This is the same information that I give in the letter that I send out to anyone who sends me mail inquiring about how to join the thread. So, if you read this entire message, and still want to join, then follow the instructions given, and you should get added. Don't send me mail asking me how to join. I will just send you a letter with the same info as below. :)
PLEASE READ THIS LETTER THOROUGHLY!!!! It has vital information you need to join the list. There are certain things you MUST do in order to be subscribed to the list. After you read this letter, you should know exactly what to do to get on the list. . By going on to join the list, you are signing your name and promising to abide by the rules stated.
Depending upon how much internet knowledge you already have, this thread may or may not seem very different to you. We have always been more like a group of friends, than an email list. This list has the feel of a close family, and we hope that we will always be able to keep that feeling!The Xanthread was created over a year and a half ago, by a smart man who thought it would be a good idea to get together with other Xanth lovers, and talk to them. So, he did just that. People who were interested sent him their email address, and that address was sent out to the rest of the interested folks. Everyone had a list of email addresses of people who like Xanth. We have only recently become more organized in the sense of having an automated list, so please be warned that in other areas, we may still not be highly organized. We are NOT perfect. What we are is a group of people who like to talk about Xanth.
We have always considered the XanThread to be like a group of individuals sitting together in a circle, in the middle of the forest. We still are like that. You have to speak to everyone, and follow certain rules of conduct or the conversations will become horrendous. The members need to be understanding when problems occur, because not only is the list imperfect, but so am I, the listkeeper. We are only humans here, so our members must always be understanding, patient people. If you cannot tolerate minor annoyances, and problems from time to time, then you should probably not join. If you want to have some fun, and enjoy the company of other Xanthians, then WELCOME TO XANTH!
ISSUE 1: THE ADULT CONSPIRACY: "No four letter words!"
In the xanth novels, Piers Anthony frequently refers to the "Adult Conspiracy" (AC). This means that children are not allowed to know certain things. Only people above a certain age are allowed to know where babies come from, "How the stork is summoned", or are allowed to speak, or hear certain words. You will see later, in steps to join, that although we ask that you tell us your age, there is NO AGE LIMIT on this E-mail list. That means we have members under the age of the AC, as young as 10 years. Since we are Loyal Xanthians, we abide by the AC, and NO ADULT RELATED MATERIAL is tolerated on the list. No vulgar language or profanity, and no discussion of sexual topics.Failure to abide by this rule will result in removal from the list. ALSO, do not send any adult related material to ANY addresses you may gain access to, after joining the list, or any addresses you find while perusing our homepage. If any inappropriate materials are sent to thread members, the person sending will immediately be removed from the list. The addresses of the thread members are for Xanth Mail ONLY, with FEW exceptions. BUT we NEVER accept adult related material!
ISSUE 2: MUTUAL RESPECT: "Be nice to EVERYONE!"
On this list we expect members to treat each other with respect and
dignity. We are all people, and we all deserve fair treatment. This
means NO RACISM, NO AGE-ISM, NO SEXISM, AND NO FLAMING! In other
words regardless of who you are, how old you are, where you're from,
or anything else, here on the xanth list, we are all equals. We will
not tolerate name calling or derogatory remarks or slurs. Nor will we
tolerate fighting or arguing amongst members, or anyone thinking they
are better, smarter, more powerful or more talented than others. This
means no flaming or yelling at other members. Remember the saying,
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!"
Infraction of this rule will result in removal from the list.
ISSUE 3: GENERATIVITY: "How much mail am I going to get?"
The Xanth/Piers Anthony E-mail list has over 100 members. We produce
A LOT of mail. We have at one time generated 100 pieces of mail in
one day. It is hard to say what the average number of mail messages
on a normal day would be, as it varies. Still, it is important
to know that it is possible that if you join, you may receive 50
messages or more a day. This is a lot of mail. If this is a problem,
you may be unable to join the list, so be sure that you are aware of
this fact. It is sad when we have members who join, and then ask to
be removed a week later, because it is "too much mail". If you cannot
handle large amounts of mail, do not join the list.
Also, if you have a free email service, such as Hotmail or Juno, please be aware that these services were not designed for a lot of mail. If you do join, please be prepared to keep up with your mail, because if you box fills and your mail starts bouncing, you may be removed from the list.
ISSUE 4: SHARED ACCOUNTS: "This is Mom's E-mail account"
If the E-mail account you are using is not your own, or if you are
sharing it with someone, *please* make sure that the other user/s of
the account also read this letter before you join. It is important
that they also know how much mail you will be receiving, and approve.
This will stop any chances of someone having to leave the list,
because their account's owner is angry about the amount of mail they
are getting. We have even had the unfortunate occurrence of list
members getting angry mails asking to remove someone from the list,
and saying they never subscribed, when in fact, someone else, using
their account, subscribed. If everyone is informed, situations like
this are less likely to occur.
ISSUE 5: READ THE FAQ!!!
This is a rule of thumb when using the Internet. With this list, it
is a MUST. You MUST read the FAQ before joining. It will tell you
about all of the minor rules for our list, and give you all the
information you need. A FAQ is a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
By reading the FAQ, you will answer many of the questions you have,
and you will know how to post appropriately to the list. You will
also learn a bit more about how our list works, and that will help
you to know whether you will want to join or not.
STEP 1: Read this info letter thoroughly.
It is required that you read this letter, before you join the list. Following the steps given here, shows me that you have read this message, and that you are informed. Follow the steps below, and I will add you officially to the list.STEP 2: READ THE FAQ!!!
I used to send out the FAQ to members *after* they joined the list, but it seems that not everyone is reading the FAQ. :( You must read the FAQ, and understand all the rules of the thread before joining the list. If you have not read the FAQ, you will not be admitted to the list. After you have read the FAQ, you can go on with writing your bio, as the steps below outline.
STEP 3: Choose a persona, and a talent.
Here on the Xanthread we are all great lovers of Xanth, so much so, that we wish we could go there for a visit, perhaps even live there. One way to become more a part of xanth, and to make xanth come to life here in Mundania, is to adopt a xanth persona and talent. A persona is an identity that you can take on, like a xanth character that you become. It can be either an actual character from one of the xanth novels, or similar to the types of creatures you would find there. For example, you can be the Good Magician Humfrey or the Gorgon. Or you can be a centaur, naga, ogre, dragon, or any other xanthish creature of your own creation.Some of our members have not chosen a xanth name. Some go by their real names, some by another nickname or alias, and some even chose names from other Piers Anthony books/series'. Be creative. Be you. Find an identity that matches who you are. But remember, we are here for Xanth and Piers Anthony, so try to stay along those lines, if you can. But if you must be someone else, go for it. And then tell us why, in your bio.
Also remember to include what your talent is. Every human in Xanth has a talent, unless they are a mundane, and many xanth creatures also have talents. Come up with a new and interesting talent. Make your talent specific, AND limited. Remember, there are very FEW magicians in Xanth, so do NOT choose a Magician calibur talent. Try to limit your talent in some way, or make it specialized so that it isn't too powerful. And don't forget, THERE ARE NEVER TWO OF THE SAME TALENTS in Xanth. The same goes here.
Unfortunately, since there are already over 100 members on the list, many of the Xanth Novel characters are taken. Please look at our persona list, and find a persona that is NOT on the list. And if you have trouble choosing one, the thread members can help you, after you join. Have fun choosing! :)
STEP 4: Write a bio.
What's a bio??? It's an autobiography, a little story about you. We want to know a little about who you are, why you joined, why you like Piers, what your other interests are, and anything else you'd like to tell us. This is your first and last chance to talk incessantly about something besides Xanth. ANY AND ALL INFORMATION YOU GIVE IS COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY. However, we do REQUIRE, that you send some sort of bio, and include your age AND make SURE you include the email address that you want your xanth mail sent to. The bio is just to make sure that you are a truly sincere person, and not someone who will be here today and gone tomorrow. It also gives the list a more friendly atmosphere, where we know who we are talking to. And, it may spark some conversation.We also ask (not require) that you give your gender, simply to avoid embarrassing confusions, calling a girl, "He", etc. It is helpful if you include the information in the table below. It is a good starting point for your bio, and it includes the most asked for information.
Real Name & E-mail address
Age & Gender Home/Where you live
Persona(if you have chosen one)
Talent(if you have chosen one)
Birthday
Favorite Xanth Novel
Beyond that, you can include anything you like. If you would like to see some bios done by our present list members, let me know, and I can send you a few examples. Mail me, and write in the subject line "XIL: Bio examples" And then in the letter say you want to see some example bios. Your bio will be sent to the entire list, so if there is something you wish to remain confidential, DO NOT INCLUDE IT! Also, Please DO NOT quote this entire message, when sending me your bio.
STEP 5: Send it all to the listowner
In the subject line, write "XIL: BIO". This shows me that you have read this Info Letter, and are submitting your bio for approval. Also, be sure to include as your first line, what is indicated in the FAQ. READ THE FAQ! Somewhere in the FAQ, it tells you to write a certain line of text as the first line of your bio!!! If this line is not in your bio, I will not add you. Please, do not simply skim through the FAQ looking for what to write in your bio!!! It is VERY important that you read the FAQ before joining the list. If you do not read the entire FAQ, you may make a mistake which will cause you to be removed from the list! As far as your bio, make sure you include your age, gender, and a persona, if you have chosen one. If your subject line does *not* say "XIL: BIO" I will not accept it, and will very likely send you another copy of this letter. I need to be sure that you have read this entire letter, and the entire FAQ before you can be admitted to the thread. And, *Please, Please, Please* do NOT quote this entire message, when sending me your bio. And do NOT send your bio as an attachment. Send it as a regular e-mail message. And do NOT type in ALL CAPS!
STEP 6: Wait!
I will read your bio. If there are any problems, I will write you back, and we can work them out. If your bio is okay, I will send you a message asking you to subscribe to the automated list. After you do that, I will approve you, and you will be added to the list officially. I will then send a new member post to the list, welcoming you to the group. You will also receive the welcome post, and that will tell you that you have been added to the list! You will also receive a welcome message from the automated list, telling you how to unsubscribe if you need to, and some other list information.Please remember that I have to read your bio first, and make sure that everything is in order. I also have to read another hundred or so bios. You are NOT the only person waiting to be added!!! I have to read all the bios, and request changes when necessary. It is all a very time consuming process. It may take a few months before you get added. I also add people to the list in groups, so you will have to wait for the day of adding to come. So, be patient! You will know I have sent in your name when you receive the welcome letter.
