What is Sweet Music Digest?

Sweet Music Index would like everyone to know that the Index is not associated with the Sweet Music Digest list-server or Clear Spring Associates, Ltd., the list's system managers. We don't control or have access to anything associated with the list. Rather, we simply enjoy it like everyone else. In other words, we are Majordomo of Zilch. But we have gathered some information about the list which may be of interest to others. If you want to subscribe to the list or contact the list's managers, see the section titled Mysteries of Majordomo. The addresses and instructions are there.

Secrets of Sweet Music Digest
Sweet Music Digest is a list server. In the context of e-mail, newsgroups, and the Internet, list servers occupy an interesting middle ground. An e-mail message is sent to one particular person. Although the same message may be sent to several people, copied, or sent to a personal distribution list, for purposes of this discussion, e-mail is a one-to-one affair. E-mail wings its way through the 'net from one computer to another, through e-mail servers.

In a newsgroup, a message is not directed to someone's mailbox; instead, it is posted to be read by anyone who chooses to do so. Unlike e-mail, this requires that readers actively seek out the message by reading the newsgroup to which it was posted.

List-serve software like that used for Sweet Music Digest automatically maintains a list of e-mail addresses and handles the job of sending copies of e-mail to those who have asked to be included in a specific list. When someone sends e-mail to the Digest, a copy of that message is sent to the mailbox of everyone who is subscribed to the list, including the sender's. In many ways a list is like a special delivery newsgroup that can only be read by subscription.

Managers of such lists may use numerous options and settings. For example, on many lists only subscribers can post messages. On other lists anyone can post to the list; of course, not being a subscriber, they will never see that message in their own mailbox.

Another setting controls how the list server handles "Reply-to" instructions. Sweet Music Digest marks all messages as "Reply-to-List." That is, if you choose to reply to a message by hitting the "Reply-to-Author" button on your e-mail window, by default your reply will be sent to all the current subscribers of the Digest, not just the author of the message. This makes for some interesting moments.

On Sweet Music Digest recently someone thought she was sending a private message about a wonderful mountain dulcimer arrangement of Pachelbel's "Canon in D." However the message went to the entire list. Everyone, it seemed, was suddenly very interested in that musical arrangement. So the list-member sent a copy (with permission of the arranger) to many other happy list-members. There is an extraordinary law associated with this faux pas: Senders usually realize that their private message has gone to the entire list within nanoseconds after sending the message -- Too late.

Sweet Music Guidelines
The Digest is a very friendly, rather small group. No rules have been formally posted much less enforced simply because this has not been necessary. Whatever rules that exist are unwritten, common sense, do-unto-others-type principles. But before you post messages to Sweet Music Digest, please consider the fact that what you write will be directly e-mailed to many people whom you will never meet. Also, your postings are permanently archived. Here are other things to consider:

1. On Sweet Music Digest we never see flames (a public, personal attack on another person; rude, pointless, and always off-topic) or negativisms (sexism, racism). Although sometimes, someone will josh a little about accordion players.

2. List-members are sensitive about the distribution of copyrighted material, including copyrighted tabs, other Internet posts, etc. Any use of these require the express permission of the copyright owner. All original material posted to this list is the property of the originator under U.S. copyright laws, and it is critical that all subscribers acknowledge and respect that ownership. (See "Primer on Copyright" in the Dulcimer Documents section of the Index.)

3. It is common sense that we don't post .jpg or massive text/application files to the entire list.

4. Personal data about another person (home address, telephone #, etc.) should always remain personal and off-list although business data is generally okay.

5. Please don't post virus warnings or other such off-topic and usually spurious material to the list.

6. Some of the larger lists like Banjo-L forbid using the list for any commercial purpose, including for-sale ads. With one keystroke on Banjo-L, a company or individual can reach over a thousand people who are intensely interested in the banjo--a pretty good market. Sweet Music Digest is not like this because it is very small. But please keep the Digest non-commercial.

7. Avoid personal replies via the list and resist the temptation to snap back zingers or "me-too" posts.

8. Please put the subject of your message in the "Subject:" line. If you are responding to the Digest version of the list, please! change the subject of your message. If you don't, everyone on the list will receive a message with a subject such as: Sweet Music Digest V3 #866. This is meaningless. It also decreases the usefulness of the archives.

9. Also, In order to facilitate searching the archives, use the same subject as the message to which you are responding. Then all the messages on this subject will appear in the archives as one thread.

10. Quote only those passages from other posts that are relevant to your own comments. Where you have edited out irrelevant text ("snipping"), you can indicate your editing by ellipses in brackets, thus: [...]. But, be sure you have quoted enough text that readers new to the thread will have some inkling of your topic.

11. If you reply to a digest version of the list, please, please take care not to quote the entire digest back to the list! Only quote that which is pertinent to your message.

12. A post in all capital letters is not only hard to read, but it's considered SHOUTING!

This information has been adapted with permission from Donald Zepp, editor and webmaster of Banjo-L the central web site for Banjo-L, the banjo discussion list.

websites of interest:
clear spring associates, ltd.
The system managers for the software and hardware which runs Sweet Music Digest. Majordomo's domicile.

i'm not miss manners of the internet
A thorough website on guidelines for the internet culture by Arlene H. Rinaldi.

learn the net
All kinds of good information on Internet literacy and help for roaming through cyberspace.

the core rules of netiquette
To help net newbies minimize their mistakes, and to help experienced cyberspace travelers help the newbies.