It's hard to imagine that three years ago an individual member of The American had no convenient way to communicate directly with a significant number of other members except through formal publications or at semiannual meetings. During the past three years, our mailing list system has flourished, and it currently reaches between 20 and 25 percent of our members.
Now any member, using the members' list, can make his or her views on any subject know to a substantial proportion of the membership with the press of a single computer key. This revolution in communication has not arrived without some anxieties, doubts, and gaffes. Some members have welcomed the new open communication we now employ, believing that it makes our Association more energetic and responsive to both the membership and our changing environment. Others, unsure of the way in which the new openness might affect the political process within the organization, are reluctant users at best and appear to feel threatened by the openness and spontaneity this new modality of communication offers.
We can't say what, if any, long-run effects the new communication system will actually have on the organization. However, we can identify a few issues at this point as being worth reviewing. These have to do with “protocol” or “e-mail etiquette.” I'd like to review here a few of the ground rules and other suggestions we have made on the basis of the long-standing experiences of other organizations and users of e-mail.
Remember that members@apsa.org is a “big megaphone.” Please bear in mind that when you send a message to that list address, the message is (a) sent immediately and without any pre-screening to more than 600 of your colleagues, and (b) recorded in an electronic archive where it will be read by unknown persons in the future. Therefore, you should be absolutely sure that a message you send to the “list” is actually intended to be read by a large group of members.
Until last year, all the list messages were set up so that if you used the “reply” button on your mail program, your reply message was automatically directed to the entire list. In spite of our warnings, several messages which were intended for individual recipients accidentally were sent by members to the entire list, causing some embarrassment. Since then, we have changed the list program so that most mail users' programs will respond only to the individual sender of the original message unless you explicitly cause a posting to the entire list by changing the recipient address on your reply message. However, you should be certain that your program does this correctly; if not, you should manually remove the list address from reply messages that are intended only for the original sender.
E-mail combines the spontaneity of a phone call with the permanence of a written letter. It's much easier to send off a quick e-mail message than to write and mail a letter. This is a lethal mixture for any of us when we are in an irritable mood. After a hard day's work, one tends to be fatigued and less reflective than in the earlier part of the day. One is therefore more likely to translate an overreaction to something in an e-mail message into an ill-considered and overstated response. The best advice here is to wait a day before responding to a particularly provocative (from your point of view) message.
Stick to and identify the subject of the discussion. Unlike the message systems on BBSs (electronic bulletin boards), our mail system does not divide messages into “threads” or subject areas. We must rely on the members' good sense in choosing the “subject:” line for each message. When you are responding to a message, either use the same subject line as the original message, or use the original subject line preceded by “Re:”. Some mail programs copy the entire message to which a reply is being made into the text of the reply. If your mail program does this, please delete the text of the original message except where a quotation would be essential to clarifying your response.
Do not ask others to post messages for you. E-mail is an informal communication modality with its own set of expectations. Messages posted for you by agents, secretaries, or the Central Office Staff (who have been warned not to do this) carry a (hopefully unintended) sense of imperiousness.
Remember that the members' list is “for members only.” As in any closed e-mail system, it is improper to forward messages to non-members or to re-post messages received from the members' list to other Internet mailing lists without the original sender's consent. Once posted to an Internet newsgroup, your message can become available to literally millions of readers. By the same token, do not post messages to the members' list on behalf of non-members.
Be kind to beginners. Each week, several new members join the list. Newcomers are especially liable to make mistakes as they get used to e-mail procedures. Please do not criticize beginners through postings on the list itself. It is perfectly permissible to send private e-mail with polite advice or comments to individual members, of course.
Join in. The members' list is the most democratic forum in The American. If you are currently a subscriber, please feel free to express yourself. If you are not yet involved in the e-mail communication system, join us. All members, including candidates, are welcome.
Paul Mosher is chair of the Task Force on Communication and Information.