Participate in any requested assessments or surveys
Provide constructive feedback
Respond by deadlines if given
Basic rules and procedures to make listserv discussions more effective, satisfying and enjoyable.
Include a descriptive subject line. State clearly and concisely the topic of your comments. This allows members to respond appropriately and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject line.
Identify yourself and give contact information. Make sure that your signature block includes your name, institution and email address.
Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that benefits everyone. Responses to most questions and discussion topics are of interest to the entire list.
Personal replies should be directed to specific individuals rather than to the entire list. Best to cut and paste the sender’s e-mail address when replying rather than simply hitting the “Reply” or “Reply All” button which sends the response to the entire list.
Send messages such as “thanks for the information” or “me, too” to individuals not the entire list.
Warn members of lengthy messages either in the subject line or at the beginning of the message body with a line that says “Long Message”.
Include only relevant portions of the original message in your reply. Put your response before the original posting, not after it.
Be respectful and considerate of your colleagues in your postings. If you disagree or become upset with someone's response or use of the list, reply to that person directly when appropriate.
Do not “flame”, challenge or attack others. The discussions are meant to stimulate conversation, not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you have yours.
Remember that we are on the list for the purpose of working together to identify and come up with effective solutions to issues.
Guidelines for Working Group Leads
How to manage conversations regarding issues or best practices
Keep discussions on topic
Encourage responses for diverse opinions
Note if other working groups should be in the conversation
How to manage conversations gone awry
Bring group back to the original topic if off-track
If off-topic discussion is valuable, consider a new subject line for that topic
Suggest that an off-topic conversation go off-line
How and when to participate in conversations
Use your voice to probe and ask clarifying questions
Summarize what has been said
Encourage those who have not responded to do so if there seems to be only a few dominant voices
Remind the group of an approaching deadline
State the recommendation that will be forwarded to the I-Team
What information to send to the Implementation Team, when to do so
Send summarized response to a topic by the deadline
Send issues (with context) that have arisen from the group that need input from the I-Team
Notify the I-Team as soon as possible if other groups need to be involved in the conversation
Keeping things on track – systemwide vs. local choice
Keep a log of recommendations
Keep discussions on issues/best practices that affect multiple campuses in terms of overall system configuration, policy determination or collaboration