For anyone interested in redistributing or reposting messages
from the Learning-Org list -- PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE AND REPLY
TO ME. For subscribers, this is FYI and to solicit comments.
I worried at first about permitting *any* subsidairy sites, but
anyone can subscribe to the mailing list and get the messages,
and our archive is available by ftp, gopher, and Web browser to
anyone on the net. So why not let people get our content through
another channel if they prefer?
Below is my current thinking about policies for subsidiary sites
holding our messages. I welcome any comments.
Policy on Subsidiary Sites for
Redistribution and Local Storage of Learning-Org Messages
Copyright 1995, Richard Karash
Objectives -- Our overall objective in creating the Learning-Org
mailing list is to bring together practitioners from around the
world in a facility that helps them increase their capability to
produce the results they want to produce. This same thinking
guides the policy towards subsidairy sites carrying our content.
1) Our policy is "You own your own words." Messages from the
learning-org list should not be used, published or
redistributed, on the net or off the net, except in this
Learning-Org forum, without the permission of the message
author.
2) Subsidiary sites holding our messages are welcome when they
increase our ability to reach practitioners or make it easier
for practitioners to access. Here are some examples that have
arisen to date:
- A company with internal Usenet-type newsgroups wishes to make
our messages easier to access by creating a gateway so that our
messages flow automatically into a newsgroup.
- A consulting organization wishes to make our messages
available internally using their primary electronic
communications facility, Lotus Notes. An automated gateway puts
our messages into the Notes database. Messages are manually
sorted by subject into categories so people browsing can more
easily find what they seek.
- A bulletin board operator in Canada wishes to offer the
Learning-Org archive to his subscribers.
- I envision a Web server so that anyone using Mosaic, Netscape,
or other Web browser can effectively look into our archive and
find what they seek. I hope eventually that this will be an
attractive way to participate in our facility. (The current
mechanisms follow a "delivery-based" paradigm; I'd like to
explore an "information on demand" paradigm.)
I will authorize and cooperate with such schemes under these
conditions:
1) There is no fee for access to our messages. If re-posting
is on a commercial system, there is no additonal charge beyond
normal membership and/or usage charges.
2) The curent Learning-org info file is posted permanently (in
file archive/ftp type environments) or posted monthly (in
environments where old messages drop off). This file may be
prefaced, as needed, to explain the specific site and relate it
to our world-wide internet facility. If subsidiary sites offer
public access, I'd like to mention them in the info file.)
3) The Learning-org copyright notice is posted, permanently or
monthly, as in #3 above. It says, "All messages copyright (c)
--their authors-- unless otherwise noted."
4) Someone responsible for the site must contact me in advance
and stay in contact by email. In otherwords, there must be a
system administrator or SYSOP in contact with me.
5) The site keep Learning-Org messages distinct from other
content, not mixed in with another message flow. Any message
appearing on the subsidiary site appears in full, including it's
original date, author, and identification with the learning-org
mailing list.
6) The subsidiary site has a two-way connection to us. That is,
people reading the Learning-Org messages can reply and
contribute to our flow. And, we are able to reply back to them
in turn. In other words, users of the local system must be able
to send and receive internet email from the system. No
receive-only sites.
7) Non-dilution -- I'll support those sites which are adding
something new, and discourage those that duplicate something
already being done. For example, a subsidiary mailing list would
not add anything (our list can already reach anyone on the
Internet). In general, I would rather have subsidiary sites
*point to* our archive via gopher or World-Wide-Web instead of
storing our messages locally, unless there is an advantage.
8) No hassles -- Learning-Org is a purely volunteer effort.
Anyone operating a subsidiary site must not interfere with or
add workload to what we are already doing. Your hosts will be
the sole judges of this.
I will not permit sudsidiary sites which feed our messages into a
subsidiary mailing list (this is dilutive, and there are too
many problems with subscribers not knowing the route by which
they are receiving our messages). Let's have people subscribe to
the Learning-Org mailing list instead.
PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE PRESENTLY OPERATING A SUBSIDIARY
SITE, OR IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING SO!
And, any and all subscribers, please send me comments about these
policies.
Richard Karash ("Rick") | (o) 508-879-8301 | Mac * Flying
Innovation Associates, Inc. | (fax) 508-626-2205 | Systems Thinking
3 Speen St, Framingham MA 01701 | rkarash@world.std.com | Std. Disclaimer