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Group Email List Guidelines

Purpose and Objectives

The Eliot e-mail list is a collection of names and e-mail addresses of members of the Eliot community who have asked that their names be included. The purpose of this list is to send announcements on chapel-related topics of interest to the congregation. Examples include:

• Rapid communication of time-sensitive information, as in the case of the special services conducted during a national crisis, or information about the death and/or memorial service of members/friends.
• Routine notification from the Webmaster when the on-line newsletter has been posted.
• Occasional surveys or polls to get quick feedback from a major portion of the congregation.

This list will be used only to keep recipients informed about Eliot-specific items of interest or importance. To facilitate the flow of information, the e-mail addresses of those who choose to share them will be published in our annual printed directory and/or on our website directory.

Responsibility

Inclusion in, and use of, the e-mail list is limited to members of the Eliot community and is updated routinely by the list administrator. New members will be asked if they want their e-mail address included in announcements, the print and/or website directory. If so, this information will be provided to the List administrator. As congregants leave or become inactive, the Eliot business manager will notify the List administrator to remove their listings from the website directory.

Congregants' requests to have announcements sent will be considered by the List administrator, who is responsible for determining which messages will be sent to the congregation, and when. The Board chair and the lead minister may also authorize general e-mail announcements.

Implementation Guidelines

Official Announcements from the Chapel - E-mail messages will be sent to an "undisclosed" list, so that no one can reply or forward to the entire list. Only chapel-related messages of general interest to the congregation will be sent. Care will be taken not to flood list members' inboxes with repeated reminders or too-frequent communications. Each message will include a notice at the bottom, specifying that the recipient may "unsubscribe" from the announcement list by replying to the message and requesting his/her removal from the list.

Published E-mail Addresses - E-mail addresses of those who wish to share them will be printed in the annual church directory and/or listed on a password-protected area of the website. Congregants can specify whether to be included in either or both of these lists. The website list will be for reference only and will not provide the capability to send messages to the entire list. Only chapel congregants will be given the password for the list on the Eliot website, which will be in a secure area of our server in the Members-only Directory.

All list additions, changes, and deletions should be sent to the List administrator, preferably via e-mail. The website directory will provide a link to the List administrator to request such removals or updates.

Congregants' Use of Published Email Addresses - For verification purposes, to receive the password to access the Members-only Directory the request must be made by e-mail to the Webmaster. If the Webmaster does not recognize the requesting e-mail address, a reply will be sent requesting identity, which can be verified with the church office. This list is secured from access by search engines, web crawlers, and web surfers. Password protection is important. The password should not be given to anyone outside the congregation. Guidelines for appropriate use of the website directory follow, and they are expected to be observed by anyone requesting the username/password for use of the directory

Guidelines for Users of the Website Email Directory

The purpose of the website directory is to facilitate the flow of information for chapel-related business. The addresses are not to be used for commercial purposes or private interests. Your personal use of the addresses in the print or website directories should be limited to communicating with other congregants about chapel-related topics or items of interest to a sub-set of the list. If you have a message you want to send to everyone on the e-mail list, contact the List administrator ( ) to request that the message be considered for distribution.

If you send an e-mail using names from the Eliot list, please do not include anyone outside Eliot in the distribution of that e-mail. This also applies to forwarding e-mails which contain the Eliot addresses. If you need to send the contents of a message to someone outside Eliot, please cut and paste the text to be sent into a new e-mail, or delete the Eliot addresses before forwarding.

Please do not send business propositions, jokes, petitions, political calls to action, or other similar material. This includes almost all forwarded materials which you have received in your inbox from others. Brief messages in your own words get the best attention from others. However, you can always include a web address (e.g., http://www.thehungersite.com), for reference.

Please do not send virus warnings, chain letters, petitions, or any e-mail that says anything like "Send this to everyone you know!" Almost all such messages are hoaxes, or at least misguided. Frequently, virus warnings will themselves contain viruses. E-mail petitions are rarely effective When you get a message of this type, before forwarding it to anyone, you might want to check it out at one of the following sites, on which you will almost always find the message and a complete explanation of why it should not be forwarded:

Urban Legends and Folklore: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blhoax.htm

US Dept of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC):
http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org and
http://www.ciac.org/ciac/ciac_virus_info.html

Printed Newsletter Policy

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of Eliot Chapel's printed newsletter is to provide timely information about events and other items of interest to everyone in the Eliot community, visitors, other churches, and the ministerial staff. The newsletter will also appear on the Eliot website. Previous issues of the newsletter are archived on the website.

Responsibility

Decisions regarding the content and publishing of the printed newsletter will be made by the business administrator of Eliot chapel in consultation with the editor if that is a different person.

Implementation Guidelines

The printed newsletter will focus on Eliot events and activities and may include announcements of rites of passage, messages from ministers and major committees, reminders of previously announced items, and information for and about new members. Community events of particular interest to the congregation may be included, space permitting. Articles should answer the basic questions about an event and include an author, phone number, and/or e-mail address for additional information. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Decisions on content and layout will be based on the material's interest or use to the Eliot community and availability of space. Where necessary, articles will be edited for clarity, spelling, and grammar.

When space permits, brief, personal news items will be included in this section. Litmus test for a submitting an item: if it's appropriate for announcements after the service, it's appropriate for submission.

Occasionally, inserts pertaining to major events of interest to the majority of the congregation will be included in the newsletter. Advanced notice is necessary for planning purposes; inserts must be submitted ready to print; and assistance with folding and mailing may be required.

A maximum of

• 300 words for major articles, which include messages from the ministers, board reports, and time-sensitive reports from committees dealing with issues of great importance to the congregation, e.g., stewardship.
• 175 words for new or information-packed articles, committee reports, music notes, and first-time announcements
• 100 words for reminders, repeat or short announcements, and brief notes

Any article that exceeds the maximum words may be shortened.

The preferred method of receipt of articles is in the body of an e-mail, rather than as attachments.

Typed or legibly printed articles also may be left in the newsletter box in Visitors' Corner or the newsletter mailbox in the copy room. Newsletter deadlines are every other Wednesday at noon. (See cover and calendar of most recent printed or electronic newsletter for dates.) Deadlines will be enforced.

US postal regulations state that not-for-profit organizations' mailed publications cannot include advertisements for profit-making entities or events.

To ensure the privacy of Eliot members and friends,

• No last names of minors should be published without parental consent.
• Personal phone numbers published in the printed newsletter will be omitted from the electronic version.
• E-mail addresses of contact persons for special events or interest groups may be published unless those individuals have withheld permission.

Web Newsletter Policy

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of Eliot Chapel's web-based newsletter is to provide timely information about events and other items of interest to Eliot members and interested outsiders. This newsletter will generally be available before the printed one is mailed and can be updated after it has been published as more up-to-date information becomes available. Links to related information within an article in the web-based newsletter makes it a more robust source of information than the printed version.

The Eliot Chapel website serves as an archive for previous issues of the newsletter. The web-based newsletter may also provide cost savings to Eliot if a number of members "unsubscribe" to the printed newsletter and access the web-based version. The web newsletter will not replace the printed version, which will continue to be made available to those who wish to continue receiving it.

Responsibility

Publishing the web-based newsletter shall be the responsibility of the Eliot Webmaster; decisions regarding its content will be made by the Webmaster in consultation with the editor of the printed newsletter.

Implementation Guidelines

Content - The content of the web-based newsletter will generally be the same as the printed version although this version will be "scrubbed" to remove personal information that is not suitable for such public distribution.

Guidelines for content of the printed version of the newsletter apply to web-based versions as well. Even though the web-based newsletter does not have some of the cost limitations of the printed newsletter, information in the web-based newsletter should be concise, easy to navigate, and easy to read. More detailed information than can be included within article length constraints can frequently be provided by a link to the information in another location or site.

Advertisements, which are not permitted in the printed version due to postal regulations, will also not be included in the web-based newsletter. Information about events outside of Eliot may be included if it appears to be appropriate and of interest to many Eliot members and friends.

Privacy - Since the web-based version of the newsletter is accessible worldwide, it is especially important to delete certain sensitive information. The Webmaster will review the content of the newsletter with an eye toward protecting the privacy of Eliot members and friends. The following guidelines relate to privacy issues:

• No last names of minors should be published.
• No phone numbers should be published, except for that of the church and those requesting to have their numbers included.
• E-mail addresses of contact persons for special events or interest groups may be published unless those individuals have withheld permission. The Webmaster will maintain a list of those who have requested that their names or contact information be omitted from the web-based newsletter.

Town Hall Meeting Guidelines

Purpose and Objectives

Town hall meetings create an environment in which respectful dialogue is facilitated among various constituencies of Eliot Chapel (the board, ministers, committees, members, and friends). Meetings are called by the Board of Trustees to present information or solicit input from the congregation on timely or otherwise important topics.

Responsibility

Town Hall Meetings are facilitated by a representative of the Board and planned and coordinated by the chair or a member of the Communications Committee. Brief presentations are prepared and delivered by representatives of committees involved with the subject matter. A process management expert is present at every meeting to ensure that all communication is respectful and constructive.

Implementation Guidelines

• Meeting facilitation
• Process management
• Physical arrangements
• Sound
• Communications
• Childcare
• Note taking and recording
• Refreshments (optional)
• Debriefing

• Meetings are generally limited to two hours. There is a limit of two minutes per turn at the microphone and two times per person at the mike during the meeting.
• Answers and resolution are not necessary, but it is crucial to "hear and properly acknowledge" all comments, thoughts, and feelings.
• Facilitator
  • Calls the meeting to order
  • Announces topic(s) and process to be followed.
  • Introduces process manager and presenter(s)
• Presenters address the audience
• Q and A period follows

All participants are asked to respect Eliot Chapel's Meeting Guidelines (see below).

• Meetings may be recorded.
• Note takers appointed before the meeting will take notes.
• Either a transcription or notes will be published in a timely manner on a password-protected page of the website.
• The Town Hall Meeting process is incomplete without this step.

The appointed person will meet with major participants to debrief the process and offer suggestions for improvement.

Feedback and suggestions will be submitted to the board and the communications committee.

Meeting Guidelines

• Keep remarks brief.
• Avoid personal anecdotes and wordy questions/presentations/comments.
• Recognize those who have a difficult time speaking up.
• Assume communication is difficult, almost impossible, but try anyway.
• Discuss issues, not personalities.
• Use "I" messages. For example, say, "When you say 'x,' I feel 'y.'"
• Do not presume to know the other person's intentions.
• Listen carefully to what the other person is saying, so that you could repeat it verbatim. If you cannot repeat verbatim, you will have missed something important. Use the other's words when you respond. They have special meaning and power for the speaker, which you cannot know yet.
• If you are formulating a response as someone speaks, you are not listening.
• Talk about what you know to be true because you have observed it, not because someone else has told you it has taken place.
• As you talk about a problem, suggest solutions.
• As you communicate, assume the integrity of others. Treat them with the same respect and dignity you would want for yourself and your loved ones.
• Assume the other person is as right as you are.
• Make a distinction between people and their ideas.
• Even if you vehemently disagree with ideas/actions, state your disagreements clearly but avoid putdowns.