The Berkeley Co-Op

1. General Purposes of the THEBERKELEYCOOP Listserv

• This listserv is a formal channel for the Berkowners Inc. Board of Directors to communicate with shareholders and residents of our apartment complex to inform them of issues that are pertinent to their well-being. It is managed by the Communications Committee.  

• This is also a great medium from which residents can benefit from the experience of their neighbors when it comes to finding a contractor, cleaning service, babysitter or petsitter, offer household items they no longer need, etc.

• Members may also inform residents of upcoming special interest events in the Jackson Heights area.

2. General Guidelines for Postings

• Postings to the listserv should address the readership at large rather than individuals specifically. If a discussion develops into an exchange between two parties, the conversation should move to private email immediately.

• Treat the listserv as a professional setting: discussions should refrain from posting any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials.  Degrading comments regarding race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and identity will not be tolerated.  Impact matters more than intent.

• The Listserv is not a medium for marketing/advertising of services or for expressing political views.

3. Listserv Etiquette

• Include a signature tag on all messages, which means you need to include your name and email address.

• State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line.

• Long message postings are inappropriate for this list. 

• Because we lose verbal and gestural clues when communicating via email, some special considerations apply to listservs:

  • Avoid using caps (It feels like shouting).

  • Avoid emotional responses.

  • It is particularly important to wait before ever replying to an email that makes you angry or offended. If something affects you emotionally on the list, please do not reply immediately. And, if you do feel compelled to respond, direct your response to the person privately and not to the entire listserv of subscribers. 

  • Before sending, ask: Is this how I would state this if we were speaking in person? How will my email sound if the reader misinterprets my tone? What do I hope to get out of sending this response?

• Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information from which everyone can benefit.

• Read the entire email thread before replying- someone may already have made the same point you want to communicate.

• Send messages such as "Thanks for the information" or "Me, too" to individuals – not to the entire list.

• Everyone has different experiences. Your perspective on a particular topic may not be the same as that of your fellow residents. Speak for yourself; let others speak about their own experience. Be mindful of the subjectivity of your voice. Understanding experiences outside of your own requires active work- listen; ask questions; have empathy.

• Our residents are not all equally conversant and comfortable in the etiquette and standard practices of email, mistakes will inevitably be made. Be understanding if your fellow residents slip up. Be understanding if your fellow residents point out that you’ve slipped up.

 

4. Procedures for Removing/Reinstating Subscribers

The Communication Committee reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by the above guidelines. 

• Subscribers who post to the list in ways that violate the guidelines will be given a formal warning from the Communications Committee advising them of their misuse of our listserv, and identifying the specific guideline(s) the subscriber has neglected to follow. If the subscriber continues to misuse the listserv following a formal warning, the subscriber will be removed from the listserv.

• After a 1-month period off the listserv, the former subscriber is welcome to request to rejoin the listserv as long as they do not again violate the guidelines.