Mailing lists/Guidelines

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The Wikimedia foundation has a number of mailing lists that are open to subscribers,some of which are public and some of which are private. They require community participation to function.

Mailing lists are a great tool for communicating. Mailing lists can also be seen as an extension of Wikimedia customer service. Some of the OTRS policies can be extended to cover the mailing lists. The community should ideally be self contained and be able to regulate itself; in cases when it can not, moderation might be necessary.

Lately, the issue of moderation has been brought up in light of some past and present discussions. Below are certain guidelines to respect when posting on mailing lists and considering moderation.

5 Fundamental Principles

• 1) Civility is non-negotiable.
• 2) People acting in good faith should be respected.
• 3) Everyone is entitled to privacy and anonymity.
• 4) Understand that lists are made up of individuals, they do not represent communities.
• 5)

Terms

It is vitally important to recognize certain actions by list members, and to distinguish between them.

• Outbursts – Volunteers are prone to these; they are not acceptable. There should be some acknowledgement that the projects are something very personal to every person who comments. English might not be the native language for a majority of these people. if a strong reaction that is not directed at anyone happens, it should be acknowledged as someone's frustration. There should be a limit to how much is allowed; that decision should rest with the community and be decided on a case-by-case basis.
• Past infraction – Past infractions are violation from months or years ago. Since everything is archived on a mailing list, it is harder to escape someone's past. It is also necessary to acknowledge someone's attempt at changing.
• Minor infraction – Minor violations- sarcasm, jokes, should be taken in one's stride. It is not easy being the subject of ridicule either, but as long as the list members can accept them, they should not be a constant source of tension. They can more often than not lighten the mood.
• Personal and Off-list areas – Any personal information about an individual that the individual chooses to not release should be treated as breaking the list rules. This is the same as on-wiki behavior, where personal information can be removed or the offender warned or blocked. Off-list references and discussion should preferably be avoided, as should off-topic areas. The rules can not be absolute when it comes to these, so it should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Guiding principles

The majority of them are in-line with civility guidelines for Wikipedia, along with some OTRS policies. There are some central tenets that one should pay attention to-

1) Understand There are different types of individuals contributing on the lists with different levels of command of the language. There are those who can be civil while testing boundaries of good conduct and decency, without ever breaching it. There are those who are less refined in their use of the language. Whatever someone's opinion, it should be considerate of the international and multilingual nature of the contributors. Short-comings because of language alone should not be stacked against an individual. However, it should be unacceptable to use the language barrier as a constant excuse. When someone feels that a person has gone over the limit they should let that person know privately.

2) Staff are distinct from volunteers. They deserve a certain level of respect, but at the same time must give some allowance for the volunteers to be frustrated and disappointed. Volunteers commit hours, days, time away from their families, they have a day-job and this is what they do to escape; this is the staff member's day-job. Every email has a time and donor value attached to it, when someone posts on a topic they are donating a certain portion of their time, this is what is paid when it comes to staff and not volunteers. There should be some consideration to how a volunteer's outburst is treated. The mailing lists should be seen as an extension of Wikimedia customer service. OTRS agents are regularly told to be polite and patient; it is only fair that the same is expected from staff - along with professionalism.

3) Small Things Every human interaction has a certain level of irony, sarcasm, or humor. They are dictated by emotions – anger, jealousy, loyalty, or friendship. Minor infractions by posters should be in light of those, minor passing comments, sarcasm should not be considered as breaching guidelines. The line should be drawn until someone admits to being offended, even then, what is most important to consider is mens rea or malice aforethought. if the offense was accidental, it should be treated with an apology and considered different from someone intent on offending.

4) Mailing list costs Following mailing lists involve a certain portion of an individual's time. They have to subject themselves to either reading, responding or following discussions. There should be efficient use of this capital, certain discussions might benefit from being public, certain from being on-wiki. Finding the right and efficient way to go about this is necessary. It is volunteer time at the end of the day, and should be valued. Recognizing which should go where is imperative.

Specific guidelines

• 1) Be polite and civil. Even when others fail, try to respect all points of view. If you feel one of your friends had crossed the line, let them know privately. If you feel that someone you're arguing with had crossed the line, let a neutral party from the list know and ask them to step in discreetly.
• 2) Heated debates will happen; people will get frustrated, back off or leave. It matters how we, as a community handle it. If you feel offended, don't hit back.
• 3) Do not ignore it if someone objects to something you said. Be mindful not to repeat the same behavior that individuals object to.
• 4) Do not denigrate or attack someone on a personal level. Ad hominem attacks are strictly against good conduct. If you feel someone attacked you personally just ignore it and get back to the discussion.
• 5) Avoid using allCAPS, uppercase or bold comments, they signify someone shouting.
• 6) If someone is offended, it is imperative that they acknowledge it; if not for themselves but for others. Try to be specific and be aware that there may be a cultural misunderstanding.
• 7) Limits on the number of posts can be decided. While such a limit should not be held strictly, there should be some reminder or expectation to adhere to it. The exact number should be decided by the community;