Dear OzArch members,

 

OzArch, is an email list for people interested in prehistoric and historical archaeology in Australia. The list is moderated at a low level of scrutiny but posts and membership are confined to bona fide archaeological professionals, academics, students and interested amateurs. This is a forum for sharing information and ideas on archaeological practice, theories, methods and stories. It has been set up by Gary Vines, a consultant archaeologist and historian working in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Here are some details on the moderation process.

 

Membership is open to anyone with a bona fide interest in Australian Archaeology. Members need to identify themselves, along with full names and some idea of who they are or where they are from. Nicknames and anonymous email accounts will not be approved unless accompanied by some further information. Members are encouraged to fill out a Google Profile so this information is available to all. I am not checking bona fides at the moment, but trusting members. However, part of the moderation process might involve identity confirmation as part of determining how to handle any rejected inappropriate posts.

 

Google Groups allows a range of moderation processes which can be individually modified for each participant. I intend to use differential moderation. That is, to begin with new members' posts will all be moderated, if any member shows they cannot use the list appropriately their posts will continue to moderated. Reasons for rejection of a post will be conveyed to the poster, and they will therefore have the opportunity to make their case or edit the post and resubmit. As members become familiar with the list and show constraint, I am willing to allow free posting. But this will revert to moderation for any breaches.

 

Joining OzArch signifies that you accept the concept of an unrestricted exchange of ideas, opinions, suggestions, etc. by peers; and that you will not take any legal action of any kind against OzArch or any OzArch member for expressing their opinions on OzArch. When you participate in the OzArch list, YOU are responsible for how you use the facility including the content of your email. Existing law applies to electronic communications.   (Also, keep in mind that OzArch does not necessarily endorse the ideas, opinions, suggestions, etc. made by members of OzArch.)

Joining OzArch also signifies that you agree to treat your peers with the same courtesy and respect that they will give you. While it is recognised that not everyone will agree with the ideas, opinions, suggestions, etc. expressed on OzArch, unprofessional behaviour such as personal attacks, threats, unfounded criticism, etc. will not be tolerated.

 

All messages must be signed with name, job description and location. This enables other people to know whether they can physically help you for one thing.

 

In responding to the invitation to join OzArch you accept the following conditions:

 

You accept that the writings and opinions posted to the OzArch mailing list are strictly the opinions of the writer and do not contain any endorsements or guarantees of any kind.

 

You accept that the OzArch list managers (or the hosting website) will not assume liability for any failure to enforce these Conditions of Use. However, the OzArch list managers may take appropriate action to deal with breaches if they come to notice.

 

You agree that you will not post material to OzArch or distribute material from the OzArch mailing list, which:

* infringes intellectual property law, including copyright
* is defamatory, discriminatory or vilifying
* breaches criminal law
* is pornographic or degrading
* is threatening, abusive or harassing

 

You also agree to respect the copyright of these messages and not to reproduce them in any way without the express permission of the authors.

 

You agree that you will not:

* email bomb or spam- this means sending multiple similar email messages to a list, including persistent emails on topics unrelated to the purpose of the list
* send posts that contain any personal remarks such that they could be construed as defamatory, libellous, or offensive to individuals, organizations, or institutions

* send excessive post from an individual on a single topic (i.e. more than 10 in a day)

* intentionally mislead - about the identity of the sender of an email or the origin of an email, including using a false identity or forged email address or header in order to mislead
* hack or intentionally damage - seeking to break into lists or areas of the facility where access has not been granted and/or intentionally damaging or interfering with the facility

*  intentionally send email through OzArch that contains harmful or destructive programs, including viruses, Trojan horses, worms and time bombs.

* send posts that are not of relevance to Australian Archaeology or are facetious or excessively long, (try to keep posts to less than a screen's worth. - my apologies for breaking this rule)

 

You accept that the OzArch list managers or OzArch members, do not assume liability for any claims arising from your use of the facility. For example, it is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and reliability of opinions, advice and other information you obtain as a result of participating in a mailing list.

 

Membership on this list constitutes an undertaking to abide by the these ground rules and to be considerate of other members when posting mail to the list.

 

Your understanding of, and agreement with, these Conditions of Use is indicated when you click the "I agree" button on the request to join

 

If you are not willing to agree to these Conditions of Use, click the "I do not agree" button.

 

 

Violations of these conditions will result in you being permanently removed from OzArch.

 

Action may include warnings, removing email from list archives, removal of email address from mailing lists and barring (blocking) nominated addresses from subscribing.

A warning will normally be given before action is taken but where the OzArch list managers considers it necessary, one or more of these steps may be taken without notice.

 

At the moment Gary Vines is the sole list manager and therefore the arbiter of everything, but I am happy to consider adding list managers and a more formal review committee if this is desired.

 

 

 

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GUIDE TO NETIQUETTE

 

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(As help for those not familiar with netiquette, the following is a cut and paste from another unmodulated list - http://help.dal.net/dnh/mail-rules.php)

 

SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING

 

Save the welcome message that you receive when you join the list. It tells you how to subscribe and unsubscribe.

 

If your mail stops coming, and you haven't unsubscribed, please contact us and let us know. Response should take no more than a day, although the average is a few hours.

 

Refrain from sending attachments to the list. They don't always translate properly. Wherever possible convert your file to a standard ASCII text file and include it in the mail you are composing. Pages and files can be posted to the appropriate pages on the OzArch website - http://groups.google.com.au/group/ozarch?hl=en

 

When you reply to a message, don't include the entire length of the original message in your post. Take the time to use your delete key and either select the small part that is pertinent to your letter or summarize it in your response.

 

Please be conscientious of the volume of mail posted to OzArch. Send personal mail directly to the person concerned. Brief congratulatory/welcome messages should also be sent personally rather than to the group.

 

Avoid posting "Me Too" messages, i.e., short replies to the whole list just to say that you agree or had a similar reaction or experience. It is better to send these by private mail to the original poster. If you have something valuable to add, then by all means send this to the list. As a general guideline, the new content in a follow-up post should exceed the quoted context.

 

Label the content of your post in the subject line. If the subject in your response differs from the one your are replying to, update the subject line to match your new topic. The form "XXX (was YYY)" works well for changing topics.

 

All mail to OzArch should be directly related to the channel. For example, don't send humour columns, chain letters, other people's inspirational poetry, or any off-topic information to the list, no matter how wonderful or necessary you may find it. These things occupy valuable space.

 

Take care in what you write. Remember that many people will read your post, and it will be archived by the SOPs for a very long time.

 

Consider your audience. Email always sounds harsher than it is because there are no accompanying gestures or facial expressions.

 

Try not to give offence or be easily offended yourself. When you make your points keep your tone polite. Respond to the issues not to the personal attributes.

 

Flaming means sending harsh abusive mail. It includes such things as name-calling, public criticism of another member of the group, personal attacks, baiting, raising issues, or responding to posts in a deliberately inflammatory manner.

 

Persistent disagreements with another person should be moved to private email and off of the list.

 

The best way to stop a flame fest from happening is to ignore the folks who try to start them. Please notify the SOPs if you feel that the discussion is getting out of hand or oppressive.

 

Never repost private email to the mailing list (or any other forum or media) without permission of the original author. If you have permission to repost a message or information, please credit the author and show their email address.

 

Don't post your phone number or address to the list without understanding the potential consequences. It is better to send personal information by private email.

 

Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish a title or heading. Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally termed as SHOUTING! *Asterisks* surrounding a word can be used to make a stronger point. Don't write an entire message in lower case, either.

 

Don't send text to this mailing list in MIME format. Keep your formatting set for the lowest common denominator so that everyone can read it. Limit line length to approximately 65-70 characters and above 55 characters. Use your automatic word wrap if available.

 

Keep the length of your signatures modest. One or two lines is about right.