APOLNET Listserv Guidelines

Thanks for your interest in the APOLNET Listserv. Its purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information of interest to individuals active in alcohol policy and programming issues. The following are the listserv guidelines for participation, as well as process for handling unacceptable conduct.

POSTING MESSAGES

General Considerations

Write descriptive subject lines. Many busy people will only open messages with captivating - and concise - subject lines.

Limit line width to 70-80 characters, otherwise some e-mail programs will break up the text at wrong points or not wrap it at all.

Don't send entire web pages to the listserv, just the URLs (http's).

When sending a web site address, always type it in the form of "http://..." because some e-mail programs will permit the user to click on a web address to link directly to the site. Without the "http://" prefix these programs will not create a link.

To ensure that listserv members can respond directly to you, you should also include information on how you can be contacted.

In order to keep the list useful, it is important that only pertinent messages be posted to the list. Is your message important? timely? relevant?

Be sure to proof-read your messages prior to posting. Check carefully for clarity, spelling, accuracy, tone, etc. APOLNET-L is unmoderated. As such, whatever is posted goes directly to all the other members and to the online archive.

In general, it's not possible to retrieve messages once you have sent them. Even the system administrator will not be able to get a message back once you have sent it. This means you must make sure you really want the message to go as you have written it.

Do not send copyright material or forward personal e-mail to a discussion group without getting the author's permission first.

Replying to Messages

When responding to an e-mail, determine whether your response will be of interest or benefit to other listserv members. If it will benefit most listserv members, press "REPLY TO ALL". If you use the "REPLY" button, it will only send your response to the person who sent the originating message.

If you are replying to a message, be sure you summarize the subject at the top of the message, or include just enough text from the original email to give a context. Delete all other info, including duplicate signatures and automatic text that appears at the bottom of every email.

Some e-mail programs automatically start with the original message and put your reply at the end. This may be annoying to other recipients, so be sure to put your thoughts at the top.

Use of Acronyms

Don't overuse short forms like BTW (by the way) or IMHO (in my humble opinion), and acronomys like AOD (alcohol and other drugs). Not everyone is experienced with this jargon and they may not want to admit their confusion - possibly losing your point. For a list of acronyms commonly used in the field, see http://www.apolnet.ca/IndexOfTerms.html.

Quality of Communication

Debate about professional matters is welcome. If you disagree with something posted on the list, you have every right to voice your objections -- but politely. Do not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your presentation of the facts (cite appropriate references to back your argument).

If you find yourself disagreeing with one person more than once on the same topic, either "agree to disagree" or continue the debate via a respectful one-on-one discussion outside of the listserv. Please note that no one is required to respond to your emails or to come around to your point of view. If others refuse to agree with you or decline to discuss the matter further, please respect their decision.

We encourage a climate of courtesy, tolerance and respect. Racist, sexist, abusive, profane, threatening or harassing comments will not be tolerated.

Tone of Message

Tone of messages can easily be misunderstood when using this medium. If attempting humour or sarcasm, use 'emoticons' (aka, smileys) such as :) or ;-) to clearly convey your message.

DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. Many readers consider capital letters as the equivalent of shouting online. The same is true when a response is sent quickly or written without an obvious appreciation of the other person's point of view.

The use of spacing or asterisks like * this * is another way to indicate emphasis.

Mistakes

Everyone makes them. If you send a message to the list by mistake, you do not need to send an apology to the whole list unless the message might be truly offensive or personal. Assume that your colleagues will delete the unintended message and overlook your error.

Confidentiality

Please note that this is an open list, and as such, participants should have no expectation of confidentiality regarding their postings. Consider that a large audience will see your posts. Remember too, that APOLNET-L will be archived, and that your words will be stored for a very long time in a place to which many people have access. If you are in doubt about whether or not you want your message to be public, please do not post it.

Other Considerations

Please avoid posting information that has been protected by copyright.

Assume that individuals speak for themselves, and what they say does not represent their organization (unless stated explicitly).

When posting messages, please do not wander off-topic and do not send mail or post messages solely to point out other people's errors in typing or spelling.

We encourage equitable participation. Please try to post a question or a response at least once every two or three months and no more than once a day.

Please note that sales or promotion of commercial services or products is forbidden.

UNACCEPTABLE LISTSERV CONDUCT

The following conduct is considered unacceptable:

*Using the listserv to transmit or post racist, defamatory, harassing, abusive, or threatening messages.

*Targeting unprofessional and/or disparaging remarks at specific individuals or groups.

*Forging or misrepresenting message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the originator of the message.

*Sending test messages to the entire list.

*Sending jokes of any kind.

*Soliciting personal business or selling products via the listserv.

*Posting spam messages (junk emails, myths and urban legends).

*Engaging in activities that APN determines to be harmful to its subscribers, operations, reputation, goodwill, or professional relations.

PROCESS FOR HANDLING UNACCEPTABLE LISTSERV CONDUCT

Our process for handling unacceptable postings is as follows.

*If a listserv member posts inappropriate or unacceptable messages, his or her subscription to the list may be terminated at the list owner's discretion.

*The first time a member posts an unacceptable message, s/he will be given a warning by email. If the member continues to post inappropriate messages, his/her subscription will be terminated.

*If deemed appropriate by the listserv owner, the written warning may also be accompanied by a temporary membership suspension ranging from 3 to 30 days depending on the severity of the incident(s).

*If a listserv member consistently posts inappropriate or unacceptable messages, his/her subscription to the list may be terminated with or without warning at the listserv owner's discretion.

*The subscription of listserv members posting messages containing racist, sexist, abusive, profane or threatening comments will be terminated immediately.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above, please send an email to apn@opha.on.ca or apolnet@opha.on.ca.