The GPDD is a place to share news about all aspects of your piggies' lives. Sometimes, this may include sad news such as illnesses or deaths of piggies. The members of the GPDD share your sorrow and grieve with you. Please remember, though, if you are posting sad news, many people do not have the background or medical knowledge to handle all the physical details. When you're posting to the digest, please do not include extensive physical descriptions of surgery or death, except by private e-mail to those who request more information or who privately wish to discuss specific medical issues and problems.

Do not post private messages (unless they are of general interest to all, and you have cleared it with the sender) --This violates general Netiquette rules, not just Pigiquette.

Do not assume that disagreement is a flame. A flame uses language intended to incite anger or hatred. A flame is handled by a mature individual in one of two ways: a) responded to with intelligence and gentle words, or b) ignored.

This is a family list, so please avoid language that is inappropriate for young eyes/ears. This includes not only words that would be considered profane; try to use the proper terms for anatomy, bodily functions, etc. Sensitive topics should be discussed in such a manner that your mother would not be offended.

Use normal English structure. Avoid slang, contractions, etc. since many of our members are not native English speakers. If someone uses a word you are not familiar with, ask for clarification--learning how another uses language provides insight into their thought processes.

Additionally, DO NOT USE ALL CAPS. This is equivalent to yelling, and is always considered rude in online discussions.

Please keep postings short, so that the digest doesn't exceed incoming mail limits. Shorter posts (under a page of typed text) gives everyone a chance to speak, while keeping the digest accessible. Obviously, if you need more words to describe a problem, please do - as much information as it takes for you to receive useful replies.

Identify posting topic: antics, medical question, general care question, response to {question}, general ramblings; when you post, this allows the skimmers to find relevant information quickly and makes archive searches easier.

Use language that is not hostile. If you disagree with someone, say so and give specific reasons why. However, if the issue is one of lifestyle (to breed or not to breed/to neuter or not to neuter), please realize that people can sincerely disagree on such issues without being offensive. Additionally, if you must argue with someone, do it via PRIVATE e-mail.

We will add items that we feel are appropriate ("we" means everyone who is an active participant in the GPDD).