[sumo] Sumo Mailing List FAQ

Wed Mar 11 13:34:08 EDT 2020

SUMO MAILING LIST FAQ

!!! THIS IS AN AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED MESSAGE !!!
!!! THIS IS AN AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED MESSAGE !!!
!!! THIS IS AN AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED MESSAGE !!!

"List Administrator" <sumo-owner at webtrek.com>
Last updated 23 Feb 2008

Welcome to the Sumo Mailing List (SML) FAQ.  This will, hopefully,
answer some of the more common questions asked on the list as well as
provide a few resources for the Sumo aficionado.  This FAQ will be
posted on (or around) the 10th of each month.

If there are any questions regarding this FAQ or the mailing list, please
email: joe.klemmer at gmail.com

General Questions
-----------------

Q: What is the SML?
A: It is an email list where fans and supporters of the Martial Art of
Sumo can discuss and learn about the Culture, History and Sport of Sumo.

Q: Do I need to know Japanese to participate on the list?
A: No.  The language for this list is English.

Q: Ok, so why are there so many Japanese words popping up all over the
place?
A: Sumo is inherently Japanese so it follows that the language of Sumo
would be, too.  However, there are a number of places on the web where
you can find the definitions for any words you don't understand.  See
the Resources section[1].

Q: How do I subscribe to the list?
A: (1) You can subscribe by going to the list website.  See the
Resources section[2].
   (2) You can send an email to sumo-request at webtrek.com with a
subject of "subscribe" (without the quotes).  You can also send a
message to the same address with a subject of "help" to get a complete
list of commands you can use.

Q: What are the rules for posting on the list?
A: There aren't any "written in stone" rules.  However, there are some
generally accepted conventions.

   * It is preferred that you use plain text, but HTML messages are not
forbidden.

   * There are a number of online virtual sumo games that many of the
list members play.  For the courtesy of the rest of the list members, it
is requested that the tag "[Games]" (without the quotes) be prepended to
the subject line of your post.  See the Resources section[3] for some
links to online Sumo games.

   * During the tournaments, it is also strongly requested that any post
containing results or hinting at results of the tournament have the tag
"[Spoiler]" (without the quotes) prepended to the subject line.

   * Occasionally someone on the list will have something available for
sale to list members.  It is highly recommended that the tag "[Sales]"
(without the quotes) be prepended to the subject line.

   * Regardless of your quoting style, please remember to delete any
extraneous lines not specifically needed to keep the flow of the
conversation going.  Quoting signatures or list info lines is considered
bad form and should be avoided whenever possible.  It is preferred that
replying be done below the lines you are quoting (i.e. top quoting) but
it is much more essential that you trim your posts.  That being said,
there are no "style police" here so don't panic if you don't toe the
line for every post you send.  See the Resources section[4] for more
info on this topic.

   * Please refrain from posting what are commonly referred to as "me 
too" messages.  These are posts where one replies to a message with "Me, 
too" or "Agreed" or the like.  It is normally understood that those who 
either have no opinion or agree with the post remain silent, unless they 
have something more specific to add to the discussion.  If, however, you 
feel you _must_ post a "me too" message please, please delete the bulk 
of the quoted material in your reply before you do.  A message 
consisting of one line, usually comprised of two and three words, 
followed by a few pages of quotes is considered quite impolite.

   * As with all text based communication, it is often difficult to
judge the emotional context of someone's posts.  It is not uncommon on
any list for someone to post a statement in jest or as an off-hand
comment and have it end up starting a flame war.  Some people use what
are known as emoticons, or 'smileys', to help convey the intended
emotional reference for their messages.  A good rule of thumb is to
always read all posts as if they were sent to you by your mother (or any
person you have a strong, loving relationship with).  Even the harshest
criticism is blunted and eased if you read it with the mindset that it
is a caring and friendly comment from your dear ol' mum. 

   * The most important thing to remember is that this is all about fun. 
We're not trying to solve world hunger or bring world peace.  It's for
the joy and excitement of all things Sumo.

Q: Is there an archive of this list?
A: There are two, actually.  The list was hosted from 1994 to 2005 on
Banzuke.com but now is hosted on WebTrek.  See the Resource section[5]
for URLs.

Q: Can I search the list archives?
A: A search form has been implemented for the archives hosted on WebTrek.
The archives from Banzuke.com are not yet searchable but it is something
that is being worked on.  See the Resource section[6] for the URL to the
search form.

Q: Can I send attachments through the list?
A: No, attachments are not permitted in order to keep the traffic down
and keep any potential viruses from being propagated.

Q: Why are replies automatically sent to the list instead of the person
who posted the message I'm replying to?
A: There is some debate as to where replies should be directed in a
mailing list.  The SML is set to have replies automatically sent back to
the list.  An informal survey of list members showed this to be the
preferred action.  See the Resource section[7] for more information on
replying to list messages.

Resource Section
----------------
[1] Glossary of Sumo Terms
    http://www.sumoforum.net/glossary.html
[2] Subscribe/Unsubscribe
    http://www.webtrek.com/mailman/listinfo/sumo
[3] Sumo Games
    http://www.sumogames.com/
[4] Email etiquette
    http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
    http://www.gweep.ca/~edmonds/usenet/ml-etiquette.html
    http://web.presby.edu/~nnqadmin/nnq/nquote.html
    http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Mail/challenge-response.html
[5] List archives:
    '94-'05 - http://www.banzuke.com/ArchiveIndex.html
    '05-Present - http://www.webtrek.com/pipermail/sumo/
[6] List archive search form
    http://www.webtrek.com/SML_search.html
[7] "Reply-To Munging Considered Harmful"
    http://www.unicom.com/pw/reply-to-harmful.html
    "Reply-To Munging Considered Useful"
    http://www.metasystema.net/essays/reply-to.mhtml

EOF