K. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, THE INTERNET, AND PRIVACY
K.4. RC Community Email Discussion Lists (Listservs)
Membership
The RC Community maintains email discussion lists for active RC Community members. Most of the lists are for people who are leading in their constituencies. Approval by the leader in charge of the list is required to join the list and may be requested via email. Messages to such lists should be limited to the topics for which the list was established.
List subscribers are required to have a subscription to Present Time unless their first language is not English or an exception is approved by the leader in charge of the list. (A shared subscription is fine.)
Email discussion list subscribers should be aware that most email is not secure. It is RC policy to keep these postings private—but privacy should not be assumed.
Language Liberation
RCers for whom English is not their first language are encouraged to post to the RC lists in their native language. Translation may follow, but is not required.
Purpose
RC email lists are for the purpose of exchanging original, clear thinking about the following:
- The work we are doing in RC
- The application of RC theory and practice to the work we are doing outside of RC
- Current world situations
Posting Links
Co-Counselors may post a link to a non-RC source of information that directly relates to the topic of the post. A brief summary should be provided. Co-Counselors may include a link to their non-RC writing, for example, to their blog. They should not promote their writings in their postings.
Forwarding or Copying Postings
Postings on a given list are intended for only members of that list. List postings can be shared with others only under the following conditions:
- Permission from the author has been obtained.
- Permission has been obtained from any individuals identified in the message or when any way they might be identified has been removed.
- The posting is presented as an individual’s thinking, not as Re-evaluation Counseling theory.
- If a posting is duplicated and then circulated (by print or email) in an RC class, the following statement is written on each page: “This is a posting from an RC discussion list. It has not been edited, checked for theoretical correctness, or approved for publication.”
- Quotations from relevant non-RC literature can be no more than 250 words.
REASON
Our email discussion lists support our work. (Information on and guidance for the use of the email lists can be found on the RC Community website at rc.org/email_lists.) Posting in native languages other than English can encourage more RCers to post in other languages. It provides everyone with more opportunities for language liberation, discussion, and sharing of experiences.
RC liberation leaders exchange thinking and experiences on email discussion lists. Their writings can only be reposted to another list or publication with their approval. Postings are meant to encourage thinking. They are not intended for individuals who are not on that list, except as outlined above. Unlike RC publications, list postings are unedited. They are not checked for consistency with RC theory and practice. They should not be a substitute for RC literature.
Since email is not a secure method of communication, postings should not be assumed to be private to the constituency.