QueerNet Groups
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Frequently Asked Questions about the 
Faerie Email List @ Queernet.org


Scroll down to find answers to these questions:  

What's the faerie list?
Who are the radical faeries?
What's an email list?
How do I subscribe, unsubscribe, or choose digest format?
Who can post to the list? 
How do I post a message to the faerie list?
What can I post to the faerie list?
Any "gotchas" I need to know about posting to the list? 
Do I have to read everything sent to me?
Can I post as much as I want?
What is a heart circle?
Is the faerie list a heart circle?
Who owns the list? 
What's the maintenance history on this thing, and how's it run?
What does "maintaining the list" really mean?
Is there more fae-culture stuff online?
Who wrote this FAQ?


? -- What's the faerie list?

An email list co-published by radical faeries who may resonate off-
list with fey human cultures growing many places on this planet, 
including short mountain, new zealand, portland, wolf creek, seattle, 
sf, the netherlands, dc, ida, australia, kawashaway, nashville, 
breitenbush, la, zuni mountain, chicago, faerie camp destiny, and many 
other places just around the corner from where you're reading this. 
Radical faeries may be spiritual, sensitive, queer, green, fabulous, 
and brutally direct when feeling for the heart. Or not.

People are hard to define. Faeries are people.

The faerie list, to date, has included paeans of passionate love, song 
lists, heated political discussions, recipes, scholarly analyses of 
queer spirituality, ritual descriptions, rants, bad jokes, requests 
for rides and crash-space, gathering announcements, witty repartee, 
personal introductions, post-gathering recaps, stories of faerie 
culture, gardening tips, and other odd bits tossed off-handed to the 
stew.

We write, and read, from the heart ... or, at least try.

? -- Who are the radical faeries? 

Um, "ask three faeries, get five answers?" ... ?

Okay. To attempt a short description, from one faerie's perspective, 
the radical faeries are a queer tribal nation sharing affinity in the 
spiritual underpinnings of non-mainstream sexuality and heart-centered 
relationship. We are historically and primarily gay men (many of us 
proudly seize the name "faggot"). And many who do not fit, or choose 
not to accept, these stereotypes also identify as radical faeries. 

We are bards, wizards, shamen, and healers. We have always been, and 
will always be. Humanity requires our existence, no matter how 
dysfunctionally it may treat us. 

And we are self-defining. We each choose to be who we are, and there 
is no authority but our hearts. We gather together, get naked and 
beautiful ... in oh-so-many different ways ... drop the world, and 
open to each other. Unless we don't feel like it. In which case we do 
something else. 

Historically, the radical faerie movement traces its name to a 
1979 "Spiritual Conference for Radical Faeries" in Arizona, called by 
Harry Hay, John Burnside, Don Kilhefner and Mitch Walker. This 
gathering concentrated and named a movement rising since the late 
1960's. Since then, the movement has spread internationally, evolving 
many flavors, spaces, clans, ways, and communities along the way. 

The faerie email list is one such community, or journal, or online 
heart circle, or not, or whatever we are to any one of us at any given 
moment in our lives. 

Persimmon, Elfstone, Elam, and Paul Couillard have written more on 
this subject ("who are the faeries?") in their "Frequently Questioned 
Answers (FQA) about Faeries", as has the lovely Corbeau in 
his "Answers to Queries about Faeries". Mugwort expressed a view at 
RadFae.org. And, this navel gazing ("Whence and whither, oh fae 
brethren? Nay, Sistren! NAY, FAGGOTREN! NAY!! I'm not one of those ... 
um, what was I saying?? Oh, that's right, something about dogs ...") 
pilgrimages annually through the faerie list dialogues, gaining 
breadth and eloquence most every time. 

? -- What's an email list? 

An email list is a form of internet communication which predates the 
world wide web. An email list has an email address, just like a 
person. People "subscribe" to the list. Any email sent to the list's 
address is automatically sent to everyone else on the list, provided 
it meets the requirements of that list. 

For this particular email list, people already subscribed to the list 
can post email to it, but not others. In this way, a multi-textured, 
threaded tapestry of correspondence may occur between those of us 
choosing to join in reading and writing from our hearts and minds 
about our lives and experiences as radical faeries. In this sense, 
we're an online journal, diary, recipe book, bulletin board, grimoire, 
beloved audience, what have you ... 

An email list may also sometimes be referred to as a "listserv" 
or "group". However, "listserv" is a trademark for a particular brand 
of email list software, and we do not use their software. And, "group" 
is a new'ish term which some find a bit vague. Personally, your author 
calls this doo-hickey under discussion an "email list" and, naturally, 
you'll call it what you will! 

? -- How do I subscribe, unsubscribe, or choose digest format?

The faerie list is run by a program called Majordomo2. One way to work 
with Majordomo is to talk it, and send it "commands", through email. 

To subscribe to the faerie list, send a blank email to:

   faerie-subscribe@groups.queernet.org

If you prefer to receive the faerie list in digest format, a once-a-
day (more or less) compilation of everyone's posts since the last 
digest, send a blank email to:

   faerie-subscribe-digest@groups.queernet.org

To unsubscribe from the faerie list, send a blank email to:

   faerie-unsubscribe@groups.queernet.org

And, by the way, if you're ALREADY SUBSCRIBED but want to switch to 
digest format, send email to majordomo@groups.queernet.org, and in the 
body of the message write:

   set faerie digest

Wouldn't it be easier for everyone if we ran this list off of 
Onelist.com, um, I mean Egroups.com ... oh, waitaminnit, I mean 
YahooGroups.com?!

Spam, censorship, and questionable content-ownership are high prices 
to pay for the convenience of a few less keystrokes. If we faeries 
liked doing things the easy way, gatherings would happen in Orlando 
(grin). 

QueerNet.org is rock solid, time tested, and radical faerie to the 
core ... And, if you'd prefer to talk to Majordomo2 through your web 
browser, click here.

? -- Who can post to the list?

Subscribers can post messages to the faerie list, messages sent by 
others bounce away. It does not matter whether you receive the faerie 
list as individual emails, or in digest format. If you receive the 
list, you can post to it. If not, you can't, at least not directly 
(radical faerie event announcements from offlist are welcome, though 
they'll be initially blocked and will need to be passed on through by 
the list maintainer).

The only person who sees bounced away messages is the list maintainer. 
They are pretty much ignored, unless an apparent subscriber boo-boo 
has occurred (eg., someone subscribes from their home email address, 
but tries to post something to the list from work), or if someone off-
list sends a relevant announcement to the list (eg., a call to gather) 
which the list maintainer chooses to forward on to everyone.

Which segues to an important note: 

from the software's perspective, your email address is subscribed to 
the list, not you, so you need to post your messages from your 
subscribed address. Otherwise, the software won't recognize "you" and 
will bounce your message away.

Subscriptions cost nothing but the time you read and write.

? -- How do I post a message to the faerie list?

Send an email. Anything sent to faerie@groups.queernet.org by a 
current subscriber will appear on the list.

When you do, please keep in mind that over 300 faeries are receiving 
everything you post to the list in their inbox, and we all appreciate 
thoughtful, heartfelt words. Sometimes it's good to write something, 
save it, read it again later, and then send it out to all of us.

Please also be aware that if you receive the faerie list in digest 
format, it's considered polite to NEVER send the entire digest back to 
everyone in your reply (and a bit silly and inconsiderate if you 
do ... so please don't?).

Lastly, please edit your replies! PLEASE! Do not simply hit 
your 'reply' button, add your comments to the top, and press 'send'. 
It's good form (and a sign of someone who "knows how to do email") to 
delete any portions of the email you're replying to which do not 
directly relate to what you're adding to the thread.

Beginning in October 2007, replying to a post from this list will 
reply only to the original sender. If you wish your reply to appear on 
the list, you must "Reply All". 

? -- What can I post to the faerie list?

The best way to understand what is appropriate for posting to the list 
is to “lurk” on the list for several weeks when you first join in 
order to understand its energy. It’s appreciated if you post a message 
introducing yourself. Faerie space is non- (or anti-) commercial, so 
postings about stuff you sell or services you offer for money are 
usually met with indignation. And, if you find yourself trying to 
strongly change the direction of the list, and then other people on 
the list begin voicing gentle (or not so gentle) concerns about the 
tenor and/or frequency of your posts, you may find that you have been 
given the opportunity to improve your listening skills.  

Please observe common netiquette and do not post private messages to 
the list without permission from the author. As a community, we ask that you do not threaten or attack people on the list or in private emails using email addresses obtained from the list. 

What are the consequences of sending "hostile email"?

A "hostile email" is an email from a list member which threatens harm towards another list member(s), sent either publicly to the list, or privately in response to a public post on the list.

The sender of one hostile email will be placed on moderation for six months, meaning that the list maintainer will review and approve or deny any further postings from that sender to the list during that time. After three hostile emails, their sender will be removed from the list.

When appropriate, the maintainer and stewards may provide relevant public and private warnings about list behavior, and will make all moderation and removal decisions using their best judgment. After six months, a person on moderation or removed may request to be reinstated as a regular list member.

If you think of conversations you might have in front of a lot of 
people at a faerie sanctuary during a gathering, then you will be 
close to what we see posted often (anything from passionate cultural 
analysis, to poetry, recipes, and travel plans). If you’ve never 
attended a faerie gathering or some other faerie event, please read 
the preceding paragraph again.

There are hundreds of people on this list widely spread across the 
world. If you are posting about an event, please be sure to include 
the location prominently in or near the subject line. People in 
Australia may not be interested in reading the details of your 
announcing a coffee circle 11,000 miles away.

? -- Any "gotchas" I need to know about posting to the list?

Avoid writing the word "subscribe", "unsubscribe", "sub", "unsub", or 
anything close to these in email you post to the list. The list 
software is picky about them, as it thinks you want to change your 
subscription (and if you do, you're sending to the wrong address ... 
subscription commands go to MAJORDOMO@groups.queernet.org, not 
faerie@groups.queernet.org). Such posts bounce to the list maintainer, 
who may not have time to edit your boo-boo and resend your email. Use 
an asterisk instead of a "b", and all will be well (eg., "I just 
su*scribed to RFD, and it's brutishly fabulous!"). 

If you want to write a reply which the entire list will see, you must 
select "Reply All" in your email reader. 

Please do not send messages "BCC" to the faerie email list.  This is 
primarily a discussion list, and other faeries should be able to reply 
to the whole list community regarding any message you send.  Please 
send messages "TO" or "CC" the list, so that when other faeries 
hit "reply all", their response will be posted to the list.  

You may post up to 5 times in any given 24 hour period. Further posts 
during that 24 hour period will be sent back to you, to send the next 
day if you wish. 

? -- Do I have to read everything sent to me?

Of course not, the delete button is your friend! 

And, it's a thoughtful and recommended practice to always put a 
sensible and informative 'subject' line on any email you post to the 
list. Some people receive so much email that they only stop to read 
when a subject line catches their eye ... and that's okay.

? -- Can I post as much as I want?

Let there be balance in all things.

Over the years it has become apparent that almost everyone on the list 
feels happiest when any one of us posts to the whole list no more than 
once or twice a day, perhaps a little more occasionally here and there 
as topics and individual feelings permit. However, our history has 
shown a connection between a decrease in list membership numbers and a 
sustained high volume of posts from one or more list individuals. Some 
post rarely, some almost daily, and some never at all (although it is 
always wonderful to read the words of someone emerging from silence to 
speak their truth!). With more than 300 members on this list at most 
times, if even one quarter of us posted more than once or twice per 
day, we all would have very full e-mailboxes. Please keep this in mind 
when you find yourself posting and replying to posts more often than 
others. 

In support of greater long-term health of this online community, the 
faerie list stewards agreed in October 2007 to put a "five posts a day 
maximum" setting on the list. Anyone posting more than this within a 
24 hour period will have their 6th and beyond emails returned to them, 
unposted. 

Some faeries have slow dial-up internet connections that cannot handle 
large downloads of pictures, video, etc.  Therefore messages larger 
than 1 MB will be returned to sender.  When you want to share large 
files such as pictures, video, etc. with the list, please upload them 
to a website and post a message to the list with the address of the 
website.  

Discussion threads are an integral part of this faerie list; they ebb 
and flow and often transform into new topics. Thoughtful and honest 
replies to others’ postings are welcomed, encouraged, and needed; 
without discussion on this list, it might become nothing more than a 
lifeless sounding board into the virtual void. Nonetheless, for 
various reasons you might wish to consider replying privately to 
someone’s public post. In doing so, please check that you ARE replying 
privately, and not accidentally sending a private response to the 
entire list, therefore making it very, VERY public (and perhaps very 
embarrassing for you and/or the intended recipient!). 

It all seems to be a matter of keeping balance between our many 
voices. And, like any chorus, keeping this balance is a shared 
responsibility of all involved.

That means you, too.

? -- What is a heart circle?

Heart circle is one of the central traditions of radical faerie 
community. Faeries come together in a circle to speak from the heart, 
and to listen to one another through our hearts. Usually a talisman of 
some kind (a talking stick, a shawl, a day-glo bubble wand) is used to 
identify the faerie who is speaking -- as long as that faerie holds 
the talisman, that faerie speaks, without interruption or feedback, 
and everyone else listens, with as much attention and compassion as we 
can muster. In some heart circles the talisman is passed around the 
circle and each faerie has that opportunity to speak or to pass the 
talisman. In other circles when one faerie is done speaking, any other 
faerie may ask for it. Either way, passing the talisman is an intimate 
exchange, often accompanied by a hug or a kiss.

Speaking from the heart is difficult to define, but we know when we're 
doing it, and when we're not. The quality of a heart circle comes as 
much (or more) from the listening as from the speaking. Many of us 
have had some or our most deeply emotional, healing, transformative 
experiences in heart circle. A heart circle can go on for a long time. 
It's generally okay to join the circle in progress (between speakers, 
as the talisman is passed), to take a break, or to leave entirely, 
although the reason they go on so long is that they're so wonderful 
nobody wants to leave. 

? -- So, is this faerie email list a heart circle?

Opinions on this question vary widely (now isn't that surprising?). 

Many faeries on this list consider the list an electronic heart 
circle, and place a high value on speaking and listening heartfully. 
Other faeries find that for them a heart circle requires the physical 
presence of other faeries at a specific space/time nexus; these 
faeries are generally more comfortable with non-heartful banter on the 
list. Still other faeries prefer to act as if this is a heart circle, 
even though it isn't. Perhaps the most important thing is to be aware 
of different faeries' preferences and sensibilities, and to speak and 
listen as heartfully as we are able. 

? -- Who owns the list?

No one and everyone and each of us and none of us. Just we. It's a 
trick of fate that the software running the list refers to the list 
maintainer as the "list owner". In reality, the list thrives in the 
free-floating loam between excess technological wonder and 
pathological altruism. Imagine a world without ownership?

? -- What's the maintenance history on this thing, and how's it run?

According to myth and archives, this email list was given birth by a 
faerie named Gabriel, on a now defunct server called hooked.net. On 
January 8, 1996, this original list was transitioned to its current 
server, QueerNet.org, by the Artist Formerly Known As (the Marvelous) 
Persimmon (AFKAP). AFKAP maintained the list until about February of 
1998, when he handed the job to Damien. Damien maintained the list 
until Spring of 2004, when he handed this role to Ribbon.  Ribbon 
handed passed the talisman to Anthony in Spring 2008. Anthony handed 
off the talisman to Esteban in November 2009.


The faerie list content is collectively (dis)owned by its subscribers. 
So, the person handling list maintenance duty is referred to as "list 
maintainer" rather than the traditional title, "list owner". Legally, 
copyright remains with the author of any post.

Since May of 2003, decisions about how we operate have been made by 
the faerie list steward(esse)s. Feel free to send them any opinion you 
care to share about whatever this is we're all about, and how we're 
going about it. The steward(esse)s can contacted through the following address:

faerie-stew(at)groups.queernet.org

The stewards are responsible for ensuring the list and FAQ are 
maintained. If you are interested in helping maintain the list, please 
let them know through the address above. 

? -- What does "maintaining the list" really mean?

It means subscribing new list members after some introductory 
dialogue, usually through email "commands" written to our cybertronic 
list-manager, whose faerie name is "Majordomo"; analyzing bounced 
messages to solve subscription problems; sometimes manually 
unsubscribing people who let their email box fill up, causing their 
faerie list email to bounce; staying aware of changes and goings-on at 
OPG/QueerNet and with the Majordomo2 software (see below); and other 
bits of administrivia. 

The whole routine takes about five minutes a day. Every day.

If you would like to explore offering service to your community by 
taking on list maintenance for a few months every year, please send an 
email to the faerie list stewards at faerie-stew@groups.queernet.org 
for some details.

The software which runs the list, a program called Majordomo2, is 
hosted on a server known as QueerNet, which is operated by a feisty 
not-for-profit organization called the Online Policy Group.

The faerie list owes an ongoing debt of gratitude to Roger Klorese, 
technical director of QueerNet, www.queernet.org and to a faerie named 
Stardust aka Will Doherty, executive director of the Online Policy 
Group, which owns and operates QueerNet and other services.

OPG/QueerNet is supported by donation. To contribute, please visit the 
Online Policy Group donation page, and do what you can do to help. 
Money, in any amount you can afford, always helps offset the cost of 
maintaining the server, software and internet connection. The Online 
Policy Group is actively involved in the struggle against online 
censorship and information control.

? -- Is there more fae-culture stuff online?

Lots! Please visit RadFae.org, a site maintained by Peridot and the 
RadFae Websters, and browse around!

? -- Who wrote this FAQ?

Much of the text has been written and re-written over the years by 
Damien, starting sometime in late 1998 or early 1999. In September of 
2003, Anthony, Camphor, and RogerK each made thoughtful additions. If 
you would like to offer additions, or suggest changes, please contact 
the faerie list stewards.

For assistance, please contact the groups.queernet.org administrators.

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