Team3S List Rules

Please Read this Important Message!

The Team3S list is run by Stealth and 3000GT owners, just like you.  We volunteer our time to provide you with this website and to insure the orderly functioning of our international internet mailing list.  We have chosen to create a set of rules that we ask everyone to abide by--  some of these rules are to inform you how our software operates, while others have to do with how we treat one another.  If you join us, we insist that you KNOW and respect them.  This is not a typical list - it is one of the best on the net.  And to keep it that way, we enforce our rules, the most important of which are NO flames, NO chat, and NO formatted messages.  If you think you don't need to bother reading the rules before applying, don't be surprised if you get an impatient note from one of us - we don't appreciate having to waste our time repeating what we have already written.  PLEASE take five or ten minutes to read everything below, and follow our very clear instructions EXACTLY when you apply.  Help us to make this experience pleasurable for everyone, including those of us who work so hard to bring you this forum.

Thank you!

General Information

OUR PURPOSE in creating the Team3S list is to establish a forum for owners to exchange information about the Stealth and 3000GT.  Much of what we have discussed on our list has been published here on our website, so we may help newer owners learn about their cars, and create for the rest of us a library of facts for our own future use.  Almost all of our pages have been contributions by the members, and we encourage you to submit information or web pages for inclusion here.  There is no requirement that members participate in Team3S list discussions, nor that members share webpages that they may have on their own sites.  But we've created a "team" here, and we'd like list discussions to stay "in house", so to speak.  Our vision is one of "participation", and sharing ideas and solutions with one another - even politely disagreeing, at times.  When a question is asked, simply pointing out an outside source where an answer may be found is not the same as bringing it to the list.  Whether it's referring to a page in the repair manual or a page on a website, it's "sending" members elsewhere, rather than "providing" an answer, which is why they joined the list.  We know that those who have their own websites are rightfully proud of them, but we expect Team3S members to bring knowledge TO the list, rather than using it as a pipeline to build website traffic on another site.  We know that such crass and obvious "raiding" is rare, but if and when it occurs on our list, it will be dealt with harshly.

BEFORE WE START, we'd like to offer some general advice.  When you subscribe, don't post messages right away.  Lurk for a few days to get a feeling for the types of posts made, who responds to them, and so on.  Also, before posting, re-read these rules and our FAQ Index.  The FAQ Pages contain a large amount of information about the Stealth & 3000GT, and there is a good chance that the information in these documents will answer many of your questions.  Our FAQs are more than "Frequently Asked Questions - more accurately, they are Frequently Asked Topics, with dozens of pages on a variety of subjects.  As with the rest of our website, our pages are all available to everyone - members or not.  Take some time to browse the entire website when you join, and check back often - we update and add to the FAQ pages several times a week.

ADMINISTRATORS. We have implemented the Team3S Administration Board, which will police the list to ensure compliance with these rules.  Offenders will be notified with a "citation" post sent privately.  Normally, this will be a friendly and gentle reminder.  However, repeat offenders will face more serious actions, up to and including being removed from the list without further warning.  We hope you understand that our policies help us to maintain a 'well-behaved' list environment.

SELF MODERATING. In addition to the above ADMINISTRATORS, you, and your peers on the list are encouraged to keep the list civil, informative, and enjoyable by letting members know if/when they are getting out of line.  Complaints to the Admins regarding inappropriate behavior on the list will result in review of that person's list status as described above.

Incompatible Email Systems

Please note that we can NOT accept applications to Team3S from anyone using email software that compromises our list.  Right now, that includes:

JUNO
AOL
LOTUS NOTES
"FREEMAIL"

The Juno system should be considered "dangerous software", both to our list AND to the people who use it;  AOL and Lotus Notes email systems are simply not compatible with our Team3S list software.  We will accept AOL members running AOL 5 and earlier, although we do not recommend any flavor of AOL.  AOL software has poor security, and their email system and browser do NOT conform to international standards.  But what affects us most is the difficulty their members have in getting AOL customer support to help them in setting up their email correctly, so that it is compatible with our list.  Please contact us if you need more details.

Please note too that we no longer accept any "freemail" or any other email that contains any commercial advertising footers or notices.  Team3S is completely ad-free, and although we previously accepted such email addresses, most of them are now causing problems with our list.  That's in addition to the obvious *pollution* of having to read somebody's ad on a free list that we don't even charge members for...  Numerous ISPs offer very inexpensive email; in the US, we recommend NewsGuy.  They offer 2 mailboxes for $10 per YEAR.  We're sure that an high-performance car owner can afford 83¢ a month so that the rest of us don't have to suffer.

Rule.01.  NO FLAME WARS.  If you disagree with someone, say so clearly and politely, and give your technical explanation WHY you have a different opinion. There is no need to tell anybody to get bent, or that they're full of crap. Keep your tempers in check. This applies to EVERYBODY, without exception.

Rule.02.  NO FORMATTING.  This is a TEXT ONLY list.  DO NOT use HTML, fonts, stationery, or other types of formatting in your messages. NONE. This list is 100% pure ASCII TEXT ONLY.  If you post a message to the Team3S list that is formatted in any way, the next day's Digest will have a section in it that is totally unreadable!  We receive complaints from those members who receive the Digest, asking us to get rid of the offender.  Now we won't do that at first, if you simply make a mistake, but you *will* be required to edit the offending code out of the Digest!  We give you instructions on how to fix your email in the following section, so pay attention, and set your email to Plain Text now!  Our policy is, "You screw it up, you fix it!"  We don't get paid for this list and website, so we expect everyone to share in what it takes to keep it running smoothly.  More on this, and a help link in Rule #3...

Rule.03.  DO NOT send posts with File Attachments to the list. Some Email programs like to attach files with Rich Text Format, V-Card, Winmail.dat, or HTML code in them to provide features like different font styles, etc. Please DISABLE this function of your Email program. If you make a post with one of these features enabled, what Digest list members see is something like this:

------=_NextPart_000_0000_01BF5F3F.C25B3980
Content-Type: application/ms-tnef;
name="winmail.dat"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="winmail.dat"
eJ8+IhYPAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAA AA5AQAAAAAAADoAAEIgAcAGAAAAElQTS5NaWNy b3NvZnQgTWFpbC5Ob3RlADEIAQ2ABAACAAAAAg ACAAEGgAMADgAAANAHAQAOABEAAgAAAAUA/gA A5AGAAQNAAAlAAAACwACAAEAAAALACMAAAAAA
----------------snipped gibberish------------------

which can go on for pages and pages of unreadable code. This is not fair to our other members, so it can not be permitted. You must change all your email settings to the 'internet-friendly' combination of 'text-only' and Western Alphabet. If you need help doing this, please refer to our FAQ Index Page, in the 'Basics' Section:

Photos or diagrams.
We are sorry, but we are no longer able to control the content of photos or other image files; they will no longer be allowed as attachments.  The software will reject any post with a photo attached.  If you have images of general interest to a good portion of the list, either put them on your web page or contact Jeff Mohler or Bob Forrest and one of them will provide you with FREE web space on the Team3S server where you may display your photos.

04.  DON'T WASTE BANDWIDTH - 'TRIM' YOUR MESSAGES!  Edit a subject line to reflect changes in the topic 'thread', and keep it as short as possible.  Keep the "was: ###" parts short as well.  When quoting back previous posts,  ONLY quote back the part that is necessary.  NEVER quote an entire message.  The software for this list AUTOMATICALLY rejects any post where quoted material is MORE than 75% of the entire post; violate this, and your post will never reach the list!  Also, when quoting back previous posts, be certain that people can tell at a glance where the quote ends and your message begins. Don't run your post together with what you've quoted.  And don't quote back that person's signature unless it is relevant to your post.  Please limit your own signature to just what's necessary and relevant to the list.  We consider a 5-line sig to be sufficient, but we'll leave it to your discretion as to what's "necessary and relevant".  DO NOT use ASCII Art in your SIG; it only lines up on machines identical to yours, which there are NONE.

05.  TEST MESSAGES & OFF-TOPIC POSTS:  "TEST" messages may NEVER be posted.  Posting a "TEST" message will result in your immediate removal from the list.  If you are receiving posts, then you can post as well, and have no need to "TEST".  OFF-TOPIC POSTS are generally discouraged, but not prohibited. If it's not related to 3S cars, SERIOUSLY CONSIDER SENDING IT PRIVATELY.  That said, we all will understand if you want to tell us your wife just had a baby.  Please preface the subject line of any off-topic posts with, "OT:" or "Off-Topic:".

If you want to test the list "legally", send a message to: Majordomo@Team3S.com with "help" in the message body (NO subject is necessary).  If you get a reply, that means that everything is working, and that it's just a slow day on the list.

06.  NO VIRUS Warnings or URBAN LEGEND Stories are permitted.  Do not post these to the list.  These are stories that have been floating around for years, and we're all sick of hearing about them.  If you have a Virus Warning you feel is legitimate, please send it to one of the Admins and ask for it to be reviewed.  If the administrators feel that a warning is appropriate, WE will issue the warning.  Anyone who posts a virus warning to the list will be immediately removed without notice.  If you receive a virus warning and would like to check it out for yourself, we recommend the following site where you can verify it:

       The Urban Legends Website is the 'grand-daddy' library of all bogus warnings and stories.

On the other hand, if someone on the list has sent you a virus, or in the unlikely event that you receive one through the list, feel free to post it (AFTER you make sure your email is safe!), and contact the Admins immediately.

07.  SPELLING and PUNCTUATION.  PLEASE take the time to ensure that you use proper spelling and punctuation in your posts.  We're not school teachers or your mother, but we hope you take enough pride in your posts to try to make them readable to others...  In the Cyberspace world of Email, your writing abilities as well as what you say are what leave an impression.  We are an international list, with members in 60 countries, many of whom must struggle with English as a second language.  Please be polite and make reading your posts as easy for them as possible - use complete, punctuated sentences.  Among our suggested protocols are avoiding 'American computerese' shorthand words like "ur" instead of "your" (or "you're"), "b4" instead of "before", capitalizing proper names and pronouns like "I", etc.  Remember..., what you write on the list is saved in our archives.  Please don't embarrass yourself or us with "lazy" writing styles.  Members who insist on writing run-on sentences with no punctuation will be unsubscribed from the list.

08.  SIGN YOUR POSTS.  We are a list of owners, not screen names. We prefer that once you are a member, you sign your posts with at least your real first name.

09.  FOUL LANGUAGE.  We request that you limit the use of foul language in your posts, though we do not prohibit it.  We do, however, prohibit it in Subject Lines.  Feel free to use "legal" variations (e.g. friggin').  We aren't prudes, but we don't have stunted vocabularies, either.  Since we have both ladies and gentlemen on our list, kindly accord all of us the proper respect.  Please remember also that Team3S is represented in 60 countries, each with political and religious ideals that may differ from yours.  It would be totally inappropriate to offend a fellow member by voicing political or religious opinions which they may not share...  This policy extends even to the email address which you use for the list.  We will not accept humorous, political, religious, derogatory, or even "cute" email addresses, nor any address which might be disruptive to the Team3S list.

10.  FOR SALE.  If you post something "For Sale", only do so once a week. And if you're responding to a "For Sale" post, send PRIVATE email to the seller. Anything that does not impact the entire list (e.g. local insurance or warranty-related issues) should also be done privately to members in your area. If you want to reach members local to your area, send a single post to the list with a Subject Line that's something like "Off-Topic: Note to Tulsa OK area members". Please make sure to add a line in your message that asks respondants to "Reply Privately".

The Administrators are allowed to sell parts and cars which they are discarding. But Admins may not be vendors whom actively hawk their products on the list, since it would be a conflict of interest.

In a separate "SALE" category are members who offer discounts to our list from third-party vendors on the member's website.  We are very protective of our members' privacy, and we are very proud that we do NOT use any "cookies" or other "tracking" software on the Team3S website.  If you profit by being an "agent" of such a vendor, in each post in which you offer the discount you must:
       a)  Inform the list that you profit from such transactions.
       b)  Inform the list if you have vendor "cookies" on your website,
       which the vendor uses to "track" visitors' emails.

Naturally, VENDOR members of Team3S are identified by their company name in their signature.  We do not check out vendors other than to verify that they are legitimately in business.  As with any other purchase on the Internet (or elsewhere)..., Caveat Emptor!

11.  NEVER post a private Email  that you've received to the list (any list) without the author's permission.  Doing something like this is in the same category as opening someone else's mail, or peeking at a friend's diary when they aren't looking...  It's not only ill-mannered and crass - in most areas and situations it is illegal!  It is a MAJOR violation as far as we are concerned, so you will be removed from the Team3S list immediately.

12.  JOKES and GREETINGS.  Please do not post jokes and humor to the list as the only content.  That is what the newsgroup rec.humor.funny is for.  And please..., only send "Happy (insert holiday here)!" greetings as part of another post.

13.  AUTO-RESPONDERS.  NEVER use one of these while you are subscribed to the list.  It will send an automated reply back to the list for every single message the list sends.  If you go on vacation, simply email the Admin to switch you to the once-daily digest, or ask us to unsubscribe you until you return.  Using an autoresponder will result in your being removed immediately, without any warning.

14.  BOUNCED MESSAGES.  There are two main reasons the Admins receive bounced messages, and here is our policy for each--:

a).  FORGETFULNESS:  People forget..., and post to the list from an email address OTHER than the one they are subscribed under.  OK...  We understand that folks forget and post messages from one of their other 'unsubscribed' addresses, but PLEASE..., TRY to remember!  We forward you the bounce to remind you, but it's a 'pain' when you give us extra work, and it endangers the list itself by adding to bounce traffic.

b).  "FREE" EMAIL:  These economy email services give you limited amount of storage space, and only a limited number of emails can be received before that mailbox is full.  If you don't get your email regularly and your "mailbox is full", every single subsequent Team3S list message bounces back to US!  (And we can't even send you a notice, because that bounces too!)  As soon as messages start bouncing from your full mailbox, you will be switched from the main Team3S list to the digest immediately.  If you can't check your email regularly, we suggest you subscribe to the digest instead of the main list.  Please make note of the "Freemail" restrictions (listed in the "Incompatible Email Systems" box just above the List Rules heading earlier on this page...

15.  ABSOLUTELY NO CHAT.  The purpose of this list is to provide technical information to owners of Stealth & 3000GT.  Although we encourage you to include humor and/or friendly repartee in your technical posts, you may NOT send stand-alone humor, cute observations, or reply with "me-too" comments.  If you have a technical question or answer, this is the place for it; but if you are looking for a forum to demonstrate how witty you are, please do it where such humor or commentary is welcomed.  Let's put it this way - if your message or reply does NOT contain the words "Stealth" or "3000GT", it is probably a violation of our rules.  There are web boards and chat lists all over the net where you may waste your time chatting, but please..., don't waste ours.  Why would you think that hundreds of people all over the world would WANT to join a tech-only list - to read your jokes??? Please respect our rules and our members and submit TECHNICAL POSTS ONLY!