Mailing Lists

We could all use some help now and then. Perhaps a clever name for your haunt; an idea about how to make a particularly tricky prop, or maybe just some simple advice on how to solve that last minor problem that you have. Perhaps you just want to socialize with other haunters, in order to assure yourself that your obsession is not unique.

In the electronic age, when people want to get together, they form mailing lists and newsgroups. Why sholdn't haunters do the same?

(We also have some archives.)

We have some info on...

Halloween-L
Howl 2000
alt.halloween.boo
Advice for electronic communication

Halloween-L

"Halloween-L" is the great granddaddy of the Halloween e-mail lists. It was started by Don Bertino. I don't know the exact date, but the earliest archive entry is from July 1994. Don's original web site is http://www.calweb.com/~bertino/halloween.html.

Halloween-L runs all year long. It is a very high-volume list. It is easy to get snowed under by the huge traffic.

The list gets strange near Halloween, with some haunters unsubscribing in order to save time to work on their haunts, and others begging for last-minute advice - traffic goes way up.

There is little police-action on Halloween-L. In the past, it has been hard to get thrown off, even if you deserve it. Things are a little tighter now.

The next home of Halloween-L was http://www.wildrice.com/Halloween-l/. Go there to subscribe. Read the rules before you do.

The current home Halloween-L seems to be http://www.halloween-l.com/. It supports chat and forums.

Howl 2000

In the spring of 1999, Halloween-L suffered a crisis. It was reeling under mailbomb attacks, cluttered with spam, and a couple of flame-wars had persuaded several valued contributors that the newsgroup wasn't worth being around. They fled, forming the new list "Howl 2000", hosted by Chuck Rice.

Howl 2000 is billed as a "kinder, gentler" Halloween mailing list. This is because it is run with an iron fist - it is fairly well-monitored, and if you do anything antisocial, you get booted from the list.

Howl 2000 runs all year long. It is lower in volume than Halloween-L. It is also more social, with lots of friendly off-topic chatter.

The current home of Howl 2000 is http://www.WildRice.com/Howl2000/. Go there to subscribe. Read the F.A.Q. before you do.

alt.halloween.boo

There is a UseNet newsgroup "alt.halloween.boo". It gets little traffic off-season.

[For those unfamiliar with the technology, e-mail is a "push" technology, wherein interesting writings are sent to targetted individuals. E-mail lists are collections of such individuals. UseNet newsgroups are a "pull" technology, wherein the writings are kept on servers, and interested persons must go to the servers and read them.]

Advice for electronic communication

Don't flame.

A "flame" is an abusive or hotly-worded message. If you have issues with somebody, contact them off-list. Don't start a public fistfight.

Don't spam.

"Spam" is unsolicited commercial e-mail, especially when sent in bulk. Most e-mail lists tolerate an occasional commercial announcement from members in good standing. But frequent or lengthy commercial messages will get you banned from the list.

When replying, don't include the entire original posting; trim it down.

Keep your signature short.

Lurk quietly for a little while before jumping into the conversation.

Introduce yourself!

Learn the terminology. Check out the glossary at http://members.tripod.com/~silverball/glossary.htm. Don't be one of the throng of clueless folks asking "What does FCG mean?"
Be aware of what you are getting into!
Read the introductory material before subscribing. Read the rules and follow them. Read the monthly FAQs posted to Howl 2000 and Halloween-L.
Halloween-L is a very high-volume list, especially around Halloween. Expect a ton of e-mail, and be prepared to deal with it. Don't whine about it.
Keep the discussion on-topic.
Get a feel for the tone of the group, and keep postings harmonious with the group.
Some groups tolerate off-topic postings better than others. Howl 2000 has a more social aspect than Halloween-L. A certain amount of social banter is expected on Howl, and isn't really considered off-topic.
When the topic changes, change the "subject" line.
Digressions are common, as one conversation leads to another. Just try to stick to Halloween. And when the topic changes, please change the "subject" line, so that those who are forced to skim the material will still find your posting.
When it comes time to unsubscribe, follow instructions.
A few times a year, somebody wants to unsubscribe, but doesn't know how to. There is no excuse for this: the introductory information tells you how to unsubscribe, and every mail includes a trailer that points you to unsubscribe instructions.
The clueless folks who fail to keep the introductory information and don't notice the trailers get laughed at.
Tip: When you send the "unsubscribe" message, you must do so from the e-mail address that you originally subscribed with.

Thank you for visiting. Your comments are welcome.
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