One of the keys to a successful email discussion list is having a clear set of guidelines for behavior on the list. Effective guidelines may cover technical issues, usage conventions, and standards for acceptable behavior.

A number of list owners have asked us for sample guidelines. While different lists will require different standards in these areas, we offer the following set of guidelines as an example. These sample email list guidelines are adapted from the guidelines for a large, actively moderated discussion list. Smaller, more informal lists may be able to make do with a much shorter version.

We offer these guidelines to you as source of inspiration when creating guidelines for your discussion list. These guidelines were adapted from guidelines developed for the CHI-WEB email discussion list at: http://www.acm.org/sigchi/web/index.html

Sample guidelines for

People who wish to contribute to should become familiar with the information on this page before they post to the list.

Facilitation: Three Levels

has a facilitation team led by . The facilitators provide 3 levels of "filtering" of submissions before they are approved and sent out to the list membership.

• Level 1: Technical stuff: making sure the submission is technically acceptable and other mundane checks
• Level 2: conventions: applying list conventions that have evolved over the years
• Level 3: Guide to professional conduct: helping posters act in manner suitable for this community

Most of our moderation happens at "level 1," where we ask people to resubmit because of an attachment or blind quoting. We also do some basic checking, like making sure any URLs in the email actually work.

We regularly ask people to make "level 2" changes, such as adding the "reply directly to me" text to the bottom of their request and asking people to clarify their message because we cannot understand it.

We rarely have to step in with "level 3" moderation, since most members act professionally. Level 3 moderation is based heavily on feedback from list members, so when you think someone is acting unprofessionally, please let us know, and we will try to deal with the problem directly. Send your feedback to .

Level 1: The Technical Stuff

These are mainly technical limitations we have put on postings to the list for the greater good of the membership. For example, attachments pose a security risk and HTML email can be a usability problem. If your submission violates one of these rules, the moderators will not accept it (unless we make a mistake, which happens sometimes).

• The email must be in plain text, not in HTML or in some other format that is not accessible by all list members. See the List FAQ for help with this.
  
• The posting can have no attachments. This includes an HTML version of the email, signatures included as MIME attachments, or other documents included as additional information. If you feel the need to send an attachment, post the file on a web server and send the URL instead.
  
• Replies should not blindly quote an entire post. Unfortunately, some email programs make this easy to do by automatically including the original email at the end of all replies. For , you need to edit the original post to only quote relevant pieces and put your comments in context.
  
• Copyrighted material should not be posted to the list. In general, long articles should be referenced by URL, rather than copying large portions into an email.
  
• We cannot in general accept cross-postings (made simultaneously to other lists). This is because some replies may not be valid for and the resulting partial thread can be incomprehensible.
  
• The moderators also filter accidental postings, such as SPAM, list administration ("add me," "remove me," etc.) and replies mistakenly sent to the list instead of an individual.

Level 2: Usage Conventions

The following conventions have evolved for over the years. Please respect the list conventions.

• Make sure it is specific to the . That is the focus of . We use broad definitions here, but if it is a general web or general HCI question, try some other list.
  
• Do not ask really basic or frequently asked questions: do some research first! Search the archives before you ask the list. And make sure you mention what research you have already done in your question (it makes you look smarter).
  
• The best discussion-starters are firmly on-topic and present a substantial amount of background information. For example, "approach x presents these problems and solutions while approach y solves some of them, let's talk about this" is a good discussion-starter. But "so what do you think of..." is not as good because you have not set the stage for a meaningful discussion.
  
• When sending information-gathering-type questions (as opposed to discussion-type questions), you should use the "collect and summarize" approach. This is faster and more efficient than having multiple, similar replies go to everyone.
  1. Collect and summarize when you are gathering information on a topic, such as a list of sites that use Flash for searching or what browser sizes members design for. We do not want members sending the equivalent of survey responses to the list as a whole.
  2. When submitting a collect and summarize message, include some text to remind other members of how they should reply. "Send your replies to me and I will summarize for the list" is common.
  3. After a week or so of collecting replies, compile the replies and send it to the list. Include a brief "executive" summary and use contributors names unless they ask to be anonymous.
     
• Replies to a collect and summarize posting should be sent directly to the contributor. They will not be approved for posting to the list. If a collect and summarize posting raises issues that you feel require public debate or clarification, there are two possible options:
  1. Wait until the contributor posts the summary. The topic is then open to general discussion.
  2. Start a new thread about the posting. The new posting will need to conform to all the usual conventions.
     
• When replying to the list, make sure you provide some positive contribution to the discussion. Simple "me too" replies will not be approved.
  
• We do not allow advertisements or announcements of any kind. There are other lists specifically for this purpose.
  
• Remember that we have an international membership with a wide variety of backgrounds. Avoid (or explain) cultural references, acronyms, and so on.
  
• Be as clear as possible in stating your case or asking your question. Think about what you want to say before you write it. Write it once, throw it away, then write it again (better).
  
• Make sure people can figure out your full name and affiliation. Your email address might provide enough information (if it is John.Smith@somecompany.com, for example). You can also use a "signature" at the end of your email. But email from a vague address like "xyz@hotmail.com" with no signature can be rejected simply because professional discussions require that you identify yourself.

Level 3: Guide to professional conduct

Email removes the visual and audible cues we normally rely on in telephone and face-to-case conversations. Because of this, contributors need to be especially considerate of their choice of language and tone. Here are tome guidelines for good manners on our list.

• Do not make debates personal. Avoid "you" and "yours."
• Try to be clear and concise.
• Do not imply fault. Misunderstandings occur frequently; work to resolve them without apportioning blame.
• Accept that having a different opinion does not make anyone "wrong."
• Do not present opinions as fact.
• Give some attention to accepted standards of spelling, grammar and punctuation. Proofread or spell-check before sending messages.
• Do not be dismissive.
• Say that you agree (when you do) even if only partially. Disagree without insulting others.
• Consider whether what you have said could be misinterpreted.
• Try not to "fight to win." The purpose of the debate is to exchange ideas, not to score points or demonstrate inadequacies.