[Reader-list] Posting guidelines

[Monica Narula]

Dear All

As we all know, this is not a moderated list. And as I have written 
before, and as i am sure all of you already appreciate, we have to 
have a sense of collective responsibility to maintaining an 
atmosphere of "freedom of speech", keeping in mind that there is no 
gratuitous dismissal of what other people write and believe, 
especially as in the recent event where the person cannot respond to 
the mail as she is not a list member. However, i would request 
members to have a discussion, and not leave the list! That way no 
issues will get sorted out at all...

I have collected a short list of things to keep in mind while we all 
post. These are a collation of guidelines from other lists (and they 
from others...) - but importantly they serve those lists well. I hope 
it is the case here as well.

best
Monica
List-Admin

==> Posting Guidelines <==

1> A good post provides a point of view which encourages other 
listmembers to respond. Most of all, posts should be interesting to 
read in some way even outside the context of a discussion thread. 
"Would I forward my post to someone outside of reader-list?" is a 
good question to ask before sending it to the list.

If you want to

     i)   clarify your position ("I didn't mean that, I meant this"),
     ii)  express agreement/disagreement ("I agree with X, but not Y"), or
     iii) correct minor factual detail ("Actually, that show was at x,
          not the y")

without extending the discussion, consider replying to the original 
sender off-list.

2> A good post highlights *your* perspective. If you want to forward 
an article by someone else or a URL which may be of interest to the 
list, take some time to set some starting points for discussion. Why 
do you find this
interesting? What are the likely implications for other members?

If you just want to provide an informational post about an upcoming 
event or a resource which may be of interest, send it to 
announcements at sarai.net

3> A good post shows respect. There are real people on the other end 
of list messages. If you're disagreeing with someone's argument, 
remember to acknowledge parts you do agree with. If someone's post 
offends you, sit on
it for a day before hitting reply.

4> A good post is generous. Concentrate on being supportive and 
expansive. Open conversations up rather than shut them down. You get 
out of reader-list what you put in. Spend some time engaging with 
people on list, and you'll find them much more likely to do the same 
when you start new conversations.

5> A good post? - opinion pieces, journalistic articles, discussion 
questions, essays, short academic papers,
reviews, a sprinkling of fiction even - and of course responses to these posts.

6> The following kinds of posts are not suited:

* Announcements (send to announcements at sarai.net)
* Flames
* Unannotated URLs/forwarded articles
* Promotional material

Reader-list is an unmoderated list, so we rely on subscribers 
following these guidelines to keep the list dynamic and active. The 
facilitators may send reminders to anyone not following the 
guidelines. Posters who repeatedly ignore these guidelines and 
reminders may be removed from the list.

7> Most of all, enjoy yourself! The Reader-list has been a fantastic 
forum for the exchange of ideas, and it continues to grow in size and 
diversity. But it can only do so while new members come in and 
contribute.
-- 
Monica Narula
Sarai:The New Media Initiative
29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054
www.sarai.net