Online Discussion Lists: Rules of the Game

• Keep your messages short - if you want to write an essay put it on a web page or somewhere else people can look at it if they choose, then send a short message to the list announcing it

• Only reply if you have something new to add - don't send messages just saying "I agree with Fred" or similar

• Reply to the list not to the sender of the message - messages to an email list are intended for public discussion. Your email package may have a facility that picks up the "Reply to:" line in the discussion list header, or you may need to change the reply address, but you should reply to the list unless you have something personal and private to say to the sender. The list address is etw-forum@eto.org.uk.

• Keep your messages within the general topic area of the list - telework, teletrade, telecooperation and information society matters of general interest at European level.

• Announcements of local and national events etc are welcome but (a) please use the list for only the very basic details; (b) please make sure you send announcements to eto-notices@eto.org.uk not to the discussion list. Include date, place, topic, type of event, where to get more details. If the event doesn't have access to WWW facilities send the full details to the ETO site organisers and we'll post them on the web for you.

• When replying please use the same "subject" line so that people will find it easy to follow the "thread" of a topic (but see below for when to "change topics")

• If you are introducing a new topic choose a new subject line that makes the subject of your message clear to all

• Also choose a new subject line when you "reply" but your reply moves the topic away from what most people would expect from the existing subject line; for example, you might "change topics" in this way when someone is writing about "how to get more people teleworking" but the subject has moved to a discussion of barriers to telework and from there to "lack of cheap Internet connections in some countries" - as soon as you realise that your message is really about Internet availability not about telework, change the topic!

• Use plain English - remember that people from up to 30 countries may be trying to make sense of your message

• Be thoughtful and generous in your response to other people's messages - try to consider what might be useful in what they are trying to say even if you disagree with it
  
  
• Never be rude or dismissive about someone's messages - if you have any complaints about other people's behaviour take it up with the list manager rather than trying to deal with it yourself.
  
  
• Don't react to what you may think is bad behaviour - it just provokes "flame wars", the list manager will deal privately with such matters, and anyone who persistently breaks the rules will be prevented from making further postings to the list.

Please do not use the list for . . .

• Advertising - other than for open-to-all telework related events and programmes

• Questionnaires of any kind - if you are seeking respondents to a questionnaire read the ETO FAQ: How can I get help with my telework research project?

• Requests for help with private MBA or PhD or similar research - information about and requests for help with significant new telework-related research projects are welcome, but not questionnaires, again please read the FAQ mentioned above before posting requests for help of this kind.

• General non-telework issues of the Information Society or other EC or national programmes - there is an EC-run ISPO list for Information Society discussion purposes.

About "quoting"

• Only quote when its necessary - often the meaning and context of your message are self apparent;

• Don't quote the whole message - it may be quicker and easier for you but remember several hundred people may be reading your message, if you want to speak to them an extra few minutes to help them will be time well invested;

• Certainly don't just put the whole of the prior message at the beginning and end of your message, this is never necessary and just adds more traffic to the networks, more phone time for everyone to download, more file space for anyone who wants to keep the messages for posterity.

• Quoting is more neccessary on a very busy list, where there may be several threads running and people have difficulty keeping track of the discussion, but even then please use it selectively.