The City of Tacoma is pleased to provide the Tacoma EnviroNews Listserv as a vehicle for the exchange of environmental news. When new subscribers come on board, they receive a list of the rules and guidelines. Reminders are sent to the listserv on a quarterly basis. The rules and subscribing information are included in the message below. This information is also on the City web site at: http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=2444 For messages beyond the scope of this listserv, you may wish to invite readers to visit your Web site or participate in discussions elsewhere. A reminder: Please don't send attachments to the list. They slow down message distribution, can't be opened by some subscribers, and may contain viruses. Tacoma EnviroNews Listserv Rules and Guidelines The City of Tacoma's "Tacoma EnviroNews" listserv provides a vehicle for environmental news to flow between city government, Tacoma citizens, community activists and environmental organizations. The listserv focuses on environmental topics such as grant opportunities, workshops, restoration activities, volunteer programs, training, announcements, news or events. Receiving and posting messages on Tacoma EnviroNews is voluntary. The City of Tacoma maintains the list, but does not pre-screen messages and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the sentiments of the City of Tacoma. Subscribers are able to post messages to the list without seeking approval from the list manager. However, we ask that members follow the listserv rules below. The City of Tacoma created this listserv as a two-way communication vehicle and reserves the right to change the list format or delete the service. The City will not rent, sell or share the e-mail addresses from the Tacoma EnviroNews list. Listserv Rules 1. Keep your posts on-topic: The Tacoma-EnviroNews listserv is meant to be a communication vehicle for environmental topics such as grant opportunities, workshops, restoration activities, volunteer programs, training, announcements, news or events. People who misuse the list by posting off-topic messages, using abusive language, using the list for commercial use or violating any city, state, county or federal law will be removed from the list by the list manager. 2. Offensive / inappropriate material: Do not post obscene, indecent, illegal or libelous material. Do not attack any other list users. Misuse of the list will result in removal from the list. 3. Personal e-mail, jokes and virus warnings: Do not post jokes or virus warnings to the list. Do not have a personal conversation via the list. 4. Attachments: Do not send attachments to the list. They may contain viruses, slow down message distribution and some people may not be able to open them. Include all content in the body of your e-mail. 5. SPAM: Do not spam the list by sending unsolicited or inappropriate e-mails that do not pertain to the environmental community in Tacoma. This includes petitions, advertisements, sales pitches, etc. 6. Harvesting e-mails: Do not harvest e-mail addresses of list subscribers for mass mailings or commercial use of any kind. 7. Questions: If you have questions or are experiencing problems with the listserv, please send an e-mail<mailto:cro@cityoftacoma.org?subject=Tacoma-EnviroNews%20listserv> to the list manager. How to send a message 1. Send a message: To send a message to the list, compose an e-mail and send it to Tacoma-EnviroNews@cityoftacoma.org<mailto:Tacoma-EnviroNews@cityoftacoma.org>. 2. Subject lines: Use descriptive subject lines that will allow people to delete messages they are not interested in. 3. Attachments: Do not send attachments to the list. They may contain viruses, slow down message distribution and some people may not be able to open them. Include all content in the body of your e-mail. 4. Reply function: Do not respond to the entire list if you are answering a person's specific question. Respond to the person directly. The list is set up so replies go to the entire list, NOT the individual who posted the message. If you hit Replay or Replay All, it will send your message to all the list's subscribers. 5. Subscribe/unsubscribe: Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing will be included in all e-mails sent to the Tacoma-EnviroNews listserv. To subscribe or re-subscribe, send an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line to tacoma-environews-request@cityoftacoma.org<mailto:tacoma-environews-request@cityoftacoma.org>. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to tacoma-environews-request@cityoftacoma.org<mailto:tacoma-environews-request@cityoftacoma.org>. (Due to technical difficulties, this information isn't currently included with all listserv messages.) Violations of the rules Misuse of the list may take many forms including: 1. Posting off-topic messages 2. Posting offensive or inappropriate material 3. Violating city, state, county or federal law 4. Commercial use 5. Use of the system to support or oppose a political candidacy, ballot measure or political agenda unless permitted by applicable law 6. Overuse/monopolization of public resources. Overuse may include sending multiple messages a day or during a short period of time. In the case of misuse, the list manager reserves the right to remove a subscriber from the list. Prior to removal, the subscriber will receive a message describing the problem. Subscribers may also be warned about misuse and given a second chance. Misuse will be examined on a case-by-case basis. In the State of Washington, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state, county and local government. For more information, read RCW 42.17.260(1)<http://search.leg.wa.gov/wslrcw/RCW%20%2042%20%20TITLE/RCW%20%2042%20.%2017%20%20CHAPTER/RCW%20%2042%20.%2017%20.260.htm>. That means that, by providing your e-mail address to the City of Tacoma, it becomes a public record and the City of Tacoma is required to disclose it upon request. The law does exempt the City from having to release the list for commercial purposes.