Committee Email List Usage and Guidelines

The Committee email lists may be used only for AIPLA business and activity. If there is any doubt or ambiguity about such usage, please contact the Committee Chair or Headquarters.

AIPLA regards the following material as inappropriate and expects that its members will not post such material when using the AIPLA email lists:

• Obscene, offensive, inflammatory, libelous, derogatory or any other ad hominem messages.
• Copyright violations: Anything that appears to be lifted in whole or large part from other sources.
• Commercial messages: Use of this service for commercial purposes is not allowed, except to promote AIPLA products and services for AIPLA members. Messages posted from any source other than AIPLA that require the respondent to pay money to the sender, sender’s principal or sender’s agent to retrieve the information or service are specifically prohibited, unless prior approval is given by AIPLA.

There are some practices when posting messages to lists that are widely regarded by experienced on-line users as desirable to avoid. These include the following:

• Off topic: The message is a request for AIPLA staff service, assistance or information, does not relate to the subject of the list or clearly relates to the subject of a different, more specific AIPLA list.
• Should be a private reply: Messages similar to "I've done this or know that, contact me" should be sent to the original author, not the list.
• Unsubscribe Instructions. As these are automatically added to every message and are specific to each recipient, leaving them in your reply, adds substantially to the "noise" content of the message.
• Unnecessary headers or footers: Messages containing excessive visible mail headers and other unnecessary content from e-mail handling systems also add to the "noise" content of the message.
• Lack of substance: The message is a simple yes, no, I agree or I disagree type of message without substantive elaboration.
• Excessive quoting: The message contains significantly more quoted previous messages than new content. When replying to a message remove everything not directly related to the replied to content. Preferably, remove all of the original message or messages except that part to which you are replying but please leave some of the original so your reply has context.
• About AIPLA or the operation of the lists: Messages discussing how AIPLA or the lists are or should be run or used should be directed to support@aipla.org, an open, un-moderated list that anyone can visit. From time to time, AIPLA staff may post messages about AIPLA or the lists to the lists. Replies to such posts should be private to the author or public to support@aipla.org.
• Duplicate posts.

Generally avoiding the above practices helps keep your message easy to read and to reach an audience that has indicated an interest in the kind of message you are posting.