Affiliate Websites and Mailing Lists

Claire Bradin Michigan State University bradincl@pilot.msu.edu

Elin Melchior Komaki English Teaching Center & Ohio University elin@gol.com

Note: This page was prepared for the Affiliate Leaders' Workshop at TESOL '98 in Seattle.

There is now a more complete and up-to-date resource, TESOLWeb, "A Resource and Forum for TESOL Affiliate and IS Webmasters," at http://www.tesolweb.net/.

Useful Resources on the WWW:

TESOL Online - http://www.tesol.edu
List of TESOL Affiliates with links to websites -- http://www.tesol.edu/isaffil/affil/list.html
Guidelines for linking back to TESOL - http://www.tesol.edu/isaffil/linking.html
Web page Style Guide at Yale University - http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/contents.html
Set-up for a listserv at one university - http://www.Colorado.EDU/ITS/Email_Lists/index.html
Useful Mailing Lists for TEFL/TESL, Linguistics, and Communication - http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/users/kkitao/online/list/
Netiquette -- http://www.orst.edu/~healeyd/pci/netiquette.html

Advice for Web Coordinators:

• All communication efforts of the affiliate need to be coordinated: newsletter, e-mail list or listserv, website.
• Make sure the website isn't the only source of information for the affiliate; not all members have access.
• A very short informational page is better than nothing as long as it can be updated frequently.
• Make sure that timely pages get updated.
• Keep the web pages accessible to a large number of people; avoid fancy features and plug-ins like Shockwave.
• Maintain links. from the site by deleting dead links and updating changes.
• It's not a good idea to change the locations and names of files, but you can change the content of those files as often as you want.
• Observe TESOL guidelines for linking and naming conventions.
• Link directly to TESOL's List of TESOL Affiliates rather than linking to individual affiliates. TESOL checks all the links on a regular basis.
• Whenever possible, encourage people to submit text electronically: text inside e-mail messages, attachments to e-mail, on disk, ftp, interactive web forms
• Don't have information more than 3 layers deep so that people don't have to click too much to get to it.
• Make sure that contact persons listed on the website are ready to respond to requests for information.
• Develop a document which outlines what your website plans to accomplish. This document should be circulated among board members.
• Develop a set of policies for the website to deal with requests to post information.
• Develop a style sheet that can be passed from webmaster to webmaster to provide continuity and/or consistency.

Difference between Mailing Lists Run by Listservs and Informal E-mail Lists:

• Mailing Lists Run by Listservs: Listserv© is a software package. When a mailing list is run by Listserv©, people "subscribe" to it by sending a message to one central machine. After subscribing, people post messages to the list, and then these are automatically sent out to all the subscribers. There is a "list owner" who makes sure that everything is running smoothly and sometimes keeps the discussion on track. Suitable for high-volume mailing lists.
• Informal E-mail Lists: There is a "list keeper" who has a list of the e-mail addresses of all members on the list. People join by sending a message to the keeper. When someone wants to send out a message, s/he sends it to the list keeper, who sends it out to all the members of the list. Suitable for low-traffic mailing lists.

Listservs:

I think that mailing lists are very important for organizations because they are a good way to get new people involved in the organization. I only became involved in JALT and TESOL after I was able to figure out what was going on through the mailing lists. They make it easy for people to listen in on conversations until they feel that they have something to contribute.

JALT has 6 mailing lists:

• <jaltcall> which is essentially a giant teachers' lounge. All are welcome and any topics related to teaching language in Japan are okay.
• <jaltexbo> is the list for JALT business. It is only open to JALT members.
• <signif> is the list for special interest groups. It is for all interested in SIG business.
• <chaprep> is the list for chapter business.
• <jaltnet> is a list for discussing the JALT web pages and mailing lists.
• <tlt> is a list for the people who work on The Language Teacher.

Only the first list can be joined by the public directly. To join the other lists one must write to the listowner in order to join.

Dividing up an organization's mailing lists is a good idea. Many people do not want to be on a list with too much mail.

List Owner Advice:

• Make sure that there is a welcome message. Explain not only the commands, but the exact purpose of the list, the type of messages that are welcome, and any other rules - especially those related to commercialism and politeness issues.
• ·Check all the computer generated messages, e.g. the message which informs a non-member that they cannot post a message. Some people to do not realize that these are computer generated messages and will hold you responsible for perceived rudeness.
• Unfortunately you will probably have to intervene in order to keep the list going in the direction originally planned - i.e. polite, friendly, and non-commercial. Having a plan on how you are going to deal with problems, makes it a little easier to deal with them when the time comes. Most importantly, make sure that list members understand that policing is to be done by you, the list owner - not by list members. If a list member has a problem or complaint they should correspond privately with you, the list owner, and not send complaints to the entire list. This can quickly escalate into something ugly.

Informal E-mail Lists:

The least obnoxious way for the list keeper to send out messages is to paste all the addresses into the Bcc: (blind carbon copy) area of the e-mail message so that people don't have to scroll through a long string of addresses. The list keeper is in charge of updating the list periodically. S/he sends out a welcome message to all new subscribers. Here is an example from the Michigan TESOL ( MITESOL) web page:

***Welcome to the MITESOL E-mail List, a service of Michigan TESOL to its members. The List is not a listserv, but rather an electronic listing of online members. All list members are free to use the list to advertise jobs, alert the membership to important professional events, or make a collegial request. Mailings can be to the whole group or to selected individuals.

The list is updated periodically. To join the list, please verify your current membership status with the membership database keeper, Janet Payne (jvpayne@AOL.COM), who will authorize your name and address to be added.

Messages are restricted to professional, non-commercial topics or to timely notices affecting the MITESOL family. If you change your membership status, e-address, or job affiliation, please alert the Keeper of the List in a timely way. I look forward to seeing your contributions online.***

Types of information found on affiliate websites:

About the affiliate:

• history of the affiliate
• affiliate constitution
• mission statement
• by laws
• annual report
• listserv / e-mail list and how to subscribe/join
• affiliate partnerships
• photo gallery
• FAQ's ("Answers To Your Frequently Asked Questions")

Membership:

• membership brochure
• membership statistics
• list of membership benefits
• membership application
• list of members on-line (names/e-mail addresses -- by request only)

Executive board:

• minutes and agendas from board meetings
• names of board members and contact information
• call for nominations for board officers
• on-line ballot for board elections

Newsletter:

• table of contents
• list of regular features
• deadlines
• guidelines for submission

Affiliate conferences:

• calendar of events
• conference location & maps
• call for proposals
• conference schedule
• conference proceedings
• interview with guest speaker

Socio-political concerns:

• ESL certification/endorsement
• guide to ESL and MATESOL programs in the area
• Position Papers

Links:

• "Links for ESL Teachers"
• "Links for ESL Students"
• to book and software publishers
• to TESOL and other organizations
• to local tourist sites

Jobs:

• links to web-based information about jobs members' vitae on the website
• specific job postings in the affiliate
• Sample disclaimer (from WAESOL website): "Notice: WAESOL and the IALC (hosting these pages) assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or authenticity of employment information posted to this or any of the employment pages."

TESOL Conferences:

• list of members who will attend/give presentations
• time/location of affiliate party at TESOL
• TESOL "Virtual Visit"