Because the list is just for our members, it will not appear on the Google Groups' listing of open-to-the-general public email lists. We can put up brief profiles of ourselves that will also only be available to other members of our list, not to the general public.

Because people with poorly understood disorders and illnesses such as CFS/FM/MCS/Lyme are frequently the targets of trolls and snerts (people who seem to derive their only pleasure in life from insulting and demeaning others, or knowitalls who that if you just do X you will be cured), all who ask to join CarouselNet are personally screened by the moderators to help ensure that the person asking to join isn't just selling supplements or believes themselves to have "the cure" for CND. So, please do not be surprised or put off if one of the moderators writes you to ask you to introduce yourself a bit, before you actually get added to the list.

This list is not for people selling products or services, but for people who share a common set of ailments and the psychosocioeconomic baggage that saddles those of us who unwittingly have found ourselves to be the canary in the mineshaft.

If you are looking for a more general email discussion group, please check the lists of health-related lists and forums at Yahoogroups, Topica, Smartgroups/Wanadoo, chronicfatigue.about.com and immunesupport.com

* One does not have to be a member of The Carousel Networks to come to our monthly meetings. Those who do join The Carousel Network not only can join CarouselNet, but also receive our bi-monthly newsletter and have borrowing privileges from our Library. To join TCN, simply print, complete, and mail in our membership form.

How Do I Join The CarouselNet List?
If you have an email account and are a member of The Carousel Network, all you need to do is to go to http://groups.google.com/group/CarouselNet and follow the instructions on that page.

Are there any list rules?
All email discussion lists have some rules to help the list function more smoothly. The rules for CarouselNet are few and should be easy to live by. The following is a brief description of the rules; the full text will be included with the welcome letter you get when you subscribe.

1.   Play nice. Attack issues, not people.

2.   Use specific subject lines, like "Need help finding Medi-Cal doctor" instead of "Help!"

3.   Don't quote entire letters in your response - just the fewest lines necessary so that the rest of the listmembers know what you are talking about but they aren't overwhelmed with text they've already read.

4.   If you don't know what the many emoticons (also called 'smileys' - sideways facial expressions made with punctuation marks like =:o ) or commonly used Internet abbreviations mean (like IOW = in other words; IAIYH = it's all in your head; IMHO = in my humble opinion), visit Melissa Kaplan's Emoticons & Abbreviations guide.

5.   If there are things that annoy and irritate you when done by other people on other email lists, don't do them on our list.

6.  Individuals who cannot follow the above rules, or who spam the list or otherwise do little but try to push their products or services will be banned from the list.

What if I have some questions before I subscribe?
Just write the list moderator (carouselnet-owner@googlegroups.com) and ask! Please write "CarouselNet Questions" in your Subject line, and we'll get back to you.

Still having a problem?
Not a problem! Just email the list moderator directly at carouselnet-owner@googlegroups.com and let them know what your problem is. The list moderator can add you to the list through the listmanager function. Then, all you have to do is sit back, read, and respond (if you want to, of course!)