Sinclair Discussion List

Welcome to the list!

This is the information you receive upon subscribing to the electronic mailing list

  sinclair@quarterman.org

It is a mailing list for the extended Sinclair family. All relatives of the Sinclair family, including those with surnames spelled St. Clair, Sinkler, and other related families and people throughout the world, regardless of their surnames, are invited to participate. There is a copy of this message in the web page sinclair.quarterman.org/list.html

``Never attack the individual. One can be in total disagreement with someone without denigrating him as a consequence.''
—Pierre Elliot Trudeau, as told by Justin Trudeau

Members of Clan Sinclair U.S.A. are especially invited to participate, as are our cousins in Canada, Scotland, England, Wales, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other parts of the world. All these organizations and locations are listed in the web pages, sinclair.quarterman.org/.

In this list we try to stir up information. This is a discussion list; it will be confusing at times, and it often has many people going in different directions. For refined stories you will do well to also join one or more of the clan organizations so you can get their newsletters. And don't forget the Prince Henry Sinclair Society of North America, sinclair.quarterman.org/phssna.html.

How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Before you can send a message to the list, you must subscribe to the list.

The Subscriber hereby agrees and acknowledges that this Sinclair Discussion List is provided on a voluntary basis, without obligation or compensation of any kind. The Subscriber further agrees and acknowledges by applying to subscribe to, by subscribing to, or by accessing the Sinclair Discussion List that the subscription, and all access to The Sinclair Discussion List is a privilege, and is subject to the prior approval of, and acceptance of The Subscriber by The Sinclair Discussion List Provider. All Subscribers shall fully identify themselves before their application to join or communicate on The Sinclair Discussion List will be considered.
The Sinclair Discussion List Provider as used herein shall mean any or all of the following; the individuals, companies, or their employees that provide time, technical facilities, or other resources, and any sponsors and individuals that assist directly or indirectly in maintaining the Sinclair Discussion List including without limitation of any of the forgoing; John Sinclair Quarterman, Quarterman Creations, Matrix.Net, Inc., and those individuals contributing to the provision of this Sinclair Discussion List.
The Subscriber may, without notice or reason of any kind, be refused access to the list, at any time or times. The Subscriber further agrees that the Sinclair Discussion List Provider assumes no responsibility of any kind for the communications on The Sinclair List including without limitation, the opinions, views, comments or information on the list, or of the use to which any communication may be put. All such communications and information contained on The Sinclair Discussion List are those of the Subscribers alone, and shall not directly or indirectly, be construed as those of, or attributed to The Sinclair Discussion List Provider.

The List

To subscribe or to unsubscribe, use the web page sinclair.quarterman.org/listsub.html

Please note that after you successfully use the web form, it may still take a few hours for the subscription to take effect. This is because, in order to keep spam off the list, each new member has to be manually approved by the list owner. Such approval is usually done as soon as the list owner reads the request, but please remember that the list owner is an unpaid volunteer just like you, and possibly also your relative. Have patience.

Once you are on the list, you will receive a copy of each message that is posted to the list.

The Digest

Alternatively, you can subscribe to the digest form of the list, by using the web page sinclair.quarterman.org/digest.html Then you will receive only one message a day, containing copies of all the list correspondence from the previous day.

Change of Address

To change your subscription address, simply unsubscribe from the old address and subscribe again using the new address.

How to Post

To post a message to the list, send an electronic mail message to sinclair@quarterman.org, or use the web form
sinclair.quarterman.org/listpost.html

When you subscribe, please also post a message to sinclair@quarterman.org describing your relation (if any) to one of these families. You don't have to be a relative to subscribe, and for that matter probably most of the subscribers have not completely identified exactly how we are all connected.

Remember, this is not a moderated list. There is no moderator. There is no publisher. No one decides what to publish. Postings are automatic.

That's the power of the list. Post and hundreds of people get your message!

As a subscriber said: ``It appears that you have unwittingly learned the beauty of this list — post and they will respond!''

Look at your To: header!

When a list member sends a message to the list, it goes to the list. There is no manual intervention. When it goes, it goes. Everybody gets it. There is no going back. It's gone. Don't ask me to stop a message for you. There is nothing I or anyone else can do about it, no more than we can make the sun rise in the west.

Think before you post. Consider who you intend your message for.

=>> Look at your To: header <<=

to see who it will go to. If it says

To: sinclair@quarterman.org

it will go to the list!

You wouldn't throw a paper letter in the mail without looking at the address on it, would you? Take the same care with your electronic mail!

How the List Works

Whenever anyone sends a message to the list, sinclair@quarterman.org, each subscriber receives a copy of that message. Any subscriber can respond to that message, by sending another message to sinclair@quarterman.org. This way list subscribers can discuss topics of interest to the list.

The only exceptions are messages that have some sort of error in them, such as a posting address that is not the one that the poster used to join the list, that causes them to bounce.

In general, once you send it to the list, it goes to the list. Computers do all the work. Nobody intervenes. It's gone. It can't be stopped. It can't be taken back.

Topics to Post to this List

The topics that are of interest to the list are determined by the discussion in the list. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:

Sinclair family history,
Sinclair genealogy,
Sinclair organizations,
Sinclair families.
Notable Sinclair people.
Related publications.
Events that Sinclairs are likely to attend, such as Highland Games,
The 600th anniversary celebration of Prince Henry Sinclair's voyage,
Places Sinclairs came from, such as Roslin, Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll, England, Normandy, or Norway.
Information about religion can be helpful in determining where or when to search for an ancestor.

I would like to encourage list subscribers to copy (Cc: sinclair@quarterman.org) answers to such questions to the list, rather than responding only to the person who asked the question. That way, other interested parties on the list may find additional information.

Topics Not to Post to this List

Certain topics are forbidden on this list.

Do not send virus reports to this list (see below).
Do not send chain letters to this list.
Do not post lengthy excerpts (more than 50 words) from copyrighted material that is less than 50 years old.
Do not use this list to try to convert someone to your religion.
Discussion concerning the immediate ancestors of living people is not welcomed if it would discomfit the living.
Subscribers use this list to discuss both genealogy and history; arguments about which should predominate are fruitless.

Attachments

Superfluous attachments have in the past caused more people to leave the list than any other thing. Therefore the list software now strips attachments automatically before postings reach the list.

Plain text is passed through unchanged, except:
Excessively long quotations are truncated; such truncations are marked each time with [ Excess quotations omitted. ]
HTML is removed.
Pictures and other graphics (icons, paintings, drawings, genealogical charts, etc.) are removed.
Executables are removed. This prevents viruses from being distributed through the list.
However, the list software cannot protect you from viruses that are not sent through the list. See Viruses.

See also the web pages Margaret has prepared about plain text electronic mail, sinclair.quarterman.org/mail/.

Pictures

As you can see above, it is not possible to send pictures directly through the list.

If you want to send pictures or other graphics (genealogical charts, icons, paintings, etc.) for all on the list to see, it is often better to send them to the maintainer of the web pages rather than posting them to the list.
Even better, post your pictures in your own web pages and post the URL (web address) to the list.
Or join the Sinclair Genealogy List, sinclair-roots@yahoogroups.com, and upload your chart to the shared files section for all members to see.

Guestbook

Paul has also set up a GuestBook, kingcrest.com/Sinclair/Guestbook.cfm, and he has arranged that entries in the guestbook are forwarded automatically to the list. He has even arranged for replies to guestbook entries on the list to be automatically forwarded to the person who made the original entry.

List Etiquette

There are numerous online compilations of etiquette guidelines, such as for example:
www.quarterman.org/matrix/et.html
Here is a compilation of etiquette guidelines that takes into account various topics that have come up on this list.

Civility

The list is what you, the list subscribers, make of it, and in order for you to make anything of it we must all get along.

Be civil to members of this list.
Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or unfamiliarity with the customs of the clan or of the list or by bugs in electronic mail programs.
Never assume a posting is a personal attack on you or slight against you unless you're directly named the affront is specific and unambiguous; and even then sleep on it first.
Just because a mail message is brief that doesn't mean the writer is being curt or insulting. Electronic mail has its own style, which is not the same as face-to-face talking, the telephone, or paper mail; brevity is the soul of clarity in electronic mail. Not to mention that people often write electronic mail in haste, or with two fingers.
Remember that everyone's opinion is valid as an opinion, even if you disagree with it, think it's stupid, and have facts at your disposal that can demolish it. If you disagree about what you are reading please do it in a polite manner.
Private mail and mail sent to a public list are two different things. Forwarding private mail to a public list without permission from the original sender is very impolite and is not permitted on this list.
Ad hominem attacks (personal attacks) are not permitted on this list.
Threats of bodily harm even off the list are not permitted by list members against list members even off the list, and if evidence is presented to the list owner of same, the person who sent them will be removed from the list.
Everyone makes spelling mistakes from time to time; there's usually no need to remark on them in the list.

Spelling, Quoting, HTML, and CAPS

If you use a spell checker on your postings, you won't risk spelling flames.
Use the Subject: line to really tell what your message is about, don't just use the previous subject line that might not be applicable now.
Quoting enough of a previous message for context is good.
Quoting all of one or more previous messages is usually not good, because it requires the readers to wade through old material again. Trim quotations and old headers. Preserve only what is needed for context for your new information.
When it comes to mailing lists, HTML can cause a lot of problems. Not everyone has the newest software; not all email programs can read HTML; and the HTML sent by many mail programs is not very good anyway. So, if you're on a mailing list, it helps to make sure that your email is going out in a fashion that everyone can read, and that means plain text electronic mail, sinclair.quarterman.org/mail/.
Please DO NOT SEND MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS; people will think you're shouting.
Similarly, don't end every question in multiple question marks??? It makes you look like an idiot??? And don't end every sentence in multiple exclamation marks!!! It makes you look like a shouting idiot!!! You may think it's cute and expressive, but it will cause many people to ignore you entirely.

Etiquette for posting genealogical information to this list

Do some background reading on the web pages, especially the ones on genealogy, which include links to many related web servers and pages.
Join a clan organization so you will get a clan newsletter.
It is best to post a genealogical query to the entire list, because it is impossible to predict who among the many subscribers may know something about your query.
When you post your query, tell us all you can about dates or approximate dates of your oldest ancestor, where they lived and who they married. Include county names whenever you can. We hope to be able to search on locality one day and having county names will help to link up people.
Keep trying periodically. The person that could help you with your search might not not be able to answer you immediately or they might not yet be a subscriber to the list.
Also enter yourself in the web form GuestBook, courtesy Paul Sinclair.
Please don't just listen in and not let us know your information. You very likely have something important to share with others. Speak up!

Etiquette for posting historical information to this list

Do some background reading on the web pages, such as those on history, the FAQ, and the Sinclair 2000 gathering.
Join a clan organization so you will get a clan newsletter.
Be careful with copyrighted information.
Cite your sources.
Speak up! Your historical tidbit may be just as fascinating as anything about a famous historical personage.

Don't be afraid to ask; we're all learning here.

Viruses

Do not send virus reports to this list. Most virus reports turn out to be hoaxes, so forwarding a virus report without examination is like shouting fire in a crowded theater. To find out which are real and which are hoaxes, myths, and urban legends, try these URLs. But do not send virus reports to this list.

virus or hoax?	http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/	http://antivirus.about.com
real viruses	http://www.f-secure.com/	http://securityresponse.symantec.com/
hoaxes	http://www.f-secure.com/virus-info/hoax/	http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
more hoaxes	http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
myths	http://www.vmyths.com/
urban legends	http://www.urbanlegends.com/

Windows security check	https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Related Web Pages

Much related information may be found in

or through the many links they contain.

List Maintainer

The list maintainer is John Sinclair Quarterman (jsq). Please note, once again, that what gets discussed in the list is determined by the members of the list. I am not a moderator; I do not decide what gets posted or not. I merely set up and maintain the mechanics of the list. The content of the list is up to you, the subscribers.

From the List to the Web Pages

Messages posted to this list often find their way into the Clan Sinclair web pages, sinclair.quarterman.org/. In fact, the great majority of the material in those web pages came from the list. The web page maintainer asks permission before using material in the web pages, with the exception of brief anonymous excerpts for use in the comments about the list and the comments about the web pages.

Last changed: $Date: 2002/10/12 22:01:56 $