Hello Everyone,
I realize that everyone subscribed to this list is not a list
administrator. Corky did ask that I post my message here. :)
I think a few of you know that I work for RootsWeb. I want to let you
all know that I'll be forwarding the emails I've received regarding
the GenExchange/Custer situation to Charles Merrin, RootsWeb's
General Manager. Patti, I'm not really clear how or if RootsWeb's
resources were involved with the GenSoc information being "lifted" or
not. I will definitely make sure I have my ducks "in a row" before
sending me email to Charles.
What responsibilities do List Administrators / Listowners have?
Here is a message written by Tim Pierce which explains RootsWeb perspective:
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 03:17:51 -0500
From: Tim Pierce <twp(a)rootsweb.com>
Subject: RootsWeb Listowner Guidelines
Hi, Listowners --
We've run up against some confusion in recent weeks about exactly what
responsibilities are expected of listowners, so I'd like to clear that
up. We at RootsWeb sort of took some listowner chores for granted and
assumed that they were common knowledge, but only learned later that
not all of the listowners understood what listowner tasks they were
getting into. I'm really sorry about that.
So here's a brief list of what sorts of things you're expected to do
for your list as a listowner. Please look over this list and keep the
guidelines in mind while you're managing your list subscribers.
Thanks for your attention, and thanks as always for making RootsWeb a
better place!
Tim Pierce
RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative
senior system administrator
------------------------------------------------------------
GUIDELINES FOR LISTOWNERS AT ROOTSWEB
Listowners are the ambassadors of RootsWeb. We hope that you will
conduct yourself in a way that reflects well on you, your list and
RootsWeb. Please be as helpful and polite to your list subscribers as
you would expect other listowners to be to you!
As listowner, RootsWeb expects that you will:
1. Help people with subscribing and unsubscribing from your list.
You may want to politely instruct them on how to subscribe and
unsubscribe. In fact, it's helpful to educate them. But there
will always be some folks who can't unsubscribe automatically for
some reason, which means that you'll have to do it by hand.
2. Answer e-mail from your subscribers.
If they don't hear from you, they eventually write to us for help.
At that point we'll start to wonder if you're still actively
maintaining your list.
3. Handle bounce messages.
Keep an eye on the bounces that your list generates, and
unsubscribe any bad address. Learn to read those headers! Ask
for help if you're having trouble.
4. Add addresses to the "accept list" when necessary.
Some people have a couple of different addresses, and they may
subscribe with one address and then send posts to the list with
the other. The easiest solution to this is just to add their
alternate addresses to the "accept list" using your listowner
utility page.
5. Add addresses to the "reject list" as needed.
Every now and then you'll find someone who's a persistent
troublemaker and will keep re-subscribing to your list if you've
been forced to remove him. Adding such a person to the "reject
list" means that they won't be able to resubscribe automatically,
and is sometimes the only way to keep a prankster off the list.
*Please* do not abuse this resource! We realize that you will not
be able to please everyone and that occasionally, you may have to
use this feature. But be conservative. Remember, people who
think they have been treated unfairly will complain to RootsWeb.
If we get a lot of complaints, we may wind up creating a duplicate
list or even be forced to intervene.
6. Create rules for your list as needed.
As listowner you are free to make any reasonable rule for your
list. These rules should be included in the welcome message and
stated plainly so that there is no misunderstanding about them.
Please apply these rules fairly to all subscribers. Remember that
excessive or strict rules may result in complaints against you and
your list. If it is apparent that a subscriber must be removed
from the list, please do so with as little confrontation and
acrimony as possible. Remember that without your subscribers, you
have no list. Treat them fairly or they will leave!
Other things to keep in mind: rudeness, vulgarity and
insensitivity get reported to us, and people put pressure on us to
intervene. We won't generally intervene in personality conflicts,
but we may be forced to investigate long-term patterns of abusive
behavior. Please deal with any problems off-list. Posting these
emails to the lists will often encourage people to take sides, and
can turn a small problem into a large one.
7. Remember that each list has a specific topic or focus, with
genealogy as the common thread.
While occasional off-topic threads may occur, constant off-topic
chatter may lead to flames and complaints and will be a waste of
time for everybody. Rather than adding to the acrimony when
this occurs, please try to steer your list gently back to its
primary topic. We're here to do genealogy!
We do expect that some limited discussion of RootsWeb fundraising
will be permitted on your list. Remember that RootsWeb is a
user-supported project -- without individual contributions, we
would not be here to support your list! Give folks some latitude
to post announcements about fundraising and sponsorship drives.
8. Ask for help when you need it.
For links to helpful pages, see the Listowner's Utility Page at
<
http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/listowners/listutil.htm>. If
you need advice from other listowners, you can post to
LISTOWNERS-L or NEWBIE-LISTOWNER-L. For tougher questions, go to
the Help Desk at <
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/>; if you have
serious problems that can't be resolved by other means, write to
listmaster(a)rootsweb.com.
9. Keep RootsWeb informed.
If you must be away for an extended time, let us know. We can
help find a temporary listowner. If people complain and we can't
find you, we might assume that you have abandoned your list.
Please answer mail from us!
If you plan to sell items or promote services on the lists, drop
us a line to clear it with us first. (We'll probably just give
you a green light, but we still need to know what kind of
commercial activities are happening on RootsWeb resources.)
RootsWeb will not necessarily intervene in any given situation.
However, if you don't follow these guidelines, we *might* be forced to
intervene in your list. Illegal activities or activities that are
seriously harmful to RootsWeb (such as promoting mailbombing or
passing along chain letters) will force us to investigate, and may
even cause your removal as listowner. Above all, use common sense and
common courtesy in managing your list.
Enjoy your lists. Most of all, THANK YOU for being part of the
RootsWeb genealogical community!
Numbers 6 and 7 gives the list administrator the authority to create
rules (as needed) for their list and to enforce them fairly. These
two "guildelines" (RootsWeb doesn't ever want to say *Rule*) also
give the individual list administrator the authority to keep their
list "on track".
As an addendum to #6, list admins now have the "reject" option for
their list. What this means, is you can add an email address(es) to
your "reject" list. The individual will still receive your lists
mail, he/she will not be able to post unless you've "OK"d his/her
message.
I hope this helps a little. Feel free to ask me any questions
regarding your lists at RootsWeb.
Sincerely,
Vicki Lindsay Thauvin
MTGenWeb ASC
RootsWeb Staff
chance(a)eskimo.com