proposed changes to list

[Bill London <london@wsu.edu>]

The Moscow Vision 2020 steering committee (Susan Palmer, Priscilla Salant
and Bill London) met Monday pm to discuss the upcoming Moscow Community
Retreat and the Vision2020 email list.
	The retreat is doing fine--the list is in trouble.
	The source of the problem, as most subscribers will recall, are some
recent divisive, unsubstantiated and potentially libelous personal attacks
included in postings to this list.
	As a result of those postings, the list is at risk of losing both its
effectiveness and its subscribers.
	Regarding the archives (a repository located at the website so obligingly
donated to 2020 by First Step Research at the following address:
<http://www.moscow.com/archives/vision2020/index.html>):
	I received an email posting from Craig Mosman last week, angry at what he
noted was a potentially libelous mention of his name in a 2020 posting.  In
a later phone conversation, in a very gentlemanly manner, he requested that
2020 take the offending postings out of our archives.  I told him that the
steering committee would discuss that suggestion and then likely post this
issue to the list.
	Before the steering committee met on Monday, however, I received a a
posting from First Step, announcing that they--due to concerns about
potential libel claims--had deleted the offending posts.
	So, since First Step has assumed the responsibility for the archives, that
issue has lost some immediacy.
	But the larger problem of offensive postings remains.  How can we keep
this list open--encouraging the free flow of ideas (even outlandish ones)
without becoming a dumping ground for baseless and disgusting personal blasts?
	The steering committee proposes two courses of action:
	1. change this list to subscribers only.  Now anyone who knows the 2020
address can post anything to this list (spam advertisements, etc).  We
suggest restricting access to people who have subscribed to the list.
Subscribing would still be free and easy to do....
	2. require full names for all.  All subscribers would be required to
submit their first and last names as part of the subscription process.  We
are not sure how that process would be implemented--I intend to discuss
this with FSR representatives and post that info to the list.  It may
require that everyone resubscribe and add their first/last names to the list.
	Please consider these 2 proposals and post your response (acceptance or
rejection) to the list.  In addition, we are still hoping to hear from more
people regarding the other questions about the archives (whether the
archives should be eliminated or kept the same or moderated).  (Moderated
archives means that offensive postings would appear on the list, but be
taken out of the archives, according to some established criteria, by
someone charged with that duty).
	Thanks.....
	BL