Acceptable Use Guidelines for OANDP-L

Paul Prusakowski

Description

Title:

Acceptable Use Guidelines for OANDP-L

Creator:

Paul Prusakowski

Date:

10/25/2006

Text:

Dear OANDP-L subscribers,

 

When OANDP-L was established in 1995, it was done so with the intention of
providing a forum for practitioners to exchange clinical, business, and
professional information and concerns in an open environment that was not
regulated by any organization or establishment. The ability for O&P
practitioners to share clinical knowledge had previously been limited to
your own personal circle of colleagues. The ability to discuss clinical
concepts or professional politics with a significant number of our
colleagues was limited to small windows of opportunity at professional
meetings, and the limitations of those forums for open discussion is
obvious. The dawn of OANDP-L changed the face of the industry and
professional communication dramatically.

 

As moderator of OANDP-L, I have observed the evolution and maturation of
this forum, as well as cringed at the volatility that exists, which could
easily topple an incredibly valuable resource that has challenged, inspired,
infuriated, educated, and entertained many of us for over a decade. What
would this profession be like without OANDP-L?

 

I appreciate all the support and opinions that have been shared with me over
the years regarding how the List should be managed. I can tell you that the
opinions shared with me span from extreme positions on both ends of the
spectrum. The trick is always in establishing a healthy balance that does
not limit progress and communication.

 

One thing that I feel strongly about is the protection of this forum as an
avenue for freely sharing information and professional concerns. The
ability to share concerns about the future of the profession and threats to
our businesses is just as important as the sharing of clinical information.
I will continue to protect that freedom through this forum, but with a very
clear emphasis on the responsibility that comes with it. Freedom of Speech
is a right, but subscription to OANDP-L is a privilege. In order to
preserve the value of this forum for the greater good of this profession,
privileges of subscription will be revoked from individuals who do not
govern themselves within the acceptable use guidelines of OANDP-L.

 

The following are the Acceptable Use Guidelines for OANDP-L. You will find
that these guidelines are consistent with the purposes of the forum that
have been established since the beginning, even though they have not all
been enforced at all times. Acceptance of these guidelines is assumed from
anyone who participates in this forum:

 

1. All postings will be signed with real name, credentials, and
location/affiliation (city, state, country) (business name optional)

2. Subject lines will be succinct and meaningful

3. Postings will be courteous

4. Postings will be professional

5. Postings will not be inflammatory

6. Commercial postings will not be allowed *

7. Classified ads will not be allowed **

8. Postings must not be self serving

9. Responses to postings will be made directly to the original
poster

10. Posters will summarize responses and post to list with respect to
responders wishes to have name included or not in the response.

11. Any posts responding to an original post that are made to the
entire subscriber base must add additional, relevant, and factual
information to the posting that does not inflame, accuse, or contain
conspiracy theories which cannot be substantiated.

12. Promotion of meetings from non-profit or not-for profit state or
national organizations will be limited to a single call for papers and one
additional announcement at some time prior to the meeting.

13. Non-profit and not-for profit organizations will be limited to
one posting per month to promote non-commercial activities which are of
benefit to the profession. In the event of a significant event or call for
action which is of major importance to the profession, exceptions will be
made on a case by case basis.

14. Posting of fees or price fixing will not be allowed.

15. Rants and redundant postings will not be allowed.

 

In addition to the above guidelines, a classification system will be
required for any non clinical postings. If your posting is not clinically
related, one of the following words must be the first word (in all CAPS) in
your subject line:***

 

ANNOUNCE - to be used by non-profits and not-for-profits when posting
monthly messages, updates, or calls for papers.

OPINION - to be used when the posting is clearly an opinion about a non
clinical aspect of the profession or industry

US-POLITICS - to be used when the discussion is clearly an issue that is of
no concern to anyone outside of the United States

 

All postings will be reviewed by the moderator prior to release to the
entire subscriber list of over 3300. If a posting does not include the
prefix in the subject line or is lacking name and credentials, it will be
returned to the poster with request to add the subject line to the message
and repost (the moderator cannot change the content of subject lines or
messages). If a posting does not fit within the acceptable usage guidelines
it will be rejected and a simple response will be sent to the poster stating
that the message does not fall within the guidelines.

 

In most cases, acceptability is simple to determine. In the event that a
posting is questionable, I will request input from a small group of
respected professionals to help make the determination of whether or not the
posting is acceptable. The goal here is not to censor, but to maintain a
professional and productive forum. We will continue to revisit these
guidelines and make changes as necessary in the future, to ensure that they
are serving the purpose of maintaining a respectable and professional tool
for the O&P field.

 

The Acceptable Use Guidelines will be posted to OANDP-L monthly, and any
subscriber who does not want to abide by those guidelines is free to
unsubscribe by sending a message to <Email Address Redacted> with the message
unsubscribe OANDP-L in the body of the message.

 

Thank you for your continued support and participation. Please be mindful
that your postings in this public forum represent you as a professional, and
in some people's eyes may be representative of the profession as a whole. I
welcome your thoughts and feedback.

 

Sincerely,

 

Paul E. Prusakowski, CPO, LPO, FAAOP

Moderator OANDP-L

 

*Commercial postings are defined as any postings that are promoting or
selling a product or service. If it costs money, it's commercial.

 

** There are numerous avenues available to place classified ads in print or
online. A free classified service has been available at
www.oandp.com/classifieds for over three years, and classified ads can be
placed in publications and websites of the Almanac, The O&P Edge, JPO, O&P
Business News, etc. Classified ads include help wanted ads as well as
personally owned items that are for sale by a practice.

 

*** Most mail programs are sophisticated enough to create 'Rules for
automatically sorting your mail. This allows you to create mailboxes that
will be dedicated to the various topics of OANDP-L and have the messages
automatically sort as they arrive in your mailbox. You also have the
ability to create rules for postings from individual senders. This allows
you to create your own personal filters to remove postings from the listserv
subscribers of your choice.


                          ********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.

If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>

OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.

Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list. Professional credentials
or affiliations should be used in all communications.

Citation

Paul Prusakowski, “Acceptable Use Guidelines for OANDP-L,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 25, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/227366.