Web-etiquette, or, Common Courtesies that Encourage Free Expression

E-mail poses some interesting interpersonal communication problems because it erases non-verbal communication clues. The "loss" of facial expressions, voice intonation and body language makes it difficult to always correctly interpret a sender's meaning. That e-mail usually is informal and brief exacerbates the potential for misunderstanding. In an effort to encourage spirited discussion while avoiding some of the more common "pitfalls" of e-mail communication, your list manager offers the following tips on web-etiquette and explication of some common conventions of listserv use.

1) Most Listservs have a limited scope. The AU AAUP generally devotes its listserv to issues of academic freedom and shared governance. Please avoid sending messages that stray too far from these issues. As an obvious example, posting news items on campus politics is a good use of the listserve, but using it to "sell" objects or promote commercial interests is not.

2) Please avoid sending exceedingly long posts or "attachments.” If you want to make an attachment available to the whole membership please write it into your original post or send it to ollifmt@auburn.edu and I’ll place it on a website from which it can be downloaded. You can include the attachment’s URL in your message.

3) Please do not forward a listserv post to other groups or non-members without the consent of the member who originally posted the message. The listserv is a benefit of membership in the AU AAUP and a place where members can think out loud and share ideas. Reposting w/o permission damages that function of the listserv.

4) Listserv posts are the opinion of the sender. Respecting the right of all members to express their opinions is important to maintaining a free discussion. Please do not engage in ad hominem or personal attacks (also known as "flaming"). Addressing why an idea is wrong, in your opinion, is much more interesting to the list membership than just reading your personal attack on that member. (Here’s where it’s a good idea to remember that e-mail is terse to the point of curtness.) If you feel you must personally attack a member for their beliefs or opinions then consider doing that "off-list."

5) Please avoid posting very short messages with the singular purpose of "congratulating" a member for a good post. Congratulate that person "off-list." Examples of these types of messages might be: "good point," or "I agree." The purpose of keeping these types of remarks off-list is simply to cut down on the shear quantity of messages the list generates.

6) Subject lines are your friends. The clearer a subject line notation is, the better. You might consider including "AAUP: " at the beginning of your subject to distinguish it from the general run of stuff that inhabits most e-mail inboxes.

7) Remember that these are extraordinary times, and the AU AAUP is in the forefront of events to protect and enhance academic freedom and shared governance. When events warrant, e-mails will fly fast and furious because the posters want to keep the membership informed or seek input from the widest possible segment of colleagues. Please feel free to use the delete button when a thread does not interest you. Others might find that thread vitally important. Remember, too, that threads have short lives and that listservs have ebbs and flows of postings.