[Culturechat] Culturechat moderator with some guidelines for posting appropriately and constructively

Wed, 19 Feb 2003 14:51:41 -0500

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In case anyone reading Culturechat is concerned by the increasingly=20
political quality of the discussion, as moderator, I wanted to clarify a=20
few things.

In a time when honest and reasonable people clearly disagree about the=20
right course to take, disagreement is likely to occur. Culturechat has=20
always been a forum where people can delve a little deeper. (than Idyllchat=
=20
where the topic is clearly defined at travel, Untours and the destinations=
=20
they go to) For those of us signed up here on Culturechat, I think most of=
=20
us know that when the topic is culture, a little controversy is likely.

At Idyll, our principles for discourse are courtesy and openness to a=20
variety of ideas. While we don't always like what others say, we try not to=
=20
censor. However different one's ideas are, the line for civil discourse=20
that we (the hosts of this discussion) draw is when disagreements move into=
=20
personal attacks. Can't do that here.

Strongly held political beliefs are likely to be aired in this difficult=20
time. We would like to continue to allow a range of opinions. In that=20
light, three reminders:
=B7       Just because someone says something on Culturechat repeatedly and=
=20
with great conviction, it does not mean that Idyll, the company, agrees or=
=20
disagrees with that person. It simply means that we value open discussion.

=B7       If you move the discussion out of the area of opinion and theory,=
=20
and into the area of personal attacks, expect to get bounced off=
 Culturechat.

=B7       If the current quality of discussion is not to your liking (and I=
=20
have received many private requests from folks who would prefer that the=20
stridency of comments get toned down) feel free to delete, or simply sign=20
off for awhile. For those of you posting, you may want to consider that=20
many in the audience are likely to stop listening when the tone gets harsh.

=B7       Although politics is certainly a part of culture, we all might=
 want=20
to remember that culture is the primary topic of discussion and that,=20
therefore, hopefully, learning and trying to understand different points of=
=20
view than our own is the value that those of us on this discussion hold in=
=20
common.

Below you will find a slightly adapted version of the Netiquette we post on=
=20
Idyllchat....it seems to be a good set of common ground rules to keep us=20
all in dialogue despite our differences. I would especially ask us all to=20
be scrupulously thoughtful about our use of sarcasm....it hardly ever works=
=20
on email. I'll post the Netiquette notice monthly here on Culturechat as=20
well from now on.

Netiquette/ Technical Guidelines

Postings: General Etiquette

Those new to Culturechat New participants are encouraged to monitor the=20
messages for a few days to get a feel for what the general topics of=20
conversation are. Look over Culturechat archives if you want to be even=20
more familiar with the range of topics over time. (Found at=20
www.untours.com) When you feel comfortable with the group, then start=20
posting. A good ground rule regarding whether your post is useful is to ask=
=20
yourself if it would add to the general knowledge of the group.

Message content: Focus on one subject per message. If you want to cover two=
=20
different topics, send two different postings with appropriate subject=20
lines for each.

Editing your reply messages When quoting another person, it is a courtesy=20
(not a rule) to edit out whatever isn't directly applicable to your reply.=
=20
People who have very full email boxes will appreciate it if you take the=20
time to edit any quotations down to the minimum necessary to provide=20
context for your reply.

Capitals Do NOT write in all caps. This is considered shouting. Use caps=20
only to show emotions, like SURPRISE or to add emphasis to what you are=20
saying.

Questions that have been covered Be tolerant of questions you have heard=20
before. We invite new members all the time; they will not always be aware=20
of a discussions held earlier.

Disagreement Expressing opposing points of view can be done with=20
consideration for the feelings of others. If you are upset and want to=20
respond to a controversial posting, a good suggestion is to wait a day=20
before sending your response.

Subject Lines To help other members screen out messages that may not be on=
=20
topics of interest to them, always include a pertinent subject title or a=20
=91content-rich=94 subject line. Doing this helps everyone: user can locate=
=20
specific messages quickly; people can pick and choose which messages they=20
want to read. If you change the subject when replying to an earlier=20
message, change your subject line, or divide your reply into two messages.

Tone of voice Be careful in your use of humor and especially sarcasm in=20
your communication. E-mail is not face-to-face and it is quite easy for=20
someone to interpret your message in a way other than you intended.

Short messages Limit one-line responses (=93me, too=94, =93I agree=94).=
 Again, a=20
good rule of thumb is to ask yourself =93Does my response add substantively=
=20
to the discussion?=94. If it doesn=92t, but you would like to express your=
=20
appreciation, send your positive feedback to the individual member, not the=
=20
whole list. (You do this by finding their email address, listed in the=20
FROM: part of the posting. Use this as your address line to an individual=20
member, rather than idyllchat@untours.com) That being said, if you think a=
=20
brief comment adds to the discussion, short messages are also perfectly=20
welcome.

Appropriate Language Use of profanity or derogatory comments is not=20
appropriate. In addition, avoid personal criticism. Whether or not such=20
observations are warranted, research on online communities has shown that a=
=20
critical tone in postings intimidates other members and discourages=20
participation. We want Culturechat to be a welcoming kind of community.

Technical Guidelines
Cutlurechat welcomes members with all ranges of technical expertise. Please=
=20
feel free to participate even if you are brand new to email and computers=20
in general. Technical advice from other members is just that, advice. That=
=20
being said, technical advice is often very useful in this electronic medium=
=20
to which most of us are so new. On this list in particular, we ask you to=20
have patience with each other. Everyone was a network =91newbie=92 once.=
 Minor=20
errors need not be corrected. If you think a technical correction is=20
warranted, send a courteous correction to the person via private email.=20
Technical advice that you think is useful to everyone is greatly=
 appreciated.

Copyrighted materials It is important to be aware of copyright issues on=20
the Internet. Members should not post copyrighted information to the list=20
(e.g., a travel article published in a magazine). Please note that email=20
messages, like written letters, are considered copyrighted by the author of=
=20
the message. Therefore, it is inappropriate to forward another person's=20
email message to the list without permission from that person. It is=20
perfectly acceptable to quote briefly from copyrighted material and provide=
=20
a hyper link reference as to where others may read more.

Signatures It is helpful and courteous to "sign" your message or to include=
=20
your signature with every message. Some email programs do this=20
automatically; others will need to type it in their post each time.

Postings to individual members To post a message to the entire list, send=20
the message to culturechat@untours.com. If you want to send a reply to an=20
individual list member only, remember to change the address in the "To:"=20
field of your outgoing message to that individual member=92s email address,=
=20
found in their message, rather than posting to culturechat.com as a whole.

Technical questions posted to the entire group Occasionally subscribers to=
=20
the list who are not familiar with proper netiquette will submit requests=20
to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE directly to the list itself. Be tolerant of=20
this activity, and possibly provide useful advice to the person via private=
=20
email, as opposed to being critical.

Requests regarding administrative tasks When you would like to make=20
technical changes to your membership, e.g. be added or subtracted, or=20
change your email, temporarily disconnect from Culturechat, you can do that=
=20
yourself by going to the Idyll website (www.untours.com) You will find a=20
link to Idyllchat Discuss Untours on the home page. Please do not post=20
these requests to the general list. Try making the changes using our=20
website. If you have technical problems making the changes yourself, we=20
will be happy to do them for you, and you can send such requests TO:=20
marilee.taussig@untours.com, SUBJECT: Culturechat Administrative Request.

Attachments Generally, you should not post attachments to Culturechat. .=20
Because many list members may not be interested in the attachment, it is=20
discourteous to require them to spend downloading time and disk space (some=
=20
members may be paying for time and disk space) for a document they don't=20
want to read. Some email systems are unable to handle large attachments.=20
Also, many list members are concerned about viruses that may accompany an=20
attachment. Links (hypertext/ web addresses/URLs) are not attachments. It=20
is OK (often quite useful) to include links to web sites in your posting.

Marilee Taussig,
Idyllchat Administrator

Marilee Taussig,
Marketing Director
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Untours - Independent Travel With Support!
Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1 Web: <http://www.untours.com>

Join IdyllChat, an email discussion group on European travel!
Visit: <www.untours.com/idyllchat/>

"Most Generous Company in America, 1999" awarded by Newman's
Own & George magazine. For information on the Idyll Development
Foundation, visit: <www.untours.com/idf>

Marilee Taussig,
Marketing Director
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Untours - Independent Travel With Support!
Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1 Web: <http://www.untours.com>

Join IdyllChat, an email discussion group on European travel!
Visit: <www.untours.com/idyllchat/>

"Most Generous Company in America, 1999" awarded by Newman's
Own & George magazine. For information on the Idyll Development
Foundation, visit: <www.untours.com/idf>
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<html>
In case anyone reading Culturechat is concerned by the increasingly
political quality of the discussion, as moderator, I wanted to clarify a
few things. 
 
In a time when honest and reasonable people clearly disagree about the
right course to take, disagreement is likely to occur. Culturechat has
always been a forum where people can delve a little deeper. (than
Idyllchat where the topic is clearly defined at travel, Untours and the
destinations they go to) For those of us signed up here on Culturechat, I
think most of us know that when the topic is culture, a little
controversy is likely. 
 
At Idyll, our principles for discourse are courtesy and openness to a
variety of ideas. While we don't always like what others say, we try not
to censor. However different one's ideas are, the line for civil
discourse that we (the hosts of this discussion) draw is when
disagreements move into personal attacks. Can't do that here. 
 
Strongly held political beliefs are likely to be aired in this difficult
time. We would like to continue to allow a range of opinions. In that
light, three reminders: 

<dl>
<dl>
<dd>=B7<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>Just
because someone says something on Culturechat repeatedly and with great
conviction, it does not mean that Idyll, the company, agrees or disagrees
with that person. It simply means that we value open discussion. 
 

<dd>=B7<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>If
you move the discussion out of the area of opinion and theory, and into
the area of personal attacks, expect to get bounced off Culturechat.
 
 

<dd>=B7<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>If
the current quality of discussion is not to your liking (and I have
received many private requests from folks who would prefer that the
stridency of comments get toned down) feel free to delete, or simply sign
off for awhile. For those of you posting, you may want to consider that
many in the audience are likely to stop listening when the tone gets
harsh. 
 

<dd>=B7<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>Altho=
ugh
politics is certainly a part of culture, we all might want to remember
that culture is the primary topic of discussion and that,
therefore, hopefully, learning and trying to understand different points
of view than our own is the value that those of us on this discussion
hold in common.

</dl>
</dl>Below you will find a slightly adapted version of the Netiquette we
post on Idyllchat....it seems to be a good set of common ground rules to
keep us all in dialogue despite our differences. I would especially ask
us all to be scrupulously thoughtful about our use of sarcasm....it
hardly ever works on email. I'll post the Netiquette notice monthly here
on Culturechat as well from now on. 
 
Netiquette/ Technical Guidelines 
 
Postings: General Etiquette 
 
Those new to Culturechat New participants are encouraged to monitor
the messages for a few days to get a feel for what the general topics of
conversation are. Look over Culturechat archives if you want to be even
more familiar with the range of topics over time. (Found at
<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/" eudora=3D"autourl">www.untours.com</a>)
When you feel comfortable with the group, then start posting. A good
ground rule regarding whether your post is useful is to ask yourself if
it would add to the general knowledge of the group. 
 
Message content: Focus on one subject per message. If you want to
cover two different topics, send two different postings with appropriate
subject lines for each. 
 
Editing your reply messages When quoting another person, it is a
courtesy (not a rule) to edit out whatever isn't directly applicable to
your reply. People who have very full email boxes will appreciate it if
you take the time to edit any quotations down to the minimum necessary to
provide context for your reply. 
 
Capitals Do NOT write in all caps. This is considered shouting.
Use caps only to show emotions, like SURPRISE or to add emphasis to what
you are saying. 
 
Questions that have been covered Be tolerant of questions you have
heard before. We invite new members all the time; they will not always be
aware of a discussions held earlier. 
 
Disagreement Expressing opposing points of view can be done with
consideration for the feelings of others. If you are upset and want to
respond to a controversial posting, a good suggestion is to wait a day
before sending your response. 
 
Subject Lines To help other members screen out messages that may
not be on topics of interest to them, always include a pertinent subject
title or a =91content-rich=94 subject line. Doing this helps everyone: user
can locate specific messages quickly; people can pick and choose which
messages they want to read. If you change the subject when replying to an
earlier message, change your subject line, or divide your reply into two
messages. 
 
Tone of voice Be careful in your use of humor and especially
sarcasm in your communication. E-mail is not face-to-face and it is=
 quite easy for someone to interpret your message in a way other than you=
 intended. 
 
Short messages Limit one-line responses (=93me, too=94, =93I agree=94=
). Again, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself =93Does my response add=
 substantively to the discussion?=94. If it doesn=92t, but you would like to=
 express your appreciation, send your positive feedback to the individual=
 member, not the whole list. (You do this by finding their email address,=
 listed in the FROM: part of the posting. Use this as your address line to=
 an individual member, rather than idyllchat@untours.com) That being said,=
 if you think a brief comment adds to the discussion, short messages are=
 also perfectly welcome. 
 
Appropriate Language Use of profanity or derogatory comments is not=
 appropriate. In addition, avoid personal criticism. Whether or not such=
 observations are warranted, research on online communities has shown that a=
 critical tone in postings intimidates other members and discourages=
 participation. We want Culturechat to be a welcoming kind of community. 
 
Technical Guidelines 
Cutlurechat welcomes members with all ranges of technical=
 expertise. Please feel free to participate even if you are brand new to=
 email and computers in general. Technical advice from other members is just=
 that, advice. That being said, technical advice is often very useful in=
 this electronic medium to which most of us are so new. On this list in=
 particular, we ask you to have patience with each other. Everyone was a=
 network =91newbie=92 once. Minor errors need not be corrected. If you think=
 a technical correction is warranted, send a courteous correction to the=
 person via private email. Technical advice that you think is useful to=
 everyone is greatly appreciated. 
 
Copyrighted materials It is important to be aware of copyright issues=
 on the Internet. Members should not post copyrighted information to the=
 list (e.g., a travel article published in a magazine). Please note that=
 email messages, like written letters, are considered copyrighted by the=
 author of the message. Therefore, it is inappropriate to forward another=
 person's email message to the list without permission from that person. It=
 is perfectly acceptable to quote briefly from copyrighted material and=
 provide a hyper link reference as to where others may read more. 
 
Signatures It is helpful and courteous to &quot;sign&quot; your=
 message or to include your signature with every message. Some email=
 programs do this automatically; others will need to type it in their post=
 each time. 
 
Postings to individual members To post a message to the entire list,=
 send the message to culturechat@untours.com. If you want to send a=
 reply to an individual list member only, remember to change the address in=
 the &quot;To:&quot; field of your outgoing message to that individual=
 member=92s email address, found in their message, rather than posting to=
 culturechat.com as a whole. 
 
Technical questions posted to the entire group Occasionally=
 subscribers to the list who are not familiar with proper netiquette will=
 submit requests to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE directly to the list itself. Be=
 tolerant of this activity, and possibly provide useful advice to the person=
 via private email, as opposed to being critical. 
 
Requests regarding administrative tasks When you would like to make=
 technical changes to your membership, e.g. be added or subtracted, or=
 change your email, temporarily disconnect from Culturechat, you can do that=
 yourself by going to the Idyll website (<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">www.untours.com</a>) You=
 will find a link to Idyllchat Discuss Untours on the home page. Please do=
 not post these requests to the general list. Try making the changes using=
 our website. If you have technical problems making the changes yourself, we=
 will be happy to do them for you, and you can send such requests TO:=
 marilee.taussig@untours.com, SUBJECT: Culturechat Administrative Request.=
 
 
Attachments Generally, you should not post attachments to=
 Culturechat. . Because many list members may not be interested in the=
 attachment, it is discourteous to require them to spend downloading time=
 and disk space (some members may be paying for time and disk space) for a=
 document they don't want to read. Some email systems are unable to handle=
 large attachments. Also, many list members are concerned about viruses that=
 may accompany an attachment. Links (hypertext/ web addresses/URLs) are not=
 attachments. It is OK (often quite useful) to include links to web sites in=
 your posting. 
 
 
Marilee Taussig, 
Idyllchat Administrator 
 
 
 
 
 
Marilee Taussig, 
Marketing Director 
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 
Untours - Independent Travel With Support! 
Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1 Web: &lt;<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl"><font=
 color=3D"#0000FF">http://www.untours.com</a>&gt; 
 
Join IdyllChat, an email discussion group on European travel! 
Visit: &lt;<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idyllchat/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl"><font=
 color=3D"#0000FF">www.untours.com/idyllchat/</a>&gt; 
 
&quot;Most Generous Company in America, 1999&quot; awarded by Newman's 
Own &amp; George magazine. For information on the Idyll Development 
Foundation, visit: &lt;<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idf"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">www.untours.com/idf</a>&g=
t;

Marilee Taussig, <br>
Marketing Director<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
Untours - Independent Travel With Support!<br>
Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Web: &lt;<a=
 href=3D"http://www.untours.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.untours.com</a>&gt;<br>
<br>
Join IdyllChat, an email discussion group on European travel!<br>
Visit: &lt;<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idyllchat/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">www.untours.com/idyllchat/</a>&gt;<br>
<br>
&quot;Most Generous Company in America, 1999&quot; awarded by Newman's<br>
Own &amp; George magazine. For information on the Idyll Development<br>
Foundation, visit: &lt;<a href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idf"=
 eudora=3D"autourl"><font color=3D"#0000FF"><u>www.untours.com/idf</a></font=
></u>&gt;</html>

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