Listserv Etiquette

The LSSS List Serve Task Force was asked to come up with ways to improve the LSSS listserv, including making it a better tool for our members. The Task Force believes that having some etiquette for using the listserv would be beneficial.

The purpose of the etiquette is remind current and new members of the LSSS listserv about the mission of the LSSS listserv and to give members some advice about how to use this information tool without annoying fellow subscribers. The LSSS section exists for legislative staff involved in bill drafting, legal research, statutory and administrative rule compilation, and publication, administrative rules review, litigation, and other legal services. The LSSS listserv is a forum for legislative legal services staff to exchange information and ideas. This is an excellent place to ask questions about topics you have noticed in your state or to ask other colleagues how their state or their staff handles an issue or problem you've noticed. It is also a great way to get some quick responses on whether other states have a law on a particular topic. Examples of e-mail discussions that have been posted on the listserv:

punitive damages and "loser pay" laws
copyright of committee testimony
lobbying prohibitions on legislators
open meetings laws
public school employees' right of representation in disciplinary meetings
FMLA and legislative employees
legislative intent statements
how to define the term "internet"
unauthorized practice of law by legislative staff
ethics questions
how to evaluate the writing abilities of prospective drafters

In using the listserv, we ask that participants follow this kind of etiquette:

Introduce yourself when you first join the group.
NEVER hit the reply button unless you intend for EVERYONE to read your message.
Make sure to hit the reply button, rather than responding to an individual, if your response appears to be of general interest.
If you would like others to respond to you directly please include your own personal email address.
If you wish to e-mail an individual, compose a NEW MESSAGE that contains only that person's address.
Stick to intended topics of the listserv.
Keep messages brief.
As a general rule, summarize the message you are responding to rather than including it in your message; however, if the posting is a series of questions in a survey form, it would be preferable to keep the original message and reply to each question presented.
If your answer to a question is no, please respond only to the requester and not to the entire listserv. Often the requester does want to be aware of "no" responses but everyone else does not.
Use the same subject line as the original query.
Do not use capital letters in your e-mail for emphasis as that is considered to be the same as shouting. Instead, use an asterisk before and after the word or phrase you want to emphasize.
Please don't send virus alerts or other alerts that do not pertain to LSSS.
Please don't send jokes.
Include an opening and a closing to your message.
If you are going to be out of the office for an extended period of time and use an automatic response to your messages that says you are out of the office, please check with your e-mail administrator as to how to modify that automatic response so that it does not go out to the rest of the listserv with every posting.

To join the Legal Services Listserv, please read the instructions here, or e-mail us at lsss-info@ncsl.org