NLA Info: NLA Purpose, Netiquette and Guidelines

[David J Rosen]

NLA Colleagues,

For new NLA subscribers, and as a reminder for long-timers, 
here are the NLA statement of purpose, "netiquette" and 
guidelines for what kinds of messages can and cannot be 
posted.   Each year, usually in January, I ask members to 
evaluate the list, and from these evaluations the guidelines 
have changed over the years.  These are the current ones.  Of 
course, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator
<DJRosen at world.std.com>
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The main purposes of the NLA list are to provide subscribers 
with information about national issues which affect adult 
literacy/basic/secondary education and English for Speakers 
of Other Languages legislation, policy, and funding.  It should 
help list members inform policy makers about courses of action 
that will benefit adult learners enrolled in literacy, biliteracy, 
ESOL, ABE, GED, EDP and other kinds of adult literacy education 
programs.  

Subscribers are encouraged to post information to the list, use 
the list postings to inform policy makers, and use the list to 
raise and discuss questions and concerns about policy issues 
affecting adult literacy education.  The NLA list is intended to 
provide a forum for discussion of public policy issues in which 
there is broad participation from all those who have a stake in 
adult literacy education: learners, practitioners, researchers, 
staff developers, policy makers, and others.

As the NLA list has grown, another purpose has evolved. It is 
also for people to better understand the issues of the field, to 
participate, of course, but also, if they choose, to "lurk" and 
learn in a kind of electronic fishbowl.

List "Netiquette"

Electronic lists generally have some basic expectations of users, 
so here are ours:

1)  Always sign your messages -- in the body of the message as 
some subscribers do not get all the header information -- with 
at least your name, and if you want people to reply to you 
individually, your e-mail address.  If you wish, you can add 
your organizational affiliation, your phone, fax, and U.S. Postal 
address.

2)  When you are replying to a posted message, it helps readers
if you quote the part of the message (usually not the whole 
message) that you are replying to.  They will then understand 
the context.  Many mail utilities allow the user, when 
responding to a message, to "quote" it.  Then one can delete the 
parts of the message which are not pertinent to the reply.

3)  Before you send a reply, consider if it should go to everyone 
on the list or just to the person who sent the message.  If you 
think it will be of general interest, send it to the list; if not, be 
careful to reply only to the message originator (the "REPLY TO" 
address.)

4)  Advertisements, practitioner job announcements and other 
posts which are not related to adult literacy _public policy_ 
issues should not be posted here, but could be posted to other 
electronic lists.  A free on-line list of adult literacy electronic 
lists, and how to subscribe to each of them, may be found at
http://www2.wgbh.org/mbcweis/ltc/alri/LiteracyList.html

5)  Messages will not be posted to the list which, in the 
judgement of the moderator, are "flames" (for example, which 
are written in all capital letters, or which use derogatory, 
sarcastic or other kinds of disrespectful language.) Messages 
which are intended to attack or criticize specific programs or 
individuals also will not be posted.  NLA subscribers, in 
evaluations of the list, have indicated that they do not want 
such messages to be posted here.


Guidelines for What kinds of Messages Should be Posted on the 
NLA list

All messages related to adult literacy/basic education/ESOL 
public policy are welcome, and:

1.  research, job announcements, calls for conference papers, 
and conference announcement postings are welcome only if 
their content is clearly related to adult literacy/basic 
skills/ESOL public policy;  

2.  announcements of literacy-related publications of all kinds 
are welcome;

3.  inquiries about adult education methods or practices are 
welcome; however, unless they are related to public policy, the 
poster should ask that replies be sent to her/him, not to the 
NLA list;

4.  questionnaires can be posted provided: a) it is made clear 
that replies are to be sent to the poster, not to the NLA list; and 
b) if they are public-policy related, the poster agrees to post a 
summary of the results to the NLA list; and

5.  short, grant RFP notices of all kinds can be posted, 
preferably  if they list a Web site where one could see the 
whole RFP online.

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