>From LDSClerks: Please see bottom of this message for subscription instructions and list URL.
LDSClerks List policies
BRIEF LIST DESCRIPTION
LDSClerks is an email list for Ward and Stake Clerks and Ward and Stake
Executive Secretaries to discuss how to perform their duties and to share
information about their duties. The duties of Clerks and Executive
Secretaries are some of the most complicated in the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. While the discussion is for Clerks, Bishops, Stake
Presidents and even the general membership of the Church, may join the
list, provided that they stick to the topic.
LDSClerks was started in December 1998 by Kent Larsen. Members of the list
share their successes and struggles as Clerks or Executive Secretaries and
their ideas and tools for making Wards and Stakes successful.
Membership in LDSClerks is open to anyone. However, people that violate the
list rules will be permanently removed from the list.
LDSClerks is delivered through two different servers. Through the
user-friendly yahoogroups interface
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ldsclerks/) and through the traditional,
majordomo interface. Both servers offer their own digest version, in
addition to individual messages.
Posts from list members using the majordomo interface are automatically
sent on to all the list members. Posts from yahoogroups and from those not
on the list are delayed until the list owner can review them, in order to
limit spam.
WIKICLERKS PROJECT
LSDClerks recently began a wiki project to gather the information we have
collected and shared about the clerical function into a single place. Like
wikipedia and other public wikis, anyone who registers on the LDSClerks
wiki can add pages and make changes to the wiki. We encourage all list
members to help improve the wiki and make it another useful source of
information for clerks.
You can access the wiki at:
http://www.mormonstoday.com/ldsclerks/index.php
WHO RUNS THIS LIST AND WHY
LDSClerks is owned by Kent Larsen. It is run on a server I rent using
software provided by my service provider.
I provide LDSClerks as a free service to the Mormon community on the
Internet. I have no plans to ever charge for this service. By sharing ideas
and techniques, I hope that the work of all Clerks and Executive
Secretaries will be easier.
HOW MUCH TRAFFIC DOES THIS LIST GET?
LDSClerks gets between 1 and 20 messages a day, depending on the
contributions from subscribers.
HOW IS THE LIST CONFIGURED?
LDSClerks is run using the majordomo list software. It is configured to
allow any member to post immediately. Posts from yahoogroups and from
members subscribed using yahoogroups are sent to the listowner to verify
that they are not spam. Non-members posts are reviewed by the listowner and
then sent to the list.
LDSClerks is also available as a digest. While the digest is technically a
separate list, subscribers to the digest can still post immediately to
LDSClerks. The digest is configured to be sent out once a day.
RECEIVING POSTS FROM THE LIST
The address you subscribe from (the address this message is sent to) is the
address that will get all messages from LDSClerks. If this address is
wrong, please unsubscribe, and send a subscription request from the address
you want the messages to go to.
Many times messages sent to list subscribers are returned (i.e., 'bounced')
by the various mail servers on the Internet, for a variety of reasons.
These reasons include both temporary problems (such as a network problem)
and more permanent problems (such as an address that has been deleted by a
service provider).
The most common 'bounced' message is that the subscriber's mailbox is full
(which generally happens when you don't read your messages quickly enough).
Regardless of reason, if mail sent to a subscriber's address bounces for
more than 24 hours, the subscriber's address will be moved to the digest
list.
When the subscriber's address bounces for more than 24 hours with a
permanent reason (such as 'user unknown' - indicating that the address no
longer exists), the address will be removed from the list permanently.
Occasionally, the system a subscriber is on returns bounces to the list
address instead of to the sender, as Internet rules require. Since this
causes email loops, we have no choice but to remove the subscriber from
the list. However, a note will be sent to the postmaster of the errant
system explaining the problem, and asking them to let the subscriber know.
LDSClerks does not permit subscriptions by addresses that redistribute or
archive its messages.
SENDING POSTS TO THE LIST
Please keep the following in mind when sending messages to LDSClerks.
KEEP TO THE SUBJECT! Make sure your posts are about the Clerical or
Secretarial functions..
BE COURTEOUS AND KIND in your posts. Many subscribers are particularly
sensitive to contentious discussion, and such discussion is discouraged.
However, list subscribers are also warned that disagreements will happen,
and that many of these will not end in agreement.
TRIM THE MATERIAL YOU QUOTE. When you reply to a message from the list,
most mailing programs 'quote' the entire message you are replying to,
including headers, footers and previous quoted material. You should edit
this material, leaving only the information most relevant to your reply. If
nothing else, you should delete the header and footer that we attach to
every message so that we don't see the same bits of information repeated
multiple times in the message.
FORMAT YOUR POSTS CLEARLY. Put blank lines between paragraphs and try to
keep your lines to a reasonable length. Don't attach
non-text enclosures to your messages (some mail programs can't handle
them). Keep your signatures of reasonable size (3 to 4 lines). Don't send
identifying attachments (such as PGP signatures or VCF cards).
SEND PLAIN TEXT!! Don't use html, "rich text" or other formatting in your
messages. Because spammers sometimes use this formatting to hide viruses,
and because of the problems some recipients have in reading these messages,
messages that are not in plain text are bounced to the listowner for
review, and can be delayed in reaching the list.
DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS. Because many attachments contain viruses or
provide spam, we do not permit attachments to be sent to the list, unless
the listowner has reviwed them. A better solution would be to use the
yahoogroups interface, which includes a "files" page where attachments can
be uploaded for others to access. OR, if you have a website, you can make
the file available on your website and send a link to the list.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU REPLY. The software is configured so that replies are
sent to the list, unless you change the address. Please make sure that you
want your reply to go to the list, instead of to the person who wrote the
message. You can change the recipient if you wish.
DON'T SEND 'ME TOOS'. Make sure the posts you send have new information
that hasn't been said yet. Before you send a reply, it is probably better
to read the rest of the posts from LDSClerks that you have received to make
sure someone else hasn't already said what you are going to say.
UNACCEPTABLE POSTS
Messages with the following material are unacceptable and can result in
subscribers being removed from LDSClerks.
* Announcements and notices about other, non-Clerical or Secretarial
resources are not appropriate.
* Messages that are simply commercial advertisements are also not
permitted. (Reasonably short signature lines and on topic replies that
mention commercial products are OK).
* Virus warnings, chain letters, charitable requests, etc. are not permitted.
* Trivia questions, polls, surveys, etc. are also not permitted.
* Messages containing copyrighted material. This includes all material
published by the Church, including material in lesson manuals,
administrative materials and even the Church Magazines and Handbooks. This
material is only licensed for home and church use. Much as we would like it
to be otherwise, LDSClerks is neither home nor church use.
If you are sending a command, make sure you send that command to the right
address. Commands go to majordomo at mormonstoday.com. The listowners will not
respond to messages sent to the wrong address, except to indicate where the
message should be sent.
Don't send messages crossposted (i.e., cc'ed) to multiple lists. These
messages are almost always off-topic.
ENFORCEMENT
The list owner is the final arbiters of all the rules outlined in this
document and that apply to LDSClerks.
Actions the list owner can take include, but are not limited to, removing
subscribers permanently from the list, removing them for a period of time,
keeping the subscriber from posting to the list, and moving the subscriber
temporarily or permanently to the digest version of the list.
OTHER LIST RULES
1. LDSClerks' addresses may not be used to SPAM. Subscribing to LDSClerks
in order to collect email addresses is strictly prohibited. The addresses
on the list are not available to list subscribers and the list is not for
sale under any circumstances. Sending spam or unsolicited commercial or
bulk email to other list subscribers, even off-list, is prohibited.
2. Anonymous posts or posts with forged addresses or headers are also
prohibited and will not be sent to the list. We can not see any reason why
anyone would need to send a post like this to LDSClerks.
3. Offensive or abusive post to other list subscribers, even if off-list,
is also strictly prohibited.
4. Be careful about using 'vacation' or other programs that automatically
reply to your email. These programs can cause email loops, and your address
will be immediately removed from the list if a loop occurs.
DISCLAIMERS
The content of messages sent to LDSClerks are the sole responsibility of
the person that sent the message. That person retains copyright over the
message, but grants to Kent and Michelle Larsen the non-exclusive right to
redistribute the message to list members, to publish the message in the
LDSClerks archives, and to publish the message in other ways consistent
with the list LDSClerks.
LDSClerks is not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in any way. Messages on the list therefore do not and can not
represent the official policy of the Church.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact Kent Larsen.
DETAILED SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION:
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE
For the yahoogroups version of the list, simply visit the yahoogroups page
for ldsclerks:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ldsclerks/
There you will find clear instructions for joining and leaving this group
and many others.
For the majordomo version of the list, please use email as follows:
To subscribe to LDSClerks, simply send a message to:
majordomo at mormonstoday.com
In the body of the message (no subject necessary) write:
subscribe ldsclerks
You should send this request from the address at which you want to receive
the messages sent from ldsclerks. After you send the above command, you
will receive a confirmation request. This request is required to join the
list.
The confirmation helps verify that the address that the list collected is
the correct address, and is a check to make sure that the subscription
request has not been forged. Sending in the confirmation will add your
address to the list.
When your address has been sucessfully added to ldsclerks, this document
will be sent to you. If you have problems subscribing, please let us know
by sending a copy of any replies you get from the software that runs the
list, or, if you got no reply, just send us a note explaining what you did
and what happened.
To leave ldsclerks, send an email message to:
majordomo at mormonstoday.com
In the body of the message write:
unsubscribe ldsclerks
Please note that this message must be sent from the same address at which
you receive posts from ldsclerks. If you change e-mail addresses, please
remember to change them on LDSClerks also. If your service provider changes
your domain name, please change the address then also - even if your
service provider forwards your mail! If you don't keep your address on
LDSClerks current, it will be more difficult to leave the list.
LDSClerks exists both as a 'normal' list (ldsclerks) and as a digest list
(ldsclerks-digest). The digest is sent daily.
You may switch back and forth between these lists whenever you like. You
can also join both the digest and normal list if you like. The two act like
separate lists, except when you post - all posts go to ldsclerks, and they
are then fed to ldsclerks-digest. The digest list includes the full text of
all posts to ldsclerks.
As a reminder, the basic subscribe and unsubscribe command instructions are
summarized at the end of every post.
>From ldsclerks: Please do not send copyrighted material to ldsclerks.
See list info at: http://www.MormonsToday.com/ldsclerks/index.html
Send commands in the body of a message to majordomo at MormonsToday.com
To join: subscribe ldsclerks
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