RLS: Group Info

[Guest guest]

In a recent letter to Jodi, the group list moderator, I suggested she

inform the group of several bits of information that might be helpful for

new members. By mistake, that letter went to the whole group. It was not

very clear for most readers. I'm going to go ahead and fill in the blanks,

so it will make sense.

The first suggestion was to wish everyone a Happy New Year and offer a

" welcome " to new members. So....here it goes, folks.....HAPPY NEW YEAR and

WELCOME to all the new group members!

The second suggestion was to invite people to visit Jodi's website, which

contains a link to the information page about the group. This page is a

must for new members. Do yourself a favor, and at least scan it quickly.

It's set up like an FAQ page...numbered...easy to find information that you

might need. The URL for Jodi's site is:

http://www.mLists.net/judson/rls.html

The third suggestion was to mention some of the links that will be found on

Jodi's page. She has great links to everything from other RLS pages, to a

very thorough list of medications used for RLS, to sleep disorder sites,

etc. etc. She also has links to transcripts of cyber conferences on RLS.

It's a VERY resourceful site to visit.

The fourth suggestion was to remind the group about the two ways to take

part in this cyber support group. If you go to Jodi's page and click on

the link to the Cyber support group page ( or directly to this URL:

http://www.mLists.net/judson/RLSINTRO.html ) you will find a ton of

information about this group. You will find a description of the REGULAR

version (where you get each email as it is sent out) and the DIGEST version

(where you get one email, early each morning, which contains all the

correspondence from the past day). Some of us use the DIGEST version so we

get less emails to deal with. Others use it to help us be less addicted to

the computer every minute of the day. It's important to realize that some

people do not see the emails for almost 24 hrs after they are sent. So,

there could be ten letters sent, talking about someone...and they might not

get into the conversation until the next morning when their Digest Version

arrives. It's extremely easy to switch from one version to the other. All

that info is on the Information page. Some people use the Regular Version

and then switch to the Digest when they go out of town, so they don't come

home to 150 emails.

The info page will also tell you about group etiquette, how to sign your

letters (with name, age, location), topics that are appropriate, etc. etc.

This information will help prevent misunderstandings and promote an

atmosphere of sharing and tolerance. It's important to remember that group

members may range in age from ten years old to 90+....and they may be

Americans, Dutch, Australian, Canadian, etc. We all type in English, but

some of us are translating from other native languages. Language

differences can easily cause misunderstandings...but we usually clear them

up quickly. We also have people that are JUST dealing with RLS (some

having mild cases and some dealing with very severe cases)...while others

are battling other problems like arthritis, fibromylagia, PLMD,

depression,etc. etc. MOST of us are probably sleep deprived and mad about

this whole thing. Add this to all the normal problems people face, and

the fact that we can't see facial expressions or hear tone of voice, and

you can see the potential for problems. We also have differences in our

knowledge of computers. Some of us are lucky to get the emails out, while

others know the finer points of how to get around in cyberspace.

Therefore, we try to follow some basic rules that are laid out on the group

information page and we do our best to practice tolerance and

understanding, seasoned with some very strange senses of humor. *smirk*

The fifth suggestion...was to tell people about the photo album. This was

put together last fall, by Jodi, as a private group page where we could

start to see what some of us looked like. Participation in the album is

totally optional. We only give the URL to group members...hoping to not

advertise ourselves to all of cyberspace. If you'd like your photo on the

page, please send a jpg or gif file of your photo to Jodi. If that was

" greek " to you....jpg/gif....or if you don't have a scanner to scan your

own photo, contact Jodi, or myself, or someone you know with a scanner, and

we'll arrange for you to send us your photo. We'll scan it and get it into

the album. The website for the album is:

http://www.mLists.net/judson/CRLSG.html

Warning!!!! Beware of 's photo. We have some VERY strange people in

this group...and like I said, before, we come from ALL kinds of places.

BTW...for those who are new to emails and cybertalk....you might be

confused by some of the abbreviations we use...like BTW. The most common

are:

BTW = by the way

LOL = laughing out loud

IMHO = in my humble opinion

TTYL = talk to you later

Also, we use " emoticons " as a way of showing tone of voice, facial

expressions, or intent.

smile

frown

sticking my tongue out at you...teasing

{{{{{O}}}}}} chill pill, to be taken when you feel tense and angry

*smirk* When something is put between * * it means it's a gesture or

expression you'd see if you were really looking at the person.

SO....if you are joking or teasing, be sure to add that little emoticon, so

people don't take you seriously. And if you think a comment in a letter

sounds mean or aggressive, look to see if there's a at the end. If so,

the person was saying it all in a nice way.

Hope this helps. When in doubt, ASK. You'll get more answers that you

probably wanted.

Jill, 46

Payson, AZ

http://www.netzone.com/~gunzel/rls.html