ScribeTribe FAQ

The ScribeTribe is an email discussion group among people who keep journals, either online or private paper (book) journals.  (There are other email discussion groups specifically for people who keep Online Journals, as well as subgroups for specific kinds of journals.)  The people who make up the group come from many countries of the world, representing a broad spectrum of beliefs, philosophies, lifestyles, and cultures.  We took the word "tribe" as an appropriate description because of the unique (at least in the electronic world) manner in which we relate to each other:  even though the single common denominator among all of us is that we all journal in one way or another, and in spite of the sometimes callous nature of the electronic medium, we strive to treat each person as if we were face-to-face in their presence; further, there is a strong sense of support among our members, so that even while we disagree on various ideas, we have come to care about the people behind the ideas and respect their individuality.
 

We don't have a unique format, really. People are free to discuss pretty much whatever they wish, although usually in the context of journal-keeping.  Several of the members contribute a regular "Topic du Jour" -- a question posed for other members to write about. Often the reponses lead to further discussion and exchange of ideas.
 

Well, the main guideline is that our discussions somehow relate to journaling -- either tools and techniques for journal, journal-oriented books/authors (and we have some authors on our list!), and topics to journal about.  Sometimes there are issues that individuals wish to carry on more lengthy discussions that are't really about journaling and don't really interest the group; usually we ask that such off-topic discussion be continued either in private, or by developing a sublist among interested parties.  (One example is the WriteWeight list -- several members who frequently journal about weight issues.) 
 

posts to the whole group are sent to:    scribetribe@onelist.com
 

The DEFAULT is for responses to go to the individual who sent the post you are responding to. Please be careful about hitting the "Reply to All" button...this results in a copy going to the whole group AND a copy to the individual.  If you use "Reply to All", DELETE ALL THE OTHER ADDRESSES.  (Note: the default reply-to address was to the group, but we changed in in order to reduce the amount of excess traffic.)
 

We try to follow basic "netiquette" email guidelines, which have been agreed upon through the electronic community for years: 

Generally, no.  We have discussed all sorts of things, including political issues, religious beliefs, sexuality, and a whole lot more.  The ScribeTribe is specifically NOT a forum for debate on ANY issue.  Our focus is on Journals -- all these other topics come in because we do write journal entries about them, we are interested in them, and often we do have personal feelings about them.  But in reading other people's comments, we treat them the same as if we had found someone's journal open on the table -- we can read them but just like a person's journal is private, not up for 'debate', we try to treat other people's opinions as their personal property.  We don't see ourselves as managers of other people's opinions.  The Administrator does not apply his personal beliefs as the "guiding light" for what other's should write about or belief, nor does his personal taste constitute what might or might not be "socially acceptable".

It is possible, but not the preferred method of restoring order.   If someone is flagrantly ignoring the posting guidelines (e.g., not trimming responses, sending multiple responses, etc.) the Administrator will send a private note first.  For verbal abuse, rudeness, disregard of other people's sensibilities, the Administrator will send a private note; if the behavior continues, the person can be removed from the list. 
 

Everyone has their own tolerance level for foul language and so forth, and most people can speak up for themselves if something grates on them the wrong way. The administrator  will get involved if a post is clearly meant to offend or attack another person (which is different from attacking an idea). 
 

Generally, forwarding things from other sources this is frowned upon.   It is okay to send one, if you want to add to it, writing about how it affected your life, or provides a "Topic du Jour" or other people to write about.  If you wish to share something from another group or from another subscribed mailout, it is asked that you do it ONLY if you can relate it to the journaling experience.  Be sure to include information for others to subscribe to such mailouts, rather than simply forwarding such things to this group.  Providing that information allows people to get it themselves if they really want it.   We are here to learn about each other through our own writing; if we want the daily jokes, Bible verses, "chicken soups", etc., we can subscribe to them elsewhere on our own.