An Introduction to the Elfinkind Digest (Last updated August 7, 2013) Home address: elflist@murkworks.net All messages sent here concerning the digest WILL BE POSTED unless the message specifically requests otherwise. Diskette-based versions: Available to members of the list in good standing for cost of postage and CD-ROM blank. Arrange this via email with the list moderator. Contact Malcolm Campbell (on digest) for this service in Great Britain. ----- Welcome to the Elfinkind Digest This email-based discussion digest provides a forum for elves and other members of what has been described as the "otherkind" to discuss items of interest related to their species and state of being. As such, it is somewhat free-form in nature, with a wide variety of topics likely to be discussed at any given time. Topics considered of primary importance are those dealing with who, what, and why we are; and what, if anything, we should be doing about it. A good many of those on the list are of a neopagan or "magical" religious bent; however, this should not be confused with the primary issue at hand. It is not the position of the list or the opinion of the list moderator that a particular religious belief is required to participate. Neither is one's religion necessarily indicitive of one's species. Those receiving the digest tend to fall within one of two groups: the curious observer, or the Elf/otherkind. I consider myself in the latter, but do not demand that anyone state their status. I do request this, but it is perfectly acceptable to decline the invitation. Whatever your role here, I hope you find the experience interesting. It has recently come to my attention that people have read this next paragraph and not understood it, or have glazed over it. So I'm calling it out with extra emphasis now, out of necessity: vvvv READ THIS: vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv The Elfinkind Digest is NOT an exercise in role-playing. We are NOT gaming. This is NOT an in-progress RPG. We are NOT playing characters. We are NOT writing co-operative fiction. This is NOT intended to be an area of "merged IC and OOC behaviour," because THIS IS NOT A GAME. We are quite serious about the reality of this matter. You do not have to believe in it, but you MUST believe that WE DO, and should behave accordingly. Anyone who feels it necessary to inform us that we're disturbed or imbalanced based on our beliefs may rest assured that we have already heard it, and do not need to hear it again. ^^^^ READ THAT! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The digest appears typically three days a week, mailed out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. A typical digest will have between one and four messages; volume is relatively light. Some Background This list was founded, by the current moderator, as a "somewhat dubious endeavor" in the spring of 1990; the first actual digest was sent out to subscribers on March 26th of that year. Initially, I expected only to find other elves; as it turned out, I found a large number of people with a large number of self-identifications. The scope of the digest has officially been enlarged to encompass these other "others," though the name of the digest itself has remained unchanged. Likewise, for a very long time, the digest was relatively secretive in nature; while anonymity of the list membership remains, the existance of the list itself is no longer to be considered a private matter, and the list address may be handed out at will. Some Rules I'm enclosing a set of thoughts and rules (mostly from the very first digest) to let you know how things are run and to help me keep my house in order. Please note numbers one and two as being important technical notes, and numbers four and six as being non-binding requests. A partial list of introductory messages from other digest members is available by request. - Dara Korra'ti elflist@murkworks.net Elfinkind Digest Moderator - - - THE RULES - - - 1) If a message comes to me dealing with the list or the subjects in the list, I WILL consider it a submission to the digest. I do not have a separate account for the digest, nor the resources for one; if you intend a message for me alone, please mark it as such. 2) Anonymous postings will be permitted; please mark them as such in ALL CAPS in the subject of the message. 3) Anyone can join this list. However, I will keep a strict reign on ridicule, for reasons which should be obvious. I hope this rule will prove unnecessary. 4) The mailing list is currently quite small. If you know someone who will have an interest in this list, please have them mail me. 5) I will make no public judgements about one subject which has already come up; who on the list is - and who on the list isn't - an elf. I request that others refrain from this as well; none of us are exactly in the best of position to make such assertions about anyone else. 6) It would be good if everyone posted some sort of introduction, but I do not require it. I DO strongly encourage it, however. If you do submit something along these lines, I suggest you include: Your email address, Your name (or names), Your species, Your physical location, YOUR INTEREST IN THIS DIGEST (important), and, just for fun, maybe your religion and political views. Please let me know if you do _not_ want your introduction to go into the long-term membership introduction file. This file will be mailed out to new list members upon request.