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The most important guideline is that participants remember to focus on the purpose of the listserve — the discussion of professional issues. Some diversion can be creative, but if you want to introduce a topic that diverges from this focus, ask yourself if it is a contribution. If you have doubts, ask someone else on the list. As a last resort, give it a try on the list. We are forgiving of well-intentioned mistakes.
The following guidelines provide a foundation for professional interaction and productive conversation:
1) Send all suggestions, complaints, or electronic molotov cocktails about the listserve directly to newswise@newswise.com. Do not send to the entire list. The listserves are designed for professional discussions, not complaints about the system.
2) Keep in mind: If your message is more appropriate for one person or a few people, you should send only to that person or those people rather than to the entire list. Use judgment in this regard. If there is a question, err on the side of caution. If you do not know how to reply off list, ask someone.
3) The major guideline is that we remain casual, friendly, and professional. We all want this to be valuable and fun. Let's maintain good humor (not one-liners in response to someone else's substantive or nonsubstantive comments; this is not a voting booth) and diminish the conflict. We are forming a community here, and a big element of a successful community is cooperation.
The curt style of email is easily misinterpreted to be harsher than intended. This often leads to "flaming." These listserves are specifically designed to preclude that. If it starts, let's all try to hose it down with calm, rather than fueling the flames.
The listserves are diverse groups of people from around the world. Be understanding in your messages and in reading those messages. Remember one of those Habits of Highly Successful People: first seek to understand and then to be understood.
4) Some comments about the nature of an Internet list: This is like a public meeting, and you are representing your institution. You are at work, using your institution's computer and free access to the Internet, right? An appropriate analogy is to a virtual CASE or AAMC conference. This is an email conversation among hundreds of your colleagues. It is not a private phone conversation or email between two people or a private conversation in the hallway. Think of yourself standing up in a plenary session of the conference with your professional peers listening. You don't have to ask your university president's permission to comment on fax machines or give your opinion about email.
One can imagine, however, that if you become provocative (to the ears of hundreds of people in the audience), you would be foolish to expect to remain anonymous or private. And if you make a statement that inflames a person in the audience so that person believes you are doing something that violates that person's values or ethics, that person may use your remarks against you. You are certainly speaking on the record, and people will feel free to quote you for their purposes, not necessarily wicked.
This is not a comprehensive list of subjects people should consider dangerous or taboo. Everyone probably has their own list of things not to talk about in mixed company. We would probably all agree that racist or sexist comments would be inappropriate. Personal attacks against a person either on or off the list are also inappropriate, and possibly libelous. Some would probably include political opinions as taboo.
This is a public conversation. Most of you have no idea who is lurking or to whom your messages are being forwarded. Your boss may be on the listserve. Your boss's best friend and previous colleague may be on the listserve. We need to be responsible and professional. The membership of this list also is not moderated. Your worst enemy or a reporter for the National Enquirer could join and no one would know.
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