Gary wrote:
> My 2 cents is that since TIPs is essentially a public discussion forum,
> there should be no restrictions on distributing the posts. If the
> group was closed and our discussions reflected the limitations of the
> membership then I would want approval to distribute my comments. But
> as we have seen from the recent requests from students, anyone can
> join TIPS
That's true to an extent--but there _are_ other considerations:
1. From a strictly regulatory perspective, TIPS _isn't_ public. Bill has
the right (and responsibility, if the person is disrupting the list) to
remove anyone he wishes from the list and thus prevent them from accessing
the messages. That he seldom, if ever, has a need to do so isn't the
issue--his right and ability to do so clearly defines the list as private.
2. When anyone joins the list, they receive an introduction to the list
that includes the rules and regulations of the list, which they are expected
to abide by as a condition of membership. Thus it is totally up to Bill's
discretion whether or not messages may be shared (so long as the author
agrees to sharing them, of course).
3. Under US Copyright laws (other nations may differ), the content of email
messages has been found by the courts to be protected material. Thus
distributing the messages w/o the specific permission of the author is
fundamentally the same thing as distributing photocopies of a journal
article under the same conditions--something that we, as college professors,
well know is not acceptable.
4. While many messages _are_ posts that convey valuable information for
students, by the nature of this list it _is_ for instructors, not students.
Thus making a blanket rule that any material could be shared could easily
cause posters to avoid posting messages they would prefer not be read widely
by students. It's true that students _can_ join the list, but few do and it
could be reasonably argued that those who do so have an above average
interest in psychology that serves to motivate them to join.
5. Finally, much of the list content--due to the long term interactions
that occur here between members--contains material that many of us would
choose not to share with students, at least in an unedited form. We respond
to posts in many cases based on a knowledge of the poster (consider many
responses to Michael Sylvester's questions, knowing Michael's strong
commitment to non-Eurocentric approaches, for example). While the content of
those posts may be valid and academically useful, the presentation in such
cases is "skewed" by personal considerations that could cause real
discomfort for the poster if s/he knew they had been shared with students
unfamiliar with the list "personalities."
The simplest solution is--as it is for a journal article--to ask the author
directly for permission to share his/her post. In most cases, the request
will be met with a "yes," in some cases it may be met with an "ok, but I'd
like to edit it a bit first," and on occasion it may be met with a "no." Of
course, individuals who post regularly, or who are posting what is
essentially a lengthy informative (and neutrally oriented) message, are both
free and encouraged to add a tag line to their messages stating that "This
message may be freely distributed so long as it is not changed in any
manner," or a similar statement. That way, both those who are willing to
share their messages and those who would prefer not to do so will have their
desires met and no animosity over private email being shared with a class
will occur.
Hope this helps,
Rick
--
Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College
Jackson, Michigan
