Welcome to the Freelance
mailing list!

As of 01/26/01, eGroups has become Yahoo Groups. To use the web site you must register for a Yahoo ID at Yahoo Groups

Q: Do I need a Yahoo ID to use the list?
A: No. See the "Email Only" commands list.

eGroups users: Convert your eGroups account to a Yahoo ID by clicking on Link Your Accounts Here on the left sidebar.
Other users: Create a Yahoo ID by clicking on Click here to register.

EMAIL ONLY

If you do not intend to use the web site to alter any of your settings or delivery options, you do not need a Yahoo ID. These are the basic email commands:

Email Commands for Freelance

Post message: Freelance@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: Freelance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: Freelance-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Singles: Freelance-normal@yahoogroups.com
Digest: Freelance-digest@yahoogroups.com
Postpone: Freelance-nomail@yahoogroups.com
List owner: Freelance-owner@yahoogroups.com
Command help: Freelance-help@yahoogroups.com
Freelance page: http://www.comteck.com/~tanuki/
Yahoo URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Freelance

WEB SITE (requires a Yahoo ID and password)

After you've logged into the Yahoo Groups site at http://www.groups.yahoo.com your settings are divided into three parts:

A. Settings for individual mailing lists (Freelance).

On the My Groups page, click on the mailing list name on the left sidebar (Freelance). On the Freelance page, click on the phrase Delivery Options on the top bar. (This is also found on the right side in the Membership section.)

This is where you specify that your preferences for this list only (as opposed to all lists). If you want to change to singles, digest, or postpone, to change the address where the list sends you email, or to add more addresses for posting to the list, you do it on this page. Click the Save Changes button after you make any changes.

Individual messages (singles) is the default.
Daily Digest collects the days' messages into one email, delivered each evening.
No Mail/Web Only is postpone. Please use this option when you go on vacation, rather than Unsubscribe. No Mail allows you to continue to read messages on the web site and email the list. Thanks.

B. Settings for all mailing lists (My Groups).

On any Yahoo Groups page, click on the phrase My Preferences on the right side of the Welcome bar at the top.

The settings on this page apply to all the mailing lists that you're on (in theory), and are fairly self-explanatory. You click on the Edit button to make changes, and click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page to finalize those changes.

C. Settings for Yahoo in general (My Profile).

To get to this area, look at the very tiptop of each Yahoo Groups page. You'll see the phrase Account Info. Click it.

This is the equivalent of the old eGroups Profile: you specify what, if any, information about yourself you want to have made available to others. This is where you create a Yahoo Profile (if you want one); see Edit/Create Profile in the "Public Information" sidebar on the right. Click the Edit buttons to make changes; click the Finish button at the button to finalize those changes.

Note that this is also the page where you opt out of getting those "special offers" (if you missed that check box during the original sign up). This is one of the Edit options under Member Information.

IMPORTANT Remember to click Save Changes or Finish whenever you've made a change!

2. About the List

	Currently, the list has three managers: Vickie West, Deborah Shaw, and Dan Wilson. To contact all of us in one swell foop, send an email to freelance-owner@yahoogroups.com.
	Fair warning: If you're not a freelancer and/or interested in doing freelance work, you may be uncomfortable on this list. It's all self-employment, all the time.
	Your subscription will be announced on the list, but you're under no obligation to introduce yourself. Please feel free to lurk quietly if you want. Go ahead and post whenever you want. Unsubscriptions are not announced.
	Many questions can be answered by this web site. Check it out.
	Many other questions can be answered by the list archives at Yahoo Groups. Log in, click on Freelance, click on Messages on the left sidebar, try the search engine.
	The full list of members (name only) is available to our current subscribers in the Files area at Yahoo Groups. Log in, click on Freelance, click on Files in the left sidebar, click on subscribers.

3. Posting Do's and Don'ts

Anyone who does not follow these guidlines will be placed on moderated status.

	The address for the list: freelance@yahoogroups.com
	New subscribers are placed temporarily on Moderated status. Emails to the list will be slightly delayed-- so don't keep sending them.
	If you use the automatic reply option of your email program, your reply goes to the list. If you want to send a private message to an individual, copy-and-paste the individual's email address into the To: line.
	In replies, DO NOT quote all of the original post. Quote only those phrases you are responding to, and keep the quotes as brief as possible. EDIT the original to the bone.
	If your email program is set to attach the full text of the original post to your reply, change the setting. Do not resend the entire original message. If you don't know how to change your settings, please ask for help on the list. If you repeatedly post entire messages, we're going to discuss this with you.
	Try to keep signature files down to a few lines. Freelance is an ad-free list, but long sigs are still a blight on humanity.
	Yahoo automatically attaches a "[Freelance]" tag to the subject line of all list mail. If you are filtering your email, you can use this as a variable.
	If you're on digest mode, be sure to change the subject heading when you reply to a post. Important: never, ever quote an entire digest in a list reply. Always check this before you send your reply.
	Never forward virus warnings, chain email, "greeting card" notices, or other such material to this mailing list.

4. Discussion Rules (Netiquette)

Discuss or ask about anything work related that you want. You do the work, so you are the best judge of whether something is on-topic.

General advice for this list:

	Don't post those one-line thank-you messages on the list (unless they have other content as well). Send them privately to the person you're thanking.
	Regarding business advice, use anything you read here at your own risk. Remember that the subscribers on this list only speak from their own experience—you'll have to decide whether any advice you get is in your best interests.
	The majority here feels that it's okay to name one's clients during a discussion. But there's a catch: should you decide to get specific during a gripefest, you must use good judgment. Facts are good: "I sent an invoice to Happy Squirrel Press on Jan. 3. As of March 3, I haven't gotten a check." Opinions are bad: "Happy Squirrel Press is screwing me over, so I guess they never pay anyone on time."
	Regarding rates, assume that hourly rates are highly variable. There's no set way to calculate them. Nor are all jobs calculated by the hour. Revealing one's rates is strictly a matter of personal choice. Price fixing is a nonissue here.

How to get kicked off this mailing list:

	Argue with a moderator or ignore a moderator's request regarding this mailing list. If one of us asks you to stop doing something, stop doing it. If one of us asks you for subscription-related information, provide it.
	Persist with an off-topic discussion after you've been asked to move it off the list. (Religion and politics are off topic.)
	Flame (insult) other list members. Be civil. As a general rule, if you're feeling tense or irritated, it's a good idea to file your reply away for an hour or more before sending it, thus giving yourself time to reconsider.
	Post advertising. We are an anti-spam list. If you post advertising, you will be kicked off, pronto.

If you persist in your evil ways, you will be shown the door and banned from returning.

5. Common Terms

CE-L: Short for COPYEDITING-L, an unaffiliated mailing list. See the links for the link to more info.
INDEX-L: The indexing mailing list. See the links for more info.
LMP: Literary Marketplace, an annual volume listing publishers(addresses, phone numbers, personnel, subjects, etc.), as well as editorial services and freelancers. LMP is usually found at the reference desk of your local library. (Also see links.)
"Judd's book": Copyediting: A Practical Guide by Karen Judd. The online bookstores sell it.
"Rogers's book": Editorial Freelancing: A Practical Guide by Trumbull Rogers. (Ditto.)
FOL: Freelance Online, an unaffiliated website.

And, of course, if you've any questions, just ask a list manager.

An up-to-date text copy of these guidelines (the group's welcome message) is always available in the Files area at Yahoo Groups.

Vickie West
(tanuki@comteck.com)

Deborah Shaw
(shawd@mindspring.com)

Dan Wilson
(editor@editorsdesktop.com)

[version 7.0, 29-Jan-2001: temporary]


Copyright © 2001, Vickie West, tanuki@comteck.com. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 3.0/Netscape 4.0 and above.

Welcome to the Freelance mailing list!

1. List Options