I saw the following guidlines for another list on John Walker's Internet News,
3/6/97.I think that there are some good ideas that could be applied to our list.
Aliza Lieberman

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Subject:               NEW: AADD-FOCUSED - Adults with Attention
Deficit Disorder To:               [log in to unmask]

AADD-FOCUSED on [log in to unmask]

The AADD-FOCUSED mailing list is a focused discussion list for Adults
that have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).  Although there are other
forums available for discussion of ADD related topics, we found that
they are often too inclusive and therefore get so many messages per
day that we couldn't stay focused long enough to read them all.
Therefore we created this list specifically for those who wish to read
fewer messages per day on the subject of Adult ADD.

As an example, there is another ADD mailing list for adults, where the
FAQ states:  "You are welcome to tell your story and to ask for help
on any aspect of ADD or life in general: family, work, food, music,
socks, cats...ADD affects them all. Don't worry about the length of
your messages. If you feel a need to say it, we want to hear it."
While this is great for those who love to write about all aspects of
their personal life, it is very difficult for those of us who simply
want to find valuable information about adult ADD to wade through all
those marginally-relevent posts and stay focused enough to find
information that is truly helpful and relevent.
 So in this group, we ask that your postings have a more direct
relationship to ADD, and we do ask that you try to keep your posts to
a reasonable length.

In order to maintain a tighter list, we ask that you NOT discuss the
following in this group:
* CHILDREN and ADD.  This group is about ADULT ADD. Please use one of
the other groups if you have questions or comments related to kids and
ADD.
* Other conditions that are not ADD related.  It is okay to ask if
people with ADD seem to be more or less susceptible to some condition,
but it is not okay to then enter into a lengthy discussion about that
other condition.
* Interpersonal relationship problems that are not ADD related.

* Politics or religion, unless they are CLEARLY ADD related (for
example, the view of a church on ADD may be relevant, their view on
anything else is NOT).  We are not against these things, but there are
other forums for the discussion of these topics, and nothing can start
a "flame war" as fast as general discussions of politics and religion.

* DEFINITELY no poetry, discussions about favorite songs, TV shows,
opera, cars... you get the point.  This is not a group where you are
encouraged to share your creative talents (unless your talent is
writing about Adult ADD in a clear, concise manner) - there are plenty
of other groups out there for that.

The types of discussions that we DO encourage include how to tell if
you have ADD, how to get diagnosed, how to get your ADD diagnoses
and/or medications covered under your insurance plan, adult ADD
traits, and perhaps even sharing personal experiences with the intent
of helping others.

Before posting, we ask you to consider four things:

1) This list is being read by busy people who may have difficulty
staying focused.  Will my post convey something useful to them, or
will it just cause their eyes to glaze over?  Can I say what I need to
say in a more concise manner?

2) Is my post consistent with the guidelines stated above?

3) If part of another message is quoted - have I quoted only the
amount that's really necessary?  Have I stripped out any signature
lines, or lines added by the mailing list software in the quoted
section?

4) Does my post contain anything that will be helpful to others, or am
I just writing it for my own self-gratification?

Please consider each of these questions, and don't post your message
if you come up with the "wrong" answers.

The biggest problem that some Adult ADD'ers have is staying on topic
and not jumping off into tangents that have nothing to do with the
subject at hand. Please try not to cover several unrelated topics in a
single message; it is very distracting to readers.
This list is semi-moderated.  This means that you may post to the list
as long as you are a member, but if you persist in posting messages
that violate these guidelines you may be removed from this list.  In
connection with that we should mention that this is a private mailing
list, which is to say it's not a public park or other "commons" area
where the First Amendment applies.  We reserve the right to remove
anyone from the list for any reason, but in practice we won't do this
unless you persist in posting off-topic messages.
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