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[edit] How to be an efficient listowner

[edit] Starting and Managing email-based discussion lists

Excerpts from Wired’s list of "Nine Principles for Making Virtual Communities Work" (Godwin 73).

  • use software that promotes good discussions
  • don’t impose a length limitation on postings
  • front load your system with talkative, diverse people
  • let the users resolve their own disputes
  • promote continuity
  • be host to a particular interest group
  • provide places for children
  • Most important: confront the users with a crisis (Godwin 74).

See also Cyberspace Innkeeping: Building Online Community by John Coate And Internet Time Blog. [1] Clay Shirky's 2003 Speech: A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy

[edit] Monitoring & Facilitating

[edit] Other Important Resources

  • Six-Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age ISBN 0-39-304142-5. Findings:
    • 'Six-degrees' type separation spans social, physical, and mental distances.
    • Social networks have certain degrees of discord, but are recognized and utilized by people via group associations that make up our social identities.
    • For individuals, separations of more than two degrees nearly equate to being strangers.
    • For the transmission of ideas, fashion, or viruses, six degrees can nearly equate to being directly linked.
    • Throughout most networks, ideas promulgate via clusters who spread information or infection to other clusters through shared membership or proximity (or "shortcuts").
    • Thoughts or ideas remain benign or contained until their natural growth reaches a critical threshold or phase transition; at this point they either die out or overwhelm the population.
    • Common networks can be simultaneously vulnerable and robust. This can be a strength, allowing the network to change and adapt to new information or threats. However these characteristics can also rapidly transmit contagions throughout the network and overwhelm it.

[edit] How dow I ...

[edit] Deal with a listmember who insists on speaking loud about his religious beliefs

You can first mention on the list the existence of the ACOR lists rules, and specifically the following:

Rule #6: Respect religious and political diversity

Religion is a delicate topic!

Faith is very important to many, especially during a life crisis like cancer. No matter how strong your personal faith, it's important to realize we have a great diversity of religious beliefs among our members, and that not everyone shares your faith, whatever that might be. Many people will be offended by posts which preach to them, or which assume that they believe in the same god you do. Don't post messages which advise people to pray, or tell them that they will be helped by a particular religion or even by religion in general. Anything which might be considered proselytizing should be avoided. At the same time asking people to pray for you, or expressing how your faith has helped you should be fine. Sometimes it's a very fine line - use your best judgment!

If disagreement occurs on the list regarding this topic, we ask that those involved in the disagreement take their discussions off-list.

If that is not enough, you can then post the following:

We try to minimize expressions of religion (as well as politics) because they tend to cause dissension. People do not all feel the same way about either of those topics, and experience has taught us that they are divisive topics on a disease-oriented list. We have a huge group of people here. It is only reasonable to realize that not everyone is of the same faith, or of any faith at all. We are from many different parts of the world, different cultures, different religious backgrounds, or no religious background. What is an expression of faith for one person can be very different from that of another person. For a third person, an expression of religious faith is simply disenfranchising - sometimes the implicit assumption is that we all pray, or that we all pray similarly, or that we all believe in god. If this is so, then the person who does not fit those patterns may feel less a part of the group. It is our intention as listowners to not allow that. We are all part of this group because we all have cancer or have a relationship with someone with cancer (or related problems).


As listowners, we do not moderate the posts. We do not see your posts before the group does, so we do not read them ahead of time. We rely on the group to follow the guidelines we have set up. There were excellent reasons for setting them up, and they grew out of experiences we have had. We are very proud that our LISTNAME list (unlike some others) has had few arguments within the group, few "flame wars" (defined as being nasty to someone, sent to the whole list), and has for the most part settled its disagreements privately. As a result, we feel that this group provides a safe haven for people going through what can be a truly horrible and stressful life experience. Whether you do well or poorly, a cancer diagnosis is chilling and frightening. We try to keep this list as a place for comfort for everyone.


Religion per se is NOT a comfort for everyone. I understand that this is not always easy to comprehend. It is, however, an accurate statement. Additionally, what is comfortable for one person may be quite an alien concept for another, due to varied background and beliefs. We do not keep all mention of prayer off the list, but do try to limit it.


ACOR (our sponsoring non-profit organization) has two lists specifically aimed at the discussion of religion for cancer patients. If anyone on our list wishes to discuss religion as it relates to the cancer experience, these are the places where that is welcomed and encouraged. They can both be reached through http://www.acor.org - click on "mailing lists" at the upper part of the screen, and find the correct list name. Click on it to join.


They are:

CPCOS: Cancer Patients Christian Online Support Group

and

FAITH: A Discussion List about Faith and Coping with Cancer


Please use these as the forum for religious discussion, so that the LISTNAME list stays focused on other topics.

Feel free to respond if you have further questions, not through the list but through the owner mailbox at LISTNAME-request@listserv.acor.org. Thanks for your patience.

Note: You must replace LISTNAME with the name of your list.

Acknowledgement: This notice came from the OVARIAN list listowners


If this is not enough to stop the list subscriber you can then set the subscription on REVIEW or even NOPOST
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