Outreach_eval Discussion List FAQ

Version 1.0

Outreach_eval is a discussion list created and maintained by Susan Barnes (sjbarnes@u.washington.edu) and Maryanne Blake (blakema@u.washington.edu) . It debuted in March 2003, with 40 charter subscribers.

The archive of messages on outreach_eval can be found at http://mailman.u.washington.edu/pipermail/outreach_eval/

This FAQ (i.e., Frequently Asked Questions) will be reviewed periodically and posted from time-to-time on the outreach_eval list, outreach_eval@u.washington.edu

Table of Contents:

• The Purpose and Intended Audience Of The Outreach_eval Discussion List
• What Editorial Policies Are In Place For Outreach_eval?
• Are Messages To Outreach_eval Confidential?
• How Can I Send A Message To All Outreach_eval List Subscribers?
• How Can I Subscribe Or Unsubscribe To Outreach_eval?
• How Can I Retrieve An Old Outreach_eval message?

The Purpose and Intended Audience Of The Outreach_eval Discussion List

Outreach_eval is an open, unmoderated email discussion list which exists to facilitate electronic communications via the Internet among those who are interested in the topic of planning and evaluating outreach, especially health information outreach. It provides a forum for discussing practical, theoretical, and philosophical issues and for exchanging advice, information, ideas, and resources of interest to its intended audience.

Appropriate uses of the outreach_eval list include, but are not limited to, sharing information and resources; asking for advice from colleagues; publicizing meetings, classes, and other educational offerings; and making announcements of national or regional interest.

The outreach_eval list is not intended for advertisements by publishers, software producers, or other vendors, however discussions and questions about products and services initiated by list subscribers are appropriate.

While many subscribers to the list are medical librarians, anyone involved in outreach, especially health information outreach, is welcome to participate. The list owners believe that if the membership is diverse the discussion on the list will be richer and have a broader perspective. It is important to understand that outreach_eval is a "virtual" community whose purposes and interests will evolve on a path determined by the members of the community. Outreach_eval provides a common forum for all members of the community.

What Editorial Policies Are In Place For Outreach_eval?

The outreach_eval discussion list is maintained by the Outreach Evaluation Resource Center of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and the co-owners are Cathy Burroughs and Maryanne Blake. This is an "unmoderated" list. This means that what subscribers post goes directly to the entire outreach_eval community. It also means that it is the responsibility of list members to send messages appropriate to the previously stated purpose of the list. The list owners may, however, respond to inappropriate postings with a message to the senders informing them of list policies. The list permissions allow only subscribers to post messages to the list.

Here are some guidelines for list "netiquette":

• Inappropriate postings, such as subscribe/unsubscribe messages, personal responses inadvertently sent to the list, messages not within the scope of the purposes of the list, and even flames may appear from time to time. The best way to handle these is to ignore them, remembering that we all make mistakes, and let list owners handle the transgression.
• At times a lively debate may occur on the list. There is room for dialogue, and even controversy, as long as a spirit of respect for others opinions is maintained. Members who do not meet the minimum expectations will be notified and may be excluded permanently from future participation.
• When sending a message please give a brief and descriptive "Subject:" line.
• It is courteous to sign your full name at the bottom of your e-mail messages, including your affiliation, and e-mail address. Some subscribers receive their messages with the header information stripped by their local system and therefore cannot know who the author of a posting was.
• It is helpful to provide context when replying to previous posting. There can be several "threads" of discussion going on simultaneously, which makes unreferenced postings such as, "I'd be happy to send it", confusing to the readers. A popular way of providing context is to quote verbatim from the original message. However, keep the quotations *short* and *relevant*. Quoting whole messages, signatures and all, can be inconsiderate.
• Remember that humor in e-mail can be easily misinterpreted. Using emoticons :-) often helps to clarify the intent of a comment.
• Mistakes, such as sending a personal message to the whole list, happen and these can be embarrassing, for both sender and receiver. A moments thought when you reply is helpful but, hopefully, we are all tolerant of such errors.

Are Messages To Outreach_eval Confidential?

You are advised to consider all messages to outreach_eval to be public information. Sending a message to the outreach_eval list is equivalent to publishing an announcement in a newsletter. On outreach_eval, permission for all postings to be cited, abstracted, and forwarded (with proper credit to the author) is implied.

Copyright law provides a level of protection for all original expression. Electronic messages, to the extent that they are an author's original work, are subject to the protections, as well as the fair use provisions, of copyright law.

How Can I Send A Message To All Outreach_eval List Subscribers?

Send your message to the following Internet address: outreach_eval@u.washington.edu

All messages sent to the above address are forwarded directly to all outreach_eval subscribers. You must be a subscriber in order to send a message to the list.

How Can I Subscribe Or Unsubscribe To Outreach_eval?

Outreach_eval uses Mailman, a Web-based discussion list software, on a server at the University of Washington. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or edit your subscription options such as digest, postpone list message delivery while on vacation and more, or to access archived messages you must start at the outreach_eval Information page. To do that go to http://mailman.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/outreach_eval

Addition to the outreach_eval list is by subscription only. No one is added to the outreach_eval subscription list except through his/her own initiative. The content of outreach_eval is an enterprise and the responsibility of its community.

How Can I Retrieve An Old Outreach_eval Message?

On some occasions you might want to find a past outreach_eval message. The list software, Mailman, keeps monthly archives that you can access easily. The URL for the Web-based archives is: http://mailman.u.washington.edu/pipermail/outreach_eval/

Your comments and suggestions are welcome

Please send them to the list owners: blakema@u.washington.edu or sjbarnes@u.washington.edu