Effective Listserv discussion can be an engaging and powerful forum for persona l expression. As with any forum, there are ways of communicating that allow all involved to feel comfortable and to have an opportunity to participate at equal levels. The following guidelines are intended to ensure that this environment exists on all Grinnell College Alumni Listservs.

Before sending a message to the list, please make sure that the content is appropriate. The listserv is intended for discussion. However, it is never wise to carry on "meta- discussions" about whether a given discussion is appropriate. This type of traffic mushrooms until nobody can find the messages that belong.

When replying to a message that has been sent to the list, consider whether your reply should be sent to the person who sent the original message, or to the entire list. This is especially true if you are unhappy with what some user said. Please remember that your messages should not be a forum for personal attacks or accusations. In most cases, it is much better to send her/him mail directly; not to the entire list.

The "Subject" field of your mail message should give a reasonable summary of the contents of the message. This helps list members sort and file mail messages. If, during the course of a discussion, you change the original focus of the discussion, change the "Subject" line as well. An appropriate way of doing so is to reference the old subject in the new subject as follows:

Subj: Politics (was: Grinnell College Online Community)

When you reply to a mail message, summarize it, if appropriate, and attribute it to its author. If your mail program allows you to include the old message in your reply consider using that option, but be sure to remove parts of the old message that are irrelevant. When asking a question, consider whether it would be helpful to gather the replies and post a summary to the list (especially of messages not sent via the list).

Always add your signature (name and e-mail address) to the end of your posts. There are a whole host of mail clients and no two display the headers in the same way. On the other hand, long signatures are definitely frowned upon. Three to six lines are generally appropriate.

In preparing a message, be aware that people will be reading your post on many different hardware platforms (DOS, Mac, Unix, etc.) and software programs. Cute pictures and long lines, which look fine on your system, may be unrecognizable on someone else's system. Your messages will be the most readable if you keep these things in mind while you are composing them:

1) Line (or right, or full) justified text is almost always harder to read than leaving ragged right margins; do not justify your messages.

2) Most special control characters and formatting will not work on many systems. In fact, the "space" character is about the only one you can be sure will work consistently. Even tabs aren't always the same from machine to machine, and should be avoided. Many mail clients will re-map control characters.

3) Pictures and diagrams should not use imbedded tabs.

4) Submissions in a single case (all upper or all lower) are very difficult to read. Avoid it please.

The following are considered to be a direct violation of these guidelines and are considered inappropriate for the Grinnell College Alumni Listserv program.

1) Slanderous comments about classmates, professors, staff or the college.

2) Personal attacks, put-downs and obscenities.

3) Solicitations for charitable gifts to organizations other than Grinnell College unless prior approval of the Office of College and Alumni Relations has been obtained. Although a core principal of the College is "service to others," we must ensure Listservs do not become overwhelmed with such efforts.

4) Use of the listserv for commercial or proprietary work. Advertising is not welcome.

5) Use of the listserv for political or other advocacy that might jeopardize the tax exempt status of the College.

6) Spam email.

In order to protect this discussion environment from abuse and to ensure the principles listed above are enforced, staff of the Grinnell College Office of Alumni Relations and Development are assigned to lists for the purpose of monitoring the discussions. Staff who feel individuals are violating the guidelines for discussion will make recommendations to the Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving who will review the recommendation and speak with the listserv manager to discuss the recommendation and the consequences. Results may include one or more of the following:

1) A direct conversation with the individual reminding them of the core principles of the College and guidelines for the Listserv,

2) A temporary closure of the particular Listserv,

3) Removal of an individual from a particular Listserv,

4) Total elimination of the Listserv service.

For more information on the Grinnell College Alumni Listserv program please contact:

Jim Hess
Director of Alumni Relations
Office of College and Alumni Relations
733 Broad Street
Grinnell, IA 50112-1690
641-269-3206
866-850-1846
641-269-3222(FAX)

A portion of these guidelines was taken from the second chapter of INTERNET: Mailing Lists (SRI International, 1993).

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