Below are some of the guidelines for use of the discussion list which
deals with the history of international relations. I post them for
consideration by World Systems Network members.
Because H-Diplo is a moderated list, some of this is not relevant to
us, and I have cut whole sections that deal only with how the
moderators will handle their responsibility. But much else about the
purposes and procedures which make good discussion lists work will
perhaps provide some guidance for us.
Jack Owens
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 12:32:37 -0600
From: H-DIPLO <hdiplo@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: FYI: H-Diplo Guidelines
Sender: H-Net Diplomatic History List <H-DIPLO@msu.edu>
Date: 18 Sept. 1996
H-DIPLO GUIDELINES
1. H-DIPLO is an electronic forum for discussing the
history of international relations, broadly defined.
It encourages scholarly exchanges on all aspects of
this subject, regardless of the countries or periods
involved. It particularly welcomes the exploration of
new interdisciplinary and methodological approaches,
the evaluation of new archival sources, and
contributions from scholars outside the United States.
2. H-DIPLO operates in the manner of scholarly
journals, the program committees of professional
organizations, or indeed anyone conducting a seminar --
which is to say that the editors and moderators reserve
the right to keep the discussion on the subject, free
from ad hominem attacks or other arguments that go
beyond the limits of accepted professional discourse.
3. H-DIPLO is nonpartisan, and hence will not lend
itself to specifically-targeted lobbying or other
organizational efforts. It will run information about
the status of current controversies or policy debates
that might affect the interests of our subscribers,
though, and it welcomes frank and open discussions
about their implications.
4. H-DIPLO does not run advertisements. It welcomes
information about new books, new journals, new sources,
fellowship and scholarship opportunities, proposed
conferences, and -- through H-NET -- job listings. But
it will not run solicitations to purchase books, to
subscribe to journals, or to apply for admission to
particular academic programs.
7. H-DIPLO will regularly post information about new
discussion lists or other resources on the Internet
that might be of interest.
9. H-DIPLO welcomes requests for information from
subscribers for whom standard reference sources have
proven inadequate, but it discourages -- and may not
run -- inquiries easily answerable from such sources.
It encourages potential authors of theses and
dissertations, as well as articles and books, to use
its facilities as a way of determining who else may be
working on particular topics; but the moderators ask
those responding to such inquiries to consider whether
their reply will be of general interest to everyone on
the list, or might better be sent directly to the
subscriber making the inquiry.
10. H-DIPLO seeks to promote discussion among as wide
and diverse a group of its subscribers as care to
participate. The editors and moderators recognize,
though, that too many e-mail messages -- especially if
they seem to come, repeatedly, from the same
individuals -- can cause other subscribers to "tune
out." Accordingly, the moderators may, from time to
time, ask frequent contributors to delay, consolidate,
or even withhold messages when the prospect of
"overexposure" seems imminent. They will not apply
this rule, though, where substantive exchanges on
issues of broad interest are taking place.
13. H-DIPLO is still very much a "work in progress."
Accordingly, the moderators, the editors, and the
Editorial Board all strongly encourage suggestions from
subscribers as to how the list might be improved.
------------------------------------
I should add in closing that I have no connection with this
particular list. The guidelines were sent to me by a friend who is a
member. I just felt that in our current situation, there were some
words of wisdom here.
Best wishes,
Jack
J. B. "Jack" Owens, Professor of History
Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209 USA
e-mail: owenjack@fs.isu.edu
www: http://www.isu.edu/~owenjack
Note: new www URL, 12 July 1996.