Very Few Rules

1. You Own Your Own Words. In practical terms this means you own the copyright on your original postings, and also that you, and you alone, are responsible for their content. It also means that except for brief quotes for discussion purposes you should not post the work of others without their explicit permission.
2. The moderators and system operators reserve the right to remove postings as necessary for any reason, from general housekeeping to abusive content.
3. Be respectful and civil with your fellow participants. Over 40-odd years of Deadheaddom, experience, mileage and perspective vary a whole lot, and we want this to be a hospitable place.
4. Respect your fellow participants' time and attention. Think before you post, and post in the relevant topic.
5. As the old adage says, never say anything online that you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the New York Times. Rule #1 notwithstanding, as a practical matter there is no guarantee that anything you post here will not wind up on 600 blogs, Homeland Security's database, Digg, or your prospective employer's Google search. Post accordingly.