Welcome to PGWnet

The Wodehouse Society’s Online Mailing List

Sometime in 1992 or 1993, a tech-savvy TWS member set up an online mailing list, dubbed “PGWnet,” to enable members everywhere to connect with each other for discussions on the life and works of Wodehouse, book and society news, theatre productions, and so on. As the list expanded, Wodehouseans who weren’t society members also joined. Today, thanks to the volunteers who maintain PGWnet, the list numbers more than 300 subscribers, many of whom take an active part in discussions, while others are simply content to “lurk.”

What sort of discussions, you ask? Well, suppose you have come across an interesting article about Plum on your favorite blog or news site and want to share it with other Wodehouse fans. Or say you have a deeply burning question about Wodehouse or one of his works. Or you’ve heard of a production of a Wodehouse play or adaptation and want to notify the world about it. Whatever you want to talk about, all it takes is a message to PGWnet, and your question or observation goes out to all the members, whose replies are also conveyed to the entire list.

By now probably the only burning question you have left is “How do I subscribe?” All you need to do is click here. This will bring you to the list’s subscription page, where you enter your email and your name. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription, which will contain a web link. Just click on the link to complete your subscription.

Please be aware that there are a few simple rules for posting to the list; you may read them below. Also, many PGWnet members post to the list under a “nom de Plum”—that is, the name of a character from the Wodehouse canon. Scroll down for a downloadable list of noms de Plum, which includes instructions for acquiring your own.

Simple Rules for Posting to PGWnet

PGWnet has a few rules intended to make it possible for the greatest number of people to read and participate in the discussions. Here are the rules and brief explanations of why they were created.

Keep all posts good-natured.

1. All posts should reflect the true Wodehousean spirit. If you are motivated by a post to start a political, religious, or philosophical conversation, take it off-list (see rule #4). No Schopenhauer!

Keep messages in simple “text” format and do not add attachments.

1. Not everyone uses the same kind of computer or software. Sending messages to a list that only some of the list members can read (e.g., HTML) simply isn’t the done thing, don’t you know.
2. And we repeat: Do not add attachments; they will not be transmitted to the list. Links and photographs can be included within your message, but see the next rule.

Trim your posts!

1. Posts are generally limited to a maximum 80KB. Larger posts are held by the list moderator for review and decision whether to allow or reject them. When you reply to a message posted to PGWnet, you should delete all of the non-relevant text of the original message.
2. Why? Consider this: If you add one line of new text (plus signatures and footers) to a post and retain 20 lines of another’s message, then someone else replies by adding one line to the now 25-line message with all of their attendant signatures and footers… well, you can see that in any substantial discussion, each line of actual content is soon accompanied by hundreds of lines of garbage. In other words, failing to trim your posts is the electronic equivalent of littering.
3. But don’t go too far the other way and delete the entire message to which you are replying. Messages are sent to the list by so many different people at so many different times, it’s unlikely members will see your reply immediately after the original post. A simple “Yes, I feel the same way and Gwendolyn quite agrees with me” won’t advance the conversation and may only serve to annoy the populace at large.
4. Since there is no mathematical formula to tell you the correct amount of text to include or delete, we ask you to use the Golden Rule of Mailing Lists: Make each message stand up for itself. Every word should be there because you deliberately chose to include it.

Know Where Your Reply Goes

1. When you hit the “Reply” button, your message will go to the entire list, not just the individual to whose post you are replying. If your remark is private or not of interest to the entire list (or breaks rule #1), forward the list message and respond directly to the poster by copying their “From” address into the “To” field of a new personal message.