ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist) (04/13/84)
Here are the ethical rules which we are applying for the COM usage at QZCOM. I am fully aware that they are not comprehensive. Note: To make them applicable to ARPANET, just replace the word "conference" with the word "mailing list" wherever it appears below. In addition to this, I believe that in the EIES computer conference system, they have much experience on ethical guidelines for computer-mediated message systems. I suggest that you ask someone there to send in their guidelines. You could e.g. write to "Elaine Kerr" <114%NJIT-EIES.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA> COPYRIGHT Text in COM is copyrighted both by the author and the computer centre running COM. Texts may be copied in single copies on paper or to your personal computer for your own personal use. Other copying requires permission from the computer centre. A person who enters text into COM will thereby give permission for this text to be copied to other message system according to the principles commonly used for the COM system. ADVERTISEMENTS IN COM Commercial avertising is permitted in COM. However, QZ customers who wish to publish advertisements in COM should to it only in special COM conferences intended for the publication of advertisements. ETHICS, GENERAL Just as in any other instance of human intercourse, certain ethical guidelines should be applied to the usage of the COM system. Since COM is a new medium which may be unfamiliar to many, it might be a good idea to codify the more important of these guidelines in writing. These guidelines are by no means mandatory, but they should still be adhered to unless there are strong reasons for not doing so. MISREPRESENTATION OF FACT: Should misrepresentation of fact occur in COM, this should be put right at once, e.g. by using the COM command COMMENT to enter a correction. Thus, the correction will automatically be sent to anyone who got the misstatement before. Should the misrepresen- tation be of personal data, routine procedure should also call for erasing the entire notice containing the misstatement, by means of the COM command ERASE OBJECT . PASSING ON TEXTS: Letters and entries of closed conferences should not be moved to open ones without the author's permission. POLITICAL PROPAGANDA: The COM system should not be used for such activity as may be interpreted as propaganda for a given political party. This ethical rule does not prevent political discussions in COM. Political questions might arise for various reasons; there might for instance be discussions on research policy and other political topics. SUBJECTIVE STATEMENTS CONCERNING INDIVIDUALS: Subjective statements concerning individual persons should not be entered in open COM conferences. IRONY: Experience tells us that irony in COM is often misinterpreted and taken seriously by mistake. This could be prevented by means of a certain convention, accepted in COM. By this convention, you put whatever you mean ironically within a special kind of "irony parentheses". Like this: (. Text to be taken ironically .) MAKING APPOINTMENTS VIA COM: Making appointments via COM usually does not work very well. The reason for this might be that COM is generally felt to be such an interactive medium that you automatically try to make appointments according to the same conventions as in face-to-face meetings. This does not work. If you want to make an appointment via COM for a physical meeting, you shall have to arrange for all participants simultaneously to make a list of their available time. Guided by this information, you may then quickly and easily book your meeting. SPECIAL PRIVILEGES OF THE ORGANIZERS: The organizer's privileges of subtracting and moving entries, and excluding members, should be employed with great care. Misrepresen- tations of fact are often best corrected by means of a corrective notice, in some instances combined with erasure of the incorrect message. The option to move entries should be used when the contents of an entry has obviously no bearing on the purpose of the conference. In this manner you will aid COM users who are trying to decide by choice of conference what to read.
ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist) (04/19/84)
The article that this article is a followup to <51632@QZCOM> was written by Jacob_Palme_QZ@QZCOM.MAILNET and not by myself. My apologies for the error. Kenneth Almquist