WEB POLICIES*

The purposes of the web site and listservs include:

Web Page Policies

- use meaningful URLs
- keep the tables of contents up to date
- avoid excessive dating of pages in the sense of "last updated on <date>" which can cause some pages to look carelessly out of date when they are not
- encourage committees and groups to send in current information on a regular basis to update their content
- shut down pages (or de-link them) when desperately out of date (as defined by the webmaster)

Application for new listserv for your committee

Roster of local UUCE listservs currently in use

About Listservs/Lists (including Netiquette)

Application for new web page on the church's webSITE

Newsletter

For the past few years, we have been offering the Newsletter on the website - PRIOR to it being delivered by snailmail in hardcopy and IN COLOR— to gently encourage use of a paperless version. We have not kept track, but would assume that there are about 75-100 or more families who are taking advantage of the offer. This version of the newsletter requires personal information to be removed (birthdays, anniversaries, any home addresses), as well as ANY mention of Marma Sady (deliberately misspelled, she can become M.S. in the newsletter itself).

We also send the newsletter to all our blind members in Word or RTF format so their screen-readers (a computer program that speaks the newsletter to them) can read it. At this time, we have four members who are blind, and several who may be using screen readers due to low-vision.

Working with the Board

The webmaster seeks to serve the Board and to work with the Board to interface in many ways with the congregation. To those ends, the webmaster needs certain specific information and oversight in a timely fashion from the Board Secretary. This could include (but is not limited to):

     - Minutes submitted for the website within eight days of the next Board Meeting
     - Camera-ready (=no further editing necessary) updates for policies, Bylaws, restructured committees, committee members, committee charges, and any PR needed for Congregational Meetings and other larger events.

The UUCE-News listserv goes to ~600 members and friends, but every time they feel abused (translation: more than one message, i.e., the UUpDate, a week), there is at least one unsubscription. Thus, you may ask for extra messages to go out either due to importance, errors in the original, or due to forgetting to put it in the UUpDate, but there is a "cost" and the UUpDate editor may refuse to comply after weighing those costs.

Listservs

Application for new listserv for your committee

Roster of local UUCE listservs currently in use

About Listservs/Lists (including Netiquette)

Board Listserv

The webmaster is on the Board listserv, but doesn't read it regularly. Mostly I read the subject line to see if there is a need for my techie attentions to allow a message through that somehow got hung up. If you wish to get a message to me, you need to do it directly. Also, if ever I do read a message in that listserv, I treat it as confidential and it goes no further.

This also means that you have to be verrry direct with me. DO send me the final version of the Minutes - don't assume that I will have read the Board list and noted the corrections needed. DO send me a specific message when you want to add or remove anyone from the Board listserv. DO send me the exact changes you want to see on the Policies or ByLaws pages (suggestion: copy the old paragraph from the webpage into an email message, then copy the whole new paragragh that is to replace it).

If a non-Board member sends a message to the Board, I let it through. That does not mean that the member is ON the Board listserv, nor that the member can read the responses or discussion on the Board list. To respond to the member, you need to do it directly. (This is also what the term "restricted" means in the header.)

Be sure that I receive all the changes for your pages and committee members on the website. For example, the Committee on Ministry and the Safe Gongregation Committee are not yet combined on the website. I need direct instructions as to what to do about that, if anything. To review the Admin pages on the website, the best idea is either to use the Table of Contents almost on any admin page to get to the others, or use the SiteMap.

* Note: these policies have not received formal approval from the (overworked) Board, though they are what the current webmaster works from.

 

Some other UU Listserv policies

Editorial policy of listmanagers at UU-Community

"What is not pleasant to you, do not to others.
All the rest is just commentary." - Rabbi Hillel

     · Speak from your own experience and feelings. It is better to hear about someone's own experiences with spirituality, UUism, or whatever, than to hear theories about it or opinions about other people's opinions.

     · UU-Community is not a debating society; scoring points is not the goal. Instead, this list seeks to foster a conversation where the members hear everyone and attack no one. Bear in mind that attacking an idea held dearly can feel like a personal attack.

     · Beware False Tongues, rumors, false-hoods, spam, nasty tricks, and second-hand information. Do not send screams of "Fire!" More harm than good is the usual result.

     · Check rumors out at the Snopes web site <http://www.snopes.com/> before posting them -- then don't bother posting them.

     · Be considerate and caring in your search for understanding when expressing your opinions, or pointing out the merits of your opinion to others.

     · When in doubt about whether a draft message is disrespectful or not, wait 24 hours, and then reread the message. You may answer your doubts when time has lapsed and you read it fresh, or you may discover a better way to phrase it that is more respectful.

     · The author of a private message holds a copyright on it, as with all works of original authorship, under US and international law. It is an open question whether sending such a message to others gives the recipient the right to further distribute it. The recipient of a private message may not quote from it to the list without obtaining explicit permission from the sender.

     · Many people consider the public distribution of a private message, without permission, to be a violation of the author's right to privacy.

     · Point-by-point refutation of messages usually causes people's positions to harden, and is discouraged. When people start doing the point-by-point, quote and counter-quote thing, the discussion goes right down the toilet (except where technical points are being clarified). Instead, choose no more than three of the more important points to quote. Better yet, say in your own words the most important part of what you think the other person meant, and then add your response.

     · The Moderators are human and will make mistakes. Let them know in a kindly way, preferably by private email to <UU-Community-owner@uua.org>, so they can learn from, and fix, their mistakes. If you feel that the Moderators aren't doing a responsible job, complain to the UUA Office of Electronic Communication at <oec@uua.org>.

     · Don't abuse, libel, defame or malign the Moderators in public about the way they moderate UU-Community. Don't misrepresent, or lie about, the actions of the Moderators in public. Don't be abusive to the UU-Community Moderators in private email to them. . Any of these actions is cause for expulsion from UU-Community, either summarily or after an initial warning, at the discretion of the Moderators.

     · If you are having an off-list argument with an UU-Community subscriber, don't bring it up here. For example, if you were having an argument on another list, or by private email, in which you just called someone a filthy epithet involving a rhinoceros, it would be inappropriate to bring up rhinos in a message to that person on this list. This does not preclude private conversations among members, as long as they don't send these messages to the list. However, never forward a message from this list to a non-member without getting explicit permission from the sender of the message.

     · UU-Community is like an informal party after church, hosted by the Moderators. Like a party at church, it's not the place for no-hold-barred arguments, gossip about each other, or throwing spitballs at the hosts. Instead, it's a place where people can hear interesting ideas, consider them, and discuss them, and where they can get to know some fellow UUs better.

     · If you find that you are replying to too many messages, be more discriminating and select only those you find most interesting. Let someone else respond to the other messages. Often, if you wait, someone else will make the same comment that you were thinking about making. There is a quiet beauty in waiting until some of the more introverted persons have a chance to respond to a message. It takes them longer to respond. If the more extroverted members jump in and respond to messages quickly, some members will always remain lurkers.

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Regarding Abuse of Email - Alban Institute
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8740

There are many things to be learned from these experiences, but one of the most important is: E-mail is not a conflict resolution tool.

I base this statement on my observation of five characteristics of e-mail:
E-mail makes it impossible to read the non-verbal body language of the persons with whom you are communicating. Likewise, they can't read yours. I have occasionally made the mistake (perhaps you have, too) of trying to crack a joke through e-mail and having it fall flat. I can't read the body language to tell how the joke is being received, and others can't see the twinkle in my eyes when I am joking. When a congregation is in conflict, folks are already very emotionally reactive. Therefore, people in this situation are far more likely to misread or misinterpret what is being said under the best of conditions. Eliminating visual cues and vocal inflection further cripples the communication process and opens the door to misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

E-mail appears to be fast, almost immediate, communication, when in fact the length of time it takes to deliver a message depends largely on the recipient's personal habits. Some people check their Blackberrys or iPhones for messages every few minutes, and some go for days without turning on their computer to look at their e-mail. The uncertainty around when a message is received often adds to the confusion of who knows what and when they heard it—often a central communication issue in conflicted situations.

Because e-mail language is often less formal than traditional written language, it feels much more like talking on the telephone, except that it is a one-sided conversation. Your e-mail message probably makes perfect sense to you. But it may contain unspoken assumptions, or even a typo that can change the meaning of the message for your recipient, and complicate your effort to communicate. It can actually take longer to sort out miscommunication than it would to relay information in face-to-face conversations, one at a time. I frequently have to tell pastors to stop using e-mail when trying to deal with a parishioner's difficult behavior, and simply go talk to them. A face-to-face conversation, with give and take, can often serve to sort out a complicated situation when a one-sided e-mail message only makes it more complex.

E-mail is not confidential. No matter what kind of disclaimer or warning about confidentiality you include in your e-mail, anyone can forward any e-mail at any time. When I am about to send out an e-mail message, I always ask myself, "Would I feel comfortable if this e-mail were forwarded to someone else—even if it was accidentally forwarded?" If your answer to that question is "no," then don't send it. And that is related to another practice you might want to develop: get in the habit of re-reading any e-mail message before sending it out. Usually, you will just catch typos and the occasional omitted word, but sometimes, you will hear a very different message than the one you intended. Train yourself to pause and re-read before you hit the send button.

E-mail is not a constructive venue for important conversations. One of the strengths of e-mail is its ability to communicate details quickly and efficiently. Important conversations, and especially those that surround a conflicted situation, need and deserve richer and fuller interaction—one in which nuance and non-verbal communication is part of the communication process.

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Having said all of this, are there times when I actually encourage a pastor, lay leader, or member of a congregation to use e-mail or a letter to deal with an issue? Of course, I do. A letter or an e-mail is very appropriate when you need clear documentation of a decision or action. It is also useful if someone is actively attempting to misrepresent you and your views, but think through this scenario carefully first.

And, another word of encouragement: Just as a well-placed challenge, or a word of optimism can turn a parking lot meeting into a productive, constructive conversation, used carefully, the Internet can be helpful in conflicted situations. Let me close with a couple of positive stories—real examples of ways in which computer technology actually prevented conflict:

     A pastor learned that one of the church's staff members was interviewed on television at the local gay pride parade. This staff person said a lot of wonderful things about the church. Some churches might have viewed this as good advertising, but this congregation had not gone through a period of dialogue and discernment about their beliefs and values regarding the diversity of sexual orientations. When his inbox lit up, the pastor, with key lay leaders, correctly and quickly communicated to the members that "we are not going to deal with this via the Internet and e-mail." This gave leaders the opportunity to form a plan. They were able to begin the dialogue and to work with the congregation to develop a broad-based, constructive process. As a result, they were able to help bring clarity to this subject and to support members of the church who had many different views and experiences.

     A middle judicatory group felt the need to harvest the collective wisdom of their congregations and leaders regarding a controversial initiative. A team appointed to work with the bishop decided that they might get good feedback and encourage more creative thinking in the region if they were to create a blog on this topic. They spent time gathering information about the technological capacities and communication challenges involved in creating a blog. They developed policies describing what would be posted, how they would publicize the blog, and who would manage it. This strategy not only garnered good information and creative thinking, it became a helpful way of reaching younger people who were more comfortable with this technology and this form of communication.

Effective communication during a conflicted situation requires an extra dose of care and attention, especially if you are using an electronic, computer-based system to communicate to hurting, angry, or suspicious people.