We encourage you to sign up for Local 1857’s primary method of communication – the Local News electronic mail list. By signing up, you will keep current regarding the official news and events of Local 1857. Postings are at most, one or two per month.
If you are interested in an on-line discussion list with other members of Local 1857, then also sign up for the Water Cooler electronic list.
Both lists are only available to Local 1857 members in good standing. Request an invite by sending an e-mail to one or both of the addresses below.
1857-localnews+owner@googlegroups.com
1857-watercooler+owner@googlegroups.com
Make sure you use a personal e-mail account, not your KCLS work e-mail.
To view these lists on the web, you'll need to have a Google account associated with the e-mail address you used to subscribe. See Google's Help page for more info. If you already have a Google account set up, you can subscribe by viewing the group page for Local News or Watercooler.
More info on how to change your e-mail settings or unsubscribe from a group.
Watercooler Etiquette
Following are some tips and guidelines for making your mailing list more productive and enjoyable.
1. Remember you are interacting with people.
Because you only see letters stringing across a screen, it is easy to forget or ignore that a person sits on the other side of the network. This can tempt people to excess verbal boldness or emotional explosions, leaving readers angry and hurt. Over the Internet, you should consider yourself as having a face-to-face conversation with someone in a crowded room. Cursing and raw abuse are not appropriate. Keep debate civil, and keep it a debate, not a slanderous brawl. Always remember behind every e-mail address is another person.
2. Make subject lines descriptive.
People should have a flavor of the message from glancing at the subject line. "Hello," is not as good as, "Changes in Reunion Schedule."
3. Edit the original message in your replies.
When replying to a message, re-send a few summarizing lines of the original message so the reader will know immediately what matter you are addressing. The user who receives dozens of messages a day can easily forget what he wrote a couple days before. However, do not re-send the entire original message, especially if long, as it might be unwanted by the receiver, and an unnecessary burden for servers.
4. Sign your postings.
It is good practice to include a few lines at the end of your message indicating your name and e-mail address as some mail programs do not automatically display such information. And it is best to keep such electronic signatures reasonably short.
5. Be brief.
Say your say succinctly. It will have a greater impact and more people will read it.
6. Write clearly and logically.
Simplicity of expression usually is best. Sudden poetic bursts intended to "impress" usually do not impress, and may bother the reader.
7. Be prudent with speculation.
On the Internet, rumor can grow extravagant and spread like fire. Remarks beginning with, "I have a feeling that …" or, "I think that …" are usually suspect.
8. Be cautious with humor and sarcasm.
Typed language is naturally colder than spoken language, because it is stripped of voice inflections and body language. Quite easily, humor can be taken as insult, especially if subtle. Some users prefer to use symbols that hint at tone, such as the smiley face: :-) It is safest to frankly note satirical messages.
9. E-mail lists are as good, and only as good, as the subscribers make them.
Lists work best when intelligent people bring fresh knowledge and ideas to the table. New ideas can stimulate discussion. Trivial or inane comments often kill discussion. Write meaty, thoughtful things and everyone will benefit from the list.
