Discussion List

Our goal for the NAIWE discussion list is to provide a respectful, friendly environment where publishing professionals can connect with one another, ask questions, and share ideas and feedback. It is a place for professional learning, support, collaboration, and brainstorming, and we welcome both new and longtime publishing professionals.

By participating in the discussion list, you are agreeing to the Code of Conduct below.

Code of Conduct

Standards

• Be respectful. Discussion list members are respectful, professional, polite, and considerate at all times.
• Be welcoming. Discussion list members are welcoming to new members and those just getting started. All members have valuable ideas to contribute.
• Improve the discussion. Discussion list members are respectful of members’ time by posting helpful and relevant information to the conversation.
• Stay on topic. Discussion list members help keep threads organized by making sure the discussion matches the subject line and hashtag(s) and open a new thread, as needed.
• Respect others’ privacy. Discussion list members refrain from sharing sensitive or personal information about others, including clients and their projects.
• Don’t be a grammar snob. Discussion list members focus on the ideas expressed and do not correct fellow freelancers’ spelling, grammar, or usage.
• Include your name in your posts. Discussion list members use their names in posts to build a healthy online community that prioritizes professionalism, transparency, and collegiality.
• Help keep the list tidy. Discussion list members follow these three simple guidelines to keep the discussion list organized and clean:

1. Include the correct hashtag.

• NAIWE: Anything directly about the organization or its events
• BIZ: Any aspect of business except marketing
• MKTG: Soliciting work from clients
• TOOLS: Tools of the trade: office equipment, software and hardware, reference works
• USAGE: Usage, style, and grammar
• CHAT: Anything not directly related to editing, writing, or doing business in publishing
• JOB BOARD: A job posting that may be of interest to NAIWE members that comes through the NAIWE website

2. Add a clear and specific subject to your message. (A hashtag is not a complete subject line.)
3. Quote only the relevant material when replying to a post. (If you’re on digest, please remove the digest below your message before replying to a post.)

 

What We Don’t Allow

• Hate speech and discrimination. We do not tolerate speech that attacks a person or group of people on the basis of who they are, or communications or comments that are insulting, degrading, aggressive, or threatening, including but not limited to those based on race, color, culture, religion or no religion, gender identity, gender expression, age, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, education, ability, health, neurotype, marital/parental status, political beliefs, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, or military status.
• Personal attacks, bullying, harassment, or abuse. We do not tolerate personal attacks, bullying, harassment, abuse, or any repeated or habitual intimidation or badgering. This includes sending, posting, or sharing false or defamatory content about someone else. Discussion list members have diverse opinions and perspectives, and it’s okay to disagree with something by making a reasoned counterargument that improves the discussion. Also avoid responding to a post’s tone instead of its content. Remember that what you consider teasing or kidding may be perceived as insulting, aggressive, degrading, or threatening by someone else.
• Sexually suggestive or explicit content and profanity. This is a professional community. Verbal, written, and nonverbal comments or communications or actions that are sexually graphic or sexually suggestive may constitute harassment. Avoid using profanity.
• Threatening remarks or aggressive or hostile behavior.
• Content that we deem spam.
• Advertising. Members are allowed to make brief one-time announcements directly relevant to a member—the publication of a member’s book or article, for instance. Reports on products, services, books, websites, etc. by members who have no financial stake in them are not considered advertising and are welcome.
• Copyrighted content. As professionals, we need to be particularly vigilant regarding copyright violations and be careful not to post copyrighted material beyond accepted fair use.

For security reasons, attachments are not permitted on this list. If you post a message with an attachment, the attachment will be deleted.

A Note on Job Postings

One-time postings about legitimate, professional-quality jobs or opportunities are acceptable (use the #BIZ hashtag). However, if you wish to hire a NAIWE member, please post the job on the NAIWE Job List.

Enforcement

• If you see content that breaks our rules, please contact us. (Please do not reply to the entire list if you’re trying to notify a moderator of a potential problem.) Our moderators will evaluate each reported post and as applicable educate members about our rules.
• Our moderators will review each situation on a case-by-case basis, tailoring responses to meet the needs of the situation. Moderators will investigate and respond as appropriate, using this Code of Conduct to guide their decision.
• Moderators may take the following actions but are not limited to:

1. Formal warning
2. Pre-moderation (requiring a member’s messages to be approved by a moderator before they’re posted)
3. Content removal
4. Suspension or removal from the discussion list
5. Revoking NAIWE membership

• The three-strike rule regarding members who violate the Code of Conduct:

1. Strike one: Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt the first time they break a rule. The first time, they are sent a friendly warning off-list explaining how their post was in violation.
2. Strike two: The second time a member violates the Code of Conduct, they’re either sent a second off-list warning or they’re placed on pre-moderation for 30 days, depending on the severity of the violation.
3. Strike three: If the member already completed a 30-day pre-moderation period and they violate the Code of Conduct a third time, they will be removed from the discussion list. If they have not yet been on pre-moderation, they are automatically placed on pre-moderation for 30 days.

Legal Notices

The discussion list and its archives are open to members only but bear in mind that messages can be forwarded to anyone. No internet message is truly private, so be circumspect, especially when discussing clients.

NAIWE retains full discretion to remove any content or impose sanctions for activity that the moderators, acting in good faith, deem unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene, or otherwise objectionable or that violates any party’s intellectual property. This Code of Conduct describes when NAIWE will exercise that discretion.

Technical Help

Subscribing to the Discussion List

All members are automatically subscribed to the discussion list during the first full month of their membership. You can remain a member of the discussion list as long as you are an active member of NAIWE. Lapsed members will be removed from the discussion list.

Logging in to the Discussion List

You may log in to the discussion list on Google Groups (https://groups.google.com/ or https://groups.google.com/u/2/g/naiwe) to change your email delivery settings, read messages, access the technical FAQ, search the messages archive, etc.