This is the charter of the type2 list. Welcome to the list! You MUST
READ this document and agree to abide by it if you want to stay on the list.

This list is only about aircooled Volkswagen Transporters, Vanagons and
Caravelles, model years 1968 through 1983. If you have an earlier bus,
or a watercooled bus, you are on the wrong list.

To maintain this resource we use (at the time of this writing) four
different list administrators plus a server admin, a webmaster and
several other crucial volunteers. The list admins rotate with each of
them working about seven days per month. You can always get hold of the
administrator on duty by sending mail to type2-admin@type2.com.

To post a message to the list, send it to type2@type2.com.

type2.com is funded entirely by donations from list members. We do not
run advertisements or endorse vendors. You will not be charged (or
expected to hand over an obligatory donation) for any resource we
provide, not ever.

This list has about a thousand people on it (yes!), and because of that
we have to have some rules. This is how we maintain the value of the
list as an information source.


_______________________________________________________________________________
PRIORITY ONE RULES -- If you screw up here you'll be kicked off the list
and quite possibly banned forever (we really mean it):


--Do not EVER post UNSUBSCRIBE messages to the list. Clear instructions
for getting off of the list are printed in every single message the list
server sends out. Every single one. If for some reason you are having
trouble getting off of the list, send mail to the administrator on duty at
type2-admin@type2.com.

--Do not EVER post "TEST" messages to the list. Don't even think about
doing this. If you are having trouble posting, send mail to the list
administrator on duty at
type2-admin@type2.com
and they will help you.

--Do not EVER post virus warnings, or messages about important issues
that you think should concern everybody in the world. Do not post
messages unless they have legitimate bus content. If you think the
message you're sending is so important that the "bus content" rule does
not apply to you, that means that you should ==NOT== post it.

--Do not ever continue a thread that an administrator has "killed". This
is fairly rare, but if an admin says "please kill this thread," then
do not post any more messages on that topic. This is how the admins
keep marginal discussions from growing out of control.

--Do not harvest addresses. It is not appropriate to collect the
personal email addresses of list members and send them bulk email about
your event or "special offer". This is called "spamming" and if you do
it you will be denounced throughout usenet and all the VW mailing lists,
banned from our list forever, and we will be talking to your ISP about
having your service terminated.

--Do not use an auto-responder without unsubscribing from the list
first. If your "out of the office" program starts trying to post
messages to the list you will be removed.

--Do not use profanity on the list.  This is not your high-school locker
room.


_______________________________________________________________________________
PRIORITY TWO RULES -- If you screw up here you will be quietly
"moderated", which means a list administrator will intercept and examine
every message you try to post to the list. This can slow your messages
by up to 48 hours:

--Don't post chatty messages. If it does not have legitimate bus
content, do not post it to the list. There should be a good reason that
1000 people will download your message. We do enforce the "no chat" rule
consistently and it is the number one reason people get moderated.

--Don't post Friday subjects except on Friday. Historically, the content
guidelines are looser on Friday, and that is the only day when it is
appropriate to post messages on certain (marginal) subjects.  However,
even on Fridays posts must have bus content.  The Friday
subjects are:

-- Sightings (you noticed a bus in a movie/TV show/commercial/your
neighborhood)

--Toys (VW models and toys and paraphinalia of all descriptions, loved
by collectors but somewhat dull for everybody else)

--Surveys (what is your personal opinion of thus & such bus issue?)
Replies to surveys should always go to the author, never to the list.


_______________________________________________________________________________
ETIQUETTE AND LIST CULTURE -- For some of these issues we use "filters"
-- software which might intercept your message. For the rest we rely
upon your judgement:

--We only accept messages in 7-bit ASCII text. In many mail programs
this is called "plain text". You may have to tweak your mail program to
get it to send plain text. If you try to send mail in rich text or HTML,
your message will be intercepted and returned to you. We do this because
it is the only way to assure that everybody on the list can read your
mail.

--There is a mail size limit of 20,000 characters and we don't allow
attachments. Do not try to post pictures, they won't get through.

--Please quote only for context. Do not quote other people's entire
messages when replying. The list server can identify messages that are
more than about 50% quoted text and return them.

--Search the List Archive and the Technical Resource Library. 
In other words, consult the extensive resources available to
you at www.type2.com before asking on the list. You will get more
information faster that way. If you ask frequently asked questions
(FAQs) or frequently annoying recurring threads (FARTS), people will be
inclined to ignore you or become caustic.

--Vendors are welcome and encouraged to participate in the list--we've
had several vendors who have been valued list members. Specific answers
to specific queries about products and pricing are fine, but please
avoid repeatedly posting advertisements. What we're looking for here is
high information value for the listees. If we think you are merely
spamming we will moderate you very quickly.

--Occasionally, a list member will have a problem with the performance
of a vendor or with a private transaction gone bad. If you are having
trouble with a vendor, do everything you reasonably can to resolve it
WITH THE VENDOR before you bring it to the list. Do not ambush people.
If you can't resolve it yourself, it is a valid topic for discussion on
the list, but please stick to the facts of the vendor's product or
performance. Flames are not appropriate EVEN IF you can prove you've
been shafted.

--Do not ever refrence an E-Bay auctions or other auctions (whether yours
or someone elses) on the list. We filter heavily for this. If we want to 
know what is for sale on eBay we will go there and look.  We submitted 
this subject to the list for a vote and the majority of listmembers did 
NOT want to see E-Bay posts, so that's the way it is. 

--Try to write using conventional capitalization, syntax and spelling.
It indicates respect for the reader, and intentionally ignoring these
conventions indicates contempt.


_______________________________________________________________________________
PRIVACY POLICY

We detest spammers. We will not sell or share our subscriber lists no
matter what the inducement. Our list server will not reveal the
addresses of subscribers through automated commands. Our web site does
not employ cookies. We utilize a web "reflector" so people can read list
mail without being subscribed to the list; the reflector obliterates
your email address before posting your mail where the world can see it.

We do log all web transactions and all mail transactions; this is done
strictly for the sake of security. We do not keep track of your browsing
habits. By subscribing to this list you have not consented to receive
"promotional email" or any other such rubbish. In short, we will not spy
on you, and if you have trusted us with your email address we will do
our best to see that your trust is not betrayed.


_______________________________________________________________________________
LEGAL STUFF

1. This is not a moderated list. The administrator doesn't see the
messages until you do, maybe later than you do, and because of the
nature of this medium the administrator has no way of retracting
messages from public view. Propogation is automatic; once you send a
message, it's gonna go, and there's no way of stopping it.

2. Since that is true, the administrator cannot control what is posted
to this list, and therefore disclaims any responsibility for the
messages the list server propogates. If you post a message, you alone
are responsible for it. If you don't like that, then don't post
messages.

3. This list is distributed from a server located in the USA. By United
States copyright law (and by treaty with many other countries), messages
posted to this list are copyrighted with all rights reserved by their
respective authors. The administrator of this list makes no claim to
ownership of your messages and will not republish or sell them, and
neither should anybody else.

However, cross-posting is common on the Net whether it is authorized or
not, and if you post a message to this list it will automatically be
entered into at least two publicly accessible online archives, where it
will remain permanently. If you don't like the possibility of your words
being cross-posted or archived, then don't post messages.