WEB POLICIES*

The purposes of the web site and listservs include:

• to provide current information about UUCE's mission, organization, philosophy, resources, events, activities, and opportunities to members, potential members, visitors and friends

• to facilitate internal communication of Board and administrative decisions to members and friends

• to provide external communication to others who are subscribed (those planning on moving to the area, those using our list as a model for their own church's list, visitors, friends of the church) so potential members can observe what we stand for and what our collective personality is

• to provide certain historical documents often needed for review (growth planning background documents, archives/history, committee reports, Board and some committee Minutes back several years, bylaws, previous budgets...)

• to provide social opportunities and community-building

Email Privacy -
      Listservs are inherently not private. For those with concerns about email privacy, using an alternate or "throw-away" email address that does not reveal one's name is a possibility for subscriptions to listservs.

Special Interest listservs
     The largest listserv goes to ~600 members and friends, but every time they feel abused (translation: more than one message, i.e., the e-Weekly, 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 e-Weekly, but there is a "cost" and the d-Weekly editor may refuse to comply after weighing those costs.

Application for new listserv for your committee
Application for new web PAGE on the church's webSITE
Roster of local UUCE listservs currently in use + summary
About Listservs/Lists (including Netiquette, use, spam protections)

Website Privacy - includes Newsletter, e-Weekly, and printed material
     Heads and/or contact persons of committees or groups may be listed on a webpage or in printed documents by name, e-mail address and/or telephone number. Normally, other committee members will not be listed unless they volunteer to be a contact person for an event, announcement, or meeting. Ultimately, the responsibility for privacy in church publications rests with the individual, so those concerned about preserving their privacy should consider the risks before volunteering to become the contact person for a committee or group. [Translation: if you don't want it on the web, don't submit it for the newsletter.]
     Exceptions where it might be appropriate to list contact information for all members of a committee could include the Committee on Congregational Ministry, Pastoral Associates, and Board members. For other committees, it is optional to list committee members who are not the chair or contact person, with permission but without contact information, so that people in the church will know who is participating in the various committees.
     The web version of the newsletter requires personal information to be removed (birthdays, anniversaries, children's names...), as well as ANY mention of QQQ (misspelled name of foreign-born member who might be in danger due to church membership) or RRR (also misspelled, who might be in danger from an ex-spouse).

Accessibility
     We send the newsletter to all our blind members in Word or RTF format so their screen-readers (a computer program that reads the newsletter aloud to them) can read it. (Some PDFs are readable, others are not.) At this time, we have four members who are blind, and several more who may be using screen readers due to low-vision.

Not Acceptable on the website

- Commercial endorsements
- Endorsements of a political candidate or party
- Letters to the editor
- Controversial essays by members
- Private street addresses except by explicit permission
- Outside advertising
- Personal events or family news (health, family visits, travel news, recipes...)
- Copyrighted content without permission from the owner
- Content that is abusive, insulting, threatening, obscene, hateful, racially, or ethnically objectionable or that contains inappropriate personal or embarrassing information
- We do not identify photos of children on the website

More

- if text is in a graphic, it absolutely must also be in plain text
on a webpage, or e-Weekly
- keep the tables of contents/sitemaps up to date
- encourage committees and groups to update their pages
with current information on a regular basis
- shut down pages (or de-link them) when desperately out
of date (as defined by the webmaster)
- we encourage Netiquette
- "friends" are regularly attending and/or giving non-members

The Board
      The webmaster seeks to serve the Board and to help the Board to communicate 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
         ~ The webmaster requires updates for policies, Bylaws, restructured committees, committee members, committee charges, and any PR needed for Congregational Meetings and other larger events to be specifically provided to them.

Membership
      Cooperate with membership to keep both listserv and membership lists and Directory up-to-date. The office will keep track of visitor dates for receiving the newsletter, and inform the listmoms and membership of changes and withdrawals.

Netiquette  (editing needed)

· Don't speak if you don't have anything to add. Put that way, this rule seems pretty obvious. There is no need to respond to every message, and indeed you will annoy everyone else if you try to. Put that way, this rule seems pretty obvious. But lots of people post messages that essentially say "Me too!" or "I agree!" or "Thank you" or "Good for you!" when they don't have anything to add to the discussion.

· When replying, include only the most relevant part of the original message. Most E-mail programs provide way to "quote" the text of the message you are replying to; learn how to use your email program. When people read your reply, they may not remember exactly which message you are replying to. Including the message puts your message in context. On the other hand, delete the parts of the message that aren't relevant, so each reader doesn't have to wade through headers, signatures, and other stuff that doesn't pertain to your message.

· Reply privately when your message isn't of interest to the group. When you reply to a message, consider whether to send your reply to the mailing list or to the person who wrote the message you are replying to. If you want to make a point that contributes to the group discussion, post your reply to the mailing list. If you want to criticize, ask a personal question, or ask something off the topic of the list, send your reply directly to the person who wrote the message.

· Use plain text as your default. Generally we request that you not send messages with fancy fonts, colors, different sizing, bolding, underlining, fancy lettering, "rich text", photos, documents, software, graphics, music, or pretty backgrounds. The best way to do attachments or graphics (i.e., cartoons, photos) is to 1) describe what you have and ask those who want to receive it to contact you offlist with their request, or 2) upload what you have to a website and give the URL (website address) to folks in your message to them. If you send an article, just send the parts that you wish to discuss or highlight, plus the URL ("address") where the rest of the article can be found. How to set to plain text: www.expita.com/nomime.html . Use descriptive subject lines. When writing a new message or replying to a message (ESPECIALLY on Digest), make sure that the subject line describes your message as specifically as possible. Never send a message with the subject "Help!" when it could say "Need 4th grade curriculum about Islam."

· Don't post chain letters and virus messages or unverified sob/disaster stories. It doesn't matter how worthy the chain letter sounds! Don't post messages to a list unless it is on-topic AND you personally know the information in it to be true (ie, the little English boy who wants postcards from around the world before he dies of cancer is now 35 and, please, does not want any more postcards thankyouverymuch...) The place to go before you forward the forward of the forward of the forward about the "new" horrible virus that will destroy their computer is <http://snopes.com/> Do actually READ the Snopes article to see that the subject line is indeed what the article talks about, that it is current (vs. 8 years old), and that God has pronounced on it. Then and only then should you send it on.

· Identify yourself. Most E-mail programs let you define a signature which appears at the end of each message you send. Your signature should be no more than four lines long and include your name, your E-mail address, your Web home page (if any), and a pithy quote or tag line. Don't include "ASCII art" (pictures made out of punctuation), your mailing address or phone number, or use more than four lines in your sig.

· Do not annoy the listmanagers. The listmanagers are volunteers who love this community, AND they won't tolerate abuse. They alone will determine when they are annoyed, and they will take appropriate action. Said actions can include a private warning, a public warning, a public demand, individual moderation, suspension, and expulsion from the list, not necessarily in that order and wholly dependent upon the magnitude of their annoyance. There is no appeal to a listmanager's decree. To be reinstated onto a list, it is considered appropriate to respectfully approach the offended listmanager with extreme courtesy and good chocolate (not just M&Ms and certainly not a mere Snickers bar), along with heartfelt promises to never do <whatever annoyed the listmanager> again.

· 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.

· Our lists are not a debating society; scoring points is not the goal. Instead, we seek 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 anyway.

· 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 them, so they can learn from, and fix, their mistakes.

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

· If you are having an off-list argument with an listserv 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.

· The Chat and the Share listservs are 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.

· You do not have to respond to every message. 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.

end

Some other UU Listserv policies

Editorial policy of listmanagers

"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.

     · Our lists are not a debating society; scoring points is not the goal. Instead, we seek 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 anyway.

     · 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 them, so they can learn from, and fix, their mistakes.

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

     · If you are having an off-list argument with an listserv 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.

     · The Chat and the Share listservs are 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.

---

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.

-------

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.