MHA E-mail Guidelines

How it works:

  1. You send an email to residents@mistletoeheights.org
  2. The email is placed in a holding “bucket” and one of the moderators then approves the email and sends it on it’s way or they don’t and send it back to you with comments
  3. I am not sure if the software automagically let’s you know when an email is rejected. Or if the moderator has to let you know. I will look
  4. The moderators may get to it quickly or they may not depending up on the whims of nature. The moderators are human after all
  5. Personal property items may be posted for sale or rent up to twice a week, up to a maximum of 10 items in each
  6. Very few of us can send out email without it first being moderated
  7. By default, email that is sent on it’s way will also be sent to the original sender (i.e. you get a copy of what you sent). Very, very few people have turned off this feature. For you nerds out there, it’s called the “not metoo” option
  8. The subject line of the email will always start with “[MHA Residents]” so you can filter by subject if you choose
  9. The sender of the email will be “residents-bounces@mistletoeheights.org”, I would put residents-bounces@mistletoeheights.org in your email “whitelist”. Otherwise the email may end up in your junk / spam / trash folder. This is all a function of your email service / reader and not controlled by the email list
  10. We use software called “mailman”. More specifically mailman version 2.1.27. Please feel free to look it up. But don’t, it’s kinda boring. But Wikipedia would be a good place to start
  11. Mailman is old and mature software and works really well. Except when it doesn’t. When something does break and we think it’s Mailman’s fault, we can seldom recreate the error and find out what really happened. Usually the problem is sender error. For example, sometimes email is sent to mistletoeheights.com instead of mistletoeheights.org. But overall the error rate with this system is low and we have been up and running for ~8 years or more but I’m not really sure how long
  12. BTW, we frown upon email that is political, mean spirited, or about the “dog poop” problem in your front yard
  13. Finally, sometimes you stop receiving email from Mailman due to your mailbox being full or your email address no longer working. You might want to check


photo credit: Rodger Mallison

What:
MHA E-mail Distribution List guidelines for the e-mail address residents@mistletoeheights.org

Purpose:
The e-mail distribution list is used for announcements, emergencies, lost pets, threats to life and limb, criminal activity, etc. It may also be used for thoughtful, civil and respectful discussion of issues vital to the neighborhood.

Moderator:
The e-mail list is not direct delivery, but rather has one or more moderators. The moderators review each incoming e-mail and release the e-mail to the list according to the below set of guidelines.

Replies:
When reply-all is used, the reply will be sent to the whole list (through a moderator). When an individual reply to the sender is used (not a reply-all), the reply is sent to the individual sender only and is not sent to the whole list, and is not even seen by the moderators. Think about it before replying: do you want to reply to the sender or to the entire list? Do you want the reply to be sent now or via the moderators?

E-mail Guidelines:

  • No political messages
  • No religious messages
  • No commercial messages. The exception to this rule is: If you are a Mistletoe Heights property owner you may list personal items you own for sale as well as a home or apartment you own in Mistletoe Heights you have for sale or rent. You may not include a realtor reference to any home sales or rentals.
  • No advertisements, announcements, invitations or fundraiser posts for non-profit or for profit organizations unless they are directly connected to the schools in our neighborhood’s district (the Paschal Pyramid consists of Lily B. Clayton Elementary, McLean Middle School and Paschal High School) or the organization’s post has a direct effect on the neighborhood. An example might be a parking or noise issue at the Zoo.
  • Discussion on neighborhood issues should be thoughtful, civil, and respectful. Each e-mail should have a purpose in improving our neighborhood and moving a discussion forward, not in just “piling on” to a point that has already been made. It should not be used for “venting” frustration in the absence of a positive contribution to an issue.
  • The moderator can ask a submitter to reword a message to make it acceptable.
  • When responding to an individual’s request (such as a recommendation for a painter, plumber, etc), respond directly to the requestor. After the requestor has received the responses, they may then send a note back to the list summarizing the responses in a single e-mail, so all may benefit.
  • Members may be removed for consistent violation of the above guidelines.
  • The moderator has the final say on what is sent out. These are only guidelines. The moderators may use their own judgment in occasionally stepping outside the guidelines should they consider it in the best interest of the neighborhood.
  • The moderators may adjust these guidelines over time to improve the list’s benefit to the neighborhood and we ask for our neighbor’s patience as we do so. Comments may be sent to moderator@mistletoeheights.org.

Questions?
Please feel free to ask.