Joining AuthorAID’s Discussion List—and Using It Well

Greetings again. I’ve now been back in Texas for a week. I’ve had lots to catch up on. And summer school begins this Monday. A busy time!

I’m glad that people are registering for the AuthorAID listserv (e-mail discussion list). If you haven’t registered, you can do so at http://dgroups.org/?6d1aztjq/register. Then, once your membership request is approved, you can post messages to the group by sending e-mail to authoraiddiscussion@dgroups.org.

My first message to the listserv included suggestions for using a listserv well. Here’s an expanded version of the list:

• Give each message an informative subject line. For instance, don’t just label your message “A Resource” or “A Question”. Say, for example, “Good Website on _______” or “Advice Sought on _______”.
• If you're posting a message on a new topic, provide a new subject line, even if you're contacting the group by replying to an old message.
• For readability, keep paragraphs fairly short.  If feasible, skip lines between paragraphs.
• Remember that some readers aren’t native speakers of English—and that almost all readers are busy. Try to write in a way that is easy to understand.
• When replying to a message, think about whether to write to everyone or only the sender. Check the address in the “To” slot, so you don’t mistakenly send a private message to the entire list.
• Include at least your name and affiliation in a “signature” at the end of your message.

I look forward to valuable discussions on our listserv.

Wishing everyone a good June—

Barbara