Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Use of email for communication

[Merlin Porter-Border (merlpb]

Following is the E-Mail Neticut statement used by the members of  Liberty
Village, Maryland as a guide for our internal communiction via e-mail (some
editing):

1. Show respect for another's opinion:  Do express disagreement, but don't
make the other person's opinion "wrong."

2.  Don't use e-mail to handle personal upsets.  Do seek help elsewhere.

3.  Don't dump on anyone.  To Dump means, to make wrong, to badmouth, or to
express hostility.

4.  Beware of "we" statements.  Clearly identify who the "we" is, and make
sure you are correctly representing the "we."

5.  For matters that are business in nature, please identify them as "Bus."
or "BZ" [Subject Line].

6.  Don't send chain mail through the [community] e-mail address(s).  If
someone has indicated they don't mind receiving chain mail, send it to them
directly.

7.  Don't give out another's e-mail address w/o permission.

8.  To get on, or off, the [community] distribution list, please go through
site manager, [name].

9.  If the subject is partner business, send it to the [partnership
address].  Otherwise, send mail to [general membership address].

10.  Respond, negative, positive, or neutural to straw polls, requests for
opinion, or data, etc., so that the person sending the mail knows that he/she
is heard.  [Silence may mean e-mail defunct, person dead, not checking
e-mail, disrespect, person trying not to flame by letting it cool!].

11.  If your e-mail is down, please let [Member Services] know so that
someone may be assigned to send you mail.

Personally, if I feel any irritation or passion about a received e-mail, I
might write a response and save it.  Later, the response is most always
thrown away (usually looks pretty goofy), and something more appropriate, and
certainly more effective, can be written.

Merlin Porter-Borden
Development Project Manager in Repose
Liberty Village, Maryland
Two houses occupied, bulldozer & backhoe poised for the next foundation
excavation.
Scheduled for a duplex a month, 28 units approved, 10 available.