Well...
=2E.. one piece of advice that used to be around on this list when it was th=
e
XLCHC, not the XMCA -- and which is common on lists and in newsgroups, and
given in FAQs -- is to hang around for a while, and absorb the style by
"listening" (which is of course actually reading. With an ear for the
cultural overtones. Students on course do not generally have this luxury of
lurkertime, but that is a different matter.)
Another characteristic of the xlists, is the tolerance -- well, even the
collective *craving* for "half-baked" ideas. This metaphor has a long
tradition here (I don't know about elsewhere). Half-bakedness is both a
road sign to a good practice: to be able to spin out your thoughts quite
informally as the current situation makes reasonable, and and be read in
style ... AND a lovely metaphor, which never stops yielding new variations
in the xlist contributions. Bread and potatoes...
Then... as for the levels of formality and informality: I'd say from
experience that any clothes are OK, it's the content that counts.
The old Welcome Msg used to say: "Be considerate." That is VERY important,
on one hand, and on the other hand it is so self-evident that one shouldn't
even have to mention it?
=46inally: one thing that belongs to xlist practice, and is very
recommendable for any e-list with aspirations for lively and lasting
communication is to take note of what others write. Respond to it.
Dialogue. Multilogue. Connect. Interact (I have this from Fay Sudweeks and
her collaborators, writing about what makes e-lists tick. But also from
xlist experience.) So I'd recommend a nervous newcomer to bring a couple of
pine needles to the communal anthill, rather than attempting to stake out
the place for a new anthill site...
On the other hand, if you have a question it will generally receive some
helpful answers.
Eva Ekeblad
confused in California