GreyNet Yahoo! Group

A general guideline for your participation in GreyNet is that GreyNet is like a GreySheet meeting - similar guidelines apply to the sharing on the GreyNet as apply to sharing in a GreySheet Meeting.  Just as in a GreySheet meeting, the GreyNet is mainly for positive pitches on GreySheet abstinence.  Share your personal Experience, Strength, and Hope (ESH) on GreySheet abstinence.  Sharing your personal ESH means using the "I" form rather than "we" or "you" as much as possible.  Avoid lecturing or advising other members.

The GreyNet is appropriate for:

• Qualifying by telling what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now with regard to your food addiction and your abstinence.
• Sharing your personal ESH using the "I" form on an issue or theme raised in another member's email.  However - just as in a GreySheet meeting - avoid cross talk.  Cross talk means responding to a particular person's share by explicitly referring to the person or to their share. This can occur when you email the GreyNet instead of the individual, when you address your email to the individual, when you mention the person's name, or when you quote or respond to specific points in their share.  (If you have a problem with something a person has said in a post, please contact the person privately to discuss it, or bring it to the attention of the moderator greynet_moderator@yahoo.com .)
• Referring to specific parts of the AA or GreySheet literature and quoting a sentence or two - just as in a GreySheet meeting.  You may also mention other literature or resources you found useful in your abstinence.  However - just as in a meeting - do not quote extensively from any literature, even AA or GreySheet literature.  You may instead offer to send the material to individual members who request it from you.  
• Making GreySheet related announcements about meetings, events, resources, etc.
• Asking GreySheet related questions - although not for asking questions about the definition of abstinence.  Those are for your sponsor.  Appropriate questions include how to stay abstinent under particular circumstances, etc.
• Asking for support, if you are struggling, or asking for phone numbers, available sponsors, resources, etc.

Do NOT mention other members' names on GreyNet unless:

• You want to congratulate them on their GreySheet anniversaries.
• You are thanking individuals for their service (other than sponsorship) to the GreySheet community. Note:  This does NOT include thanking sponsors publicly on the GreyNet.  It is a long-standing tradition in GreySheet that we do not identify our sponsors.  In the spirit of the Twelfth Tradition, we place principles before personalities.
• They specifically give you permission, and you explicitly state this in your message.

Things to avoid, which will cause your posts to be moderated:

1. Using another GreyNet member's name without permission, or in referring to her post.
2. Referring so explicitly to another member's post that your post was effectively a direct response to hers.
3. Replying to another member's post on the GreyNet instead of individually.
4. Including links to non-AA or GreySheet websites.  This includes links to recovery sites that sell merchandise or literature.
5. Quoting non-AA conference-approved literature.
6. Including extensive quotes, even from AA conference-approved literature.
7. Replying to the GreyNet Digest or message, including the entire Digest or the previous post in your own message.
8. Mentioning specific foods by name or describing foods such that they can be seen by the mind's eye.  Just as in a GreySheet meeting, we do not mention foods (abstinent or non-abstinent) because this can trigger food thoughts.
9. Asking questions about or discussing abstinence definitions that should be directed only to your sponsor.
10. Lecturing or advising others rather than sharing your personal Experience, Strength, and Hope.
11. Requesting the telephone number or code for the phone meetings.  As stated on www.greysheet.org, these numbers are to be obtained personally from another GreySheeter or through the website.  To prevent hecklers from destroying the meetings, we only give these numbers to other GreySheeters we know personally.
12. Requesting the a copy of the Greysheet be mailed or email to you.  The GreySheet comes with a sponsor and will only be given to you by your sponsor.
13. Posting material with no relevance to GreySheet abstinence.
14. Forwarding messages to non-GreyNet members without getting permission from the original sender.
15. Posting chain mail, virus warnings, or commercial messages.  The GreyNet is not appropriate for advertising your products or services whether related or not to GreySheet abstinence either explicitly in the body of your message or implicitly in your automatically appended signature.  Including your job title or company name in your automatically appended signature is acceptable.
16. Using the addresses or other members to mail out advertising, jokes, etc.

Any member who does not follow these guidelines will immediately and without warning be placed on moderated status for three months.  This means that all of your emails will first go to the moderator for review before being forwarded to the GreyNet.  You will receive an email from the moderator announcing the change in your status and identifying which guideline is involved.  If there have been no further mistakes with regard to the Guidelines, you will be returned to normal posting privileges.

Things that are absolutely forbidden on GreyNet and may result in your membership being cancelled include:

• Attacking other people (Even if you do this privately in response to someone's post on GreyNet).
• Attacking the GreySheet food plan or program.

When in doubt, or if you have any questions about these guidelines, please ask the moderator before you post: greynet_moderator@yahoo.com .