pain to get through, and we have lots of members set to digest. Four, there are
new members often, so think of those new members who have their messages
bounced back to them for not trimming, and then right after their message is
rejected, two messages come in that aren't trimmed or that are only half-trimmed.
That has to make those new members feel like they are being singled out or picked
on--and it doesn't make me feel very good either.
11) Why am I still on moderation and how does moderation work?
All new members are set to moderated when they join any RWC group. This means
that when that member sends a message to the group, that message comes to me
first, off list, so I can see it before it hits the main group. Being moderated isn’t a
problem for members. Moderated messages are checked off and on all day every
day and put right through. This is the way I block spammers, as well as make sure
that new members took the time to read and understand the rules. Members are
left set to moderated until they have posted enough for me to be sure they
understand and are willing to follow group rules. Once I’m sure of that, they are
removed from moderated and their messages go right to the group. Unless they fail
to follow the rules, or send in flames or spam, they stay set to unmoderated. My
goal at all times is to have as very few members set to moderated as I can.
Moderating members is a lot work and takes a lot of extra time that I just don’t
have, so we both want the same thing.
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