COBirds Rules of the Road

General List Information and Rules of the Road

COBirds is for the discussion of Colorado Birds.
ATTACHMENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED!! DO NOT send a post to COBirds with an attachment. Attachments are how viruses are spread through email. If you have a great picture that you want to share, send a post saying you have the photo, place it on a web page, and include the URL in your posting. Subscribers sending attachments to COBirds will be placed on immediate moderation at the list manager's discretion.
Please limit quoted or forwarded text.
You must be subscribed to post a message to COBirds. Subscribers will receive messages at their personal e-mail address. COBirds has a web-based subscription management system. Please read all of the information below for an explanation of all options.
To post a message to this list, send mail to: cobirds@googlegroups.com
All new members will have their first few messages approved by the admin.
You must fill in a specific subject and have something written in the body of the message or your post will be rejected. These are just a few of the measures taken to prevent viruses and other malicious messages from reaching the list.

Your Account

To manage your account on line you need a Google Account. If you have a Google Account, sign in at the COBirdswebsite.

To create a Google Account, just visit the account-creation page, enter your current email address, and choose a password. Once you've finished registering, you'll receive a verification email. Click the link in that email to complete the verification process.

Your Google Account will give you access to a variety of Google products, including iGoogle, Web History, Picasa, and many more. When creating an account, please keep these guidelines in mind:

Your Google Account username should be an email address from which you currently send and receive mail, unless you'd prefer to sign up for Gmail.
Your password should be at least eight characters long and can't be a commonly used word. Select a unique combination of letters and numbers.
In the Word Verification section, you'll need to type the wavy characters exactly as they appear in the picture.
Creating a Google Account doesn't give you Gmail. However, you can sign up for Gmail by visiting the Gmail homepage and clicking the Sign up for Gmail link under the sign-in box. If you're interested in learning more about Gmail, please visit the About Gmail page.

Note: you'll be able to access all the same Google products mentioned above with your Gmail username and password.

LIST GUIDELINES AND ETIQUETTE

COBirds is for the discussion of Colorado Birds.
All messages must be signed with your full name and your home location. Anonymous posts will not be accepted.
If your post is about a bird sighting, please include the name of the bird and a county location in the subject line, such as "Trumpeter Swan/Boulder County". Also, include general directions to your sighting or provide a link to a map showing the location. Links back to directions listed on the County Birding Website are always acceptable. If your post is about multiple county sightings state the general location in your subject line such as "NE CO Birding".
Please limit quoted text. Do not forward previous posts to the list when sending a message to COBirds. If you are replying to a message, write a new message rather than choosing "foward". Forwarding a previous post is only acceptable when it contains information that is especially important to your response. In this case, forward only the appropriate part of the message.
As a general courtesy to each other, please write your messages to COBirds using a universally accepted font such as Arial or Times New Roman (or just use the default font of your e-mail program) and ONLY USE A BLACK FONT COLOR. Background color other than white and/or "stationary" IS NOT ALLOWED!
HTML formatting (such as bold, underlining or italicizing of words) is acceptable if it is being used to add emphasis to a word(s) of importance in your message.
Please do not use 4-letter banding codes to initially identify a bird in the subject line or the body of your message. After you have spelled out the name of the bird at least once, you may then use 4-letter codes (Mourning Warbler/MOWA). Never use 4-letter codes for "lists" of birds. Under these circumstances, names must all be completely spelled out.
Interesting, rare and chaseable birds in neighboring states CAN and SHOULD be posted to this list.
Please select "nomail" in your subscription options BEFORE setting an "autoreply" with your e-mail program. If you leave your COBirds subscription set to "mail", the COBirds administrator will turn off your subscription without notification.
Political and environmental messages are acceptable as long as they relate to the issue of Colorado's birds.
Messages referring to a person or organization must be respectful and based in fact.
COBirds subscriber e-mail addresses may not be used for any purpose unrelated to COBirds without the express consent of the individual.

What CANNOT be posted to COBirds?

ATTACHMENTS!! Never send a post to COBirds with an attachment. Attachments are how viruses are spread through email. If you have a great picture that you want to share, send a post saying you have the photo, place it on a web page, and include the URL in your posting.
Certain discussion threads:
- Discussions about feral cats and outdoor cats are prohibited.
- Discussions about bird feeding technique are not allowed (i.e. what to feed, how to place, which work best. etc.).
- Pro-hunting vs. anti-hunting discussions are not allowed. This does not prohibit discussions on the status and effects of hunting on a species or group of species.
Commercial advertising on COBirds is strictly forbidden.
Bird or birding related posts about events, classes or other activities that include a fee cannot be posted to COBirds.
Trip lists and/or bird related travel reports from OUTSIDE of Colorado may NOT be posted on COBirds. If you want to share your trip lists/reports from other locations, please post them on your personal website and then send a single post to COBirds directing subscribers to that location.
There will be no solicitation on this list.
"For Sale" messages are expressly forbidden on COBirds. If you have birding related objects to give away you may send a post of that nature to the list.
“Test” messages to the list. If you think there is a problem with the list contact the admin at: webmaster@cfo-link.org
Profane language of any kind is unacceptable.

Subscribers that do not follow these guidelines will be placed on moderation after a warning from the listserv manager. If the guidelines continue to be ignored, a subscriber may ultimately be blocked from posting.

Subscriber e-mail addresses are never shared, sold or traded with other parties. For questions, concerns, problems or suggestion please contact the list manager. Thanks for subscribing and enjoy COBirds.

Rachel Hopper
List Manager
webmaster@cfo-link.org
Colorado Field Ornithologists

Visit the CFO County Birding Website to learn more about county birding in Colorado.

** return to top