Descriptions:
MDLIST is an e-mail discussion group for people who are affected by diseases leading to central vision loss. For more information, go to: www.mdsupport.org/mdlist.html.
MDFORUM is a message board and chat room for those who prefer an informal, non-email format. Postings may include any day-to-day subjects. For more information, go to: www.mdsupport.org/MDForum.html.
Guidelines for MDList:
1. Before posting a message to the open list, be sure that it would be of interest or benefit to more than 400 people. All topics on MDList should relate to vision impairment in some way. If not, please use private mail or MDForum.
Types of messages which are acceptable on the open list:
Remember that, with most mailers, the reply function will send your reply to the whole list. To reply privately to the sender, change the MDList address to the sender's.
2. Sign your messages with at least your name and your e-mail address. Most e-mail providers offer an automatic signature option, which can be found in your preferences menu.
3. Avoid excessive quoting, as quoting is difficult for speech readers to navigate around. You should not include more than five lines from another post unless there is a very good reason. It is helpful to preceed all quotes with the statement, "You asked (or wrote)..." Also, leave a blank line before your own commentary, and delete all included material after it.
If you do not know how to edit an included message with your mail software, just briefly summarize the message to which you are replying.
4. Use "plain text" rather than rich text or other kinds of HTML. Not all mailers are set to read HTML formatting, and text-to-speech readers sometime have difficulty with it. Messages sent in HTML will either be automatically converted to plain text or rejected.
5. Do not send attached files to MDList, as such files will be automatically rejected to protect us from possible viruses.
6. Keep messages brief and to the point. Most subjects can be covered in 100 words or less. Exceptions to this guideline are first-time introductions and information about treatments or research. Lengthy articles, however, should be linked to, rather than posted in their entirety.
Guidelines for both MDList and MDForum:
1. Use meaningful subject lines to help everyone decide which messages to read. When you reply to a post, make sure the subject line is still appropriate to the "thread," and do not hesitate to change it if needed. For the same reason, try to restrict each message to only one topic or question.
2. Avoid the use of ASCII art (happy faces, etc.) Some speech synthesizers just read them as a meaningless list of characters.
3. To avoid repetition of material, please visit our web site before posting informational questions. The site is very complete and contains a convenient search box on the home page, so many answers and links to information can be easily found there. We will, of course, be happy to help in any way if you are not able to find what you need.
4. Please be polite and tolerant. Rude behavior will result in removal from the group.
5. If you need to change your subscription options (changing format, unsubscribing, etc.), please go first to www.mdsupport.org/manage.html.
If you do not find help there, write privately to me, and I will
be happy to assist. My email address is director@mdsupport.org
6. Do not post virus warnings until you have verified them. Many such warnings received by email are hoaxes, and by passing them along to others, you only add to their life span. Here are some places you can go to check them out:
Debunking online and email hoaxes
Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability
McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List
Symantec Anti Virus Research Center