The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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REORGANISATION OF THE CASI EMAIL LISTS Dear CASI discussion list members, Most list members will be aware that CASI is undergoing a period of transition, seeking a new mandate and focus amidst the continuing confusion in Iraq. The new CASI committee believes that providing and circulating new information and analysis, central to CASI's work during sanctions, remains a useful and pressing function to which CASI can usefully contribute. In the past, the discussion list (casi-discuss) has been an important part of this function. Recently, however, the list has begun to lose many of its members, some of whom have expressed their concern that the list is no longer useful as a source of information and analysis. The list has also had its share of external disruption over the past months. In an effort to improve the situation, the committee has decided to alter the way in which its list works. 1. A new list, "casi-analysis", is to be established, onto which all current "casi-discuss" members will be placed. This list will be strongly moderated. It aims to fulfil a different function to the discussion list. It is intended as a forum where members should only post information resources and analysis about the humanitarian situation in Iraq. In particular, news articles without analysis or commentary (which currently make up the bulk of the "casi-discuss" postings) should not be posted to the "casi-analysis" list. If news postings or off-topic messages are posted to "casi-analysis", they will be returned to the sender. This new list is intended to function as a concise and focussed forum for sharing new information and analysis. We hope that it will resurrect some of CASI's pre-war provision of information. In particular, we hope that threads of postings will be more joined up, and that particular themes will be pursued in some detail. 2. Some list members have expressed a desire for a more open discussion forum. In the immediate future, we will maintain the existing discussion list. In the longer term, we hope that the new analysis list will become the main forum for discussion within CASI, and that the existing discussion list will either be ended or will continue beyond CASI. 3. To avoid cross-posting, current subscribers to "casi-discuss" will be placed on "casi-analysis". Important postings needing to reach all list members should therefore be sent to "casi-analysis", which we hope will become the main forum for information. List members wishing to receive less messages are advised to usubscribe from casi-discuss (this can be done at http://lists.casi.org.uk) 4. To post to the new analysis list, send email to casi-analysis@lists.casi.org.uk . To contact the moderator, send email to lists-manager@casi.org.uk. To unsubscribe or change your subscription details, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/ 5. Moderation guidelines for the analysis list are included at the bottom of this email. The main changes are that news postings are strictly forbidden, and that all messages must be approved by the moderator. We hope that list members will find the new list helpful, and help to make it a success, providing an important forum for high-quality information about the situation in Iraq. We'd appreciate feedback about this new arrangement. Many thanks, the CASI committee CASI-ANALYSIS LIST GUIDELINES The moderator will read all messages, and distribute suitable ones to the list. In selecting messages, he or she will be guided by the following principles: Messages sent to the list should be directly relevant to the humanitarian implications of the foreign occupation of Iraq and to the impact of US and UK policy upon the people and society of Iraq. They should be concise, inoffensive, polite, and should make a new point rather than just reiterating previous posts. Posters should attempt to offer positive solutions as well as commenting on existing conditions. If you are in any doubt as to the appropriateness of a particular message you are considering sending to the list, please seek advice from the list moderator on lists-manager@casi.org.uk before proceeding. News items should never be sent to the analysis list. Messages with attached files should never be sent to the list. The list server will enforce this policy by stripping out any attachments before messages are distributed. There are several reasons for this policy, including the serious risk of transmitting viruses and the clogging up members' inboxes with huge messages. Furthermore, messages which contain the same message text encoded both in plain text and in HTML will have the HTML part stripped before distribution. Again, this is to reduce the risk of transmitting viruses and to reduce the size of messages. When replying to specific points in someone else's email, it is common to quote a few lines of their original email to provide context to your comments. This is useful practice in moderation, but please do not quote excessive quantities of text in this manner. People can always refer to the original message on the list archive. The decision of the moderator is final. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk