Association discussion lists and online groups
Association discussion lists and online groups connect members with colleagues, practical advice and shared resources, under rules governing participation and use of their archives.
Channels and participation
In 2008, 2,966 of AMWA's 5,468 members subscribed to at least one discussion list, exchanging information on grammar, shortening abstracts and educational programmes. All members were welcome to participate.
In 2007 AMWA offered a bulletin board available to all members and mailing lists requiring individual subscriptions. Bulletin-board users logged in, selected a topic and used controls to reply or post; subjects ranged from grammar and entering medical writing to finding a conference roommate. One member found the lists offered a stronger community, business advice and informal companionship, while the board reached more people and allowed occasional visits instead of daily email. In 2010, the Editorial Freelancers Association's discussion digests supplied peer advice and reduced one freelance editor's isolation; reading without frequent posting was an acceptable use.
AMWA's 2007 list topics were pharmaceutical writing, freelancing, editing-writing, education and public relations. Subscribers could receive each message immediately or one digest containing the previous day's traffic; daily volume varied and could mean five, ten or thirty extra emails. Digests reduced inbox traffic but delayed participation in discussions. Replies to the whole list could require manually entering its address. A 2007 guide described changing the subscription record online to unsubscribe within two business days, rather than emailing “unsubscribe” to the list itself. Other 2007 and 2008 guidance allowed an unsubscribe request to the association's dedicated address, naming the relevant list.
Bulletin-board and list messages could not be deleted after posting; archives could be searched by keyword, author or date, including by members not subscribed to the list. Early 2007 guidance described the subject archive as forthcoming in the members-only area, and 2010 guidance again located searchable list archives within that area.
Conduct and enforcement
AMWA's web and internet technology committee developed list rules, a violation policy and etiquette guidance approved by the executive committee in spring 2007. The 2008 rules required subscribers to:
- Avoid challenging or attacking others; allow others to have their say.
- Avoid defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal material, and anything they would not want attributed to them publicly; every subscriber, potentially including clients and employers, received messages that could not be recalled and were permanently archived.
- Avoid commercial messages; contact people directly with relevant product or service information.
- Keep messages related to the list's topic.
- Use caution discussing products, with comments subject to libel, slander and antitrust laws.
- Observe the disclaimers and legal rules, particularly copyright ownership requirements.
- Recognise AMWA's and subscribers' right to reproduce posts.
- Choose the most appropriate list rather than sending the same message to several lists.
- Keep members-only list messages from being cross-posted to other lists.
The accompanying 2008 disclaimers and legal rules stated that:
- Posts represented their writers' views and were not endorsed by AMWA; AMWA disclaimed responsibility, warranties and liability for losses or damages arising from posted information.
- Copyright material could be posted only with ownership or permission; posting warranted that right and gave AMWA and list users a nonexclusive licence to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use it.
- Posts must not encourage agreements involving price fixing, boycotts or illegal restrictions on trade, including agreements on prices, discounts, sale terms, salaries, profits or costs, market shares or territories, customer allocation, or selecting, rejecting or terminating customers and suppliers.
- AMWA did not actively monitor or exercise editorial control but would act when inappropriate posts were brought to its attention.
- Access could be terminated for failure to follow the guidelines.
Under the 2008 violation policy, reports to the committee administrator or headquarters technical specialist prompted a warning that further violations would lead to suspension from all lists. Removed subscribers could appeal in writing for reinstatement to the executive committee, whose decision was final; the policy required appeals “within 30 days before the next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee”.
The 2008 etiquette guidance was to:
- Be courteous.
- Sign messages with name, affiliation, location and email address.
- Use a concise, clear subject line so members can respond appropriately and search the archives.
- Quote only relevant parts of the original, delete headers and put the reply above the quotation.
- Send to the whole list only information of benefit to everyone; the default reply went to the sender, so a list reply needed readdressing.
- Send thanks and “me too” replies to individuals.
- Keep administrative messages off the list; use the dedicated unsubscribe address or website instructions, specifying which list, and change the member profile rather than leaving and rejoining after an email-address change.
- Mark lengthy messages “Long Message” in the subject or opening.
- Mark informal watercooler posts “chatter” in the subject.
- Obtain permission before forwarding a personal response to the list.
- Avoid automatic replies; unsubscribe while away if they must be used, and rejoin afterwards.
Earlier 2007 guidance also prohibited employment and freelance-opportunity requests or advertisements on the general lists.
EMWA's 2012 guidance for its official Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter channels offered these suggestions:
- Take time before responding; the internet is permanent.
- Avoid fights; remain polite and minimise contact with contentious people.
- Correct personal mistakes promptly and openly, and identify edits to earlier content.
- Use a warm, open and approachable tone.
- Consider consequences and seek advice or refrain if uncomfortable about publishing.
- Keep personal and professional accounts separate; only the public relations officer was authorised to speak publicly for EMWA.
- Consider different cultural values in a European and global audience.
- Share only publicly available information unless clearly authorised otherwise.
- Forward important positive or negative remarks about EMWA to its head office or executive committee so legitimate concerns can be addressed.
In May 2012, repeated job advertisements despite restrictions on EMWA's LinkedIn page led its president to say she would check who was responsible for policing it.
List restructuring and archives
AMWA's five lists were created after it acquired list software in 2006 to reflect its certificate programme's educational areas. By 2010, editing-writing had 2,370 subscribers, freelance 1,942, pharma 1,760, public relations and marketing 984 and educators 885. Around 1,600 subscribed to both editing-writing and freelance; pharma averaged one post weekly from January through May, with 1,400 subscribers also on editing-writing and 119 on freelance, while the other two lists were virtually inactive.
The freelance list had expanded beyond its intended business topics, producing heavy email traffic that drove some members to unsubscribe and complaints about inappropriate posts. A review led to three lists, with changes introduced in April 2010:
- Editing-Writing for composition, publishing and general medical topics.
- Freelance-biz for running a freelance business.
- Pharma for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device topics, particularly regulatory issues and documents.
Off-topic posts on editing-writing and freelance-biz were to be labelled “Watercooler”; the rules, website and printed materials were updated, and initial resistance gave way to more appropriate targeting. The educators and public-relations/advertising/marketing lists were suspended on December 31, 2010, for low traffic, with their archives retained indefinitely. Subscribers were directed to subscription management to join remaining lists. The restructure left the Freelance Opportunities list for directory advertisers and Chapters list for chapter officers unchanged.
A separate 2008 legacy archive preserved selected freelance-list posts from September 2004 to November 2006, before automatic electronic archiving began. It retained contributions from people no longer active and topics not discussed again. Its ten subject areas were:
- Advertising, marketing and networking.
- Contracts.
- Education and certification.
- Equipment and software.
- Ethics, law and client relations.
- Fees and rates.
- Getting started in freelancing.
- Other associations for medical writers.
- Resources and reference retrieval.
- Running a business.
The project began with three members in early 2006, gained technology-team support and executive-committee approval, and used an archive committee collaborating through a shared website and email for eighteen months. One member applied deletion criteria to over 2,800 posts, retaining 2,100; the other committee members each read those retained posts and decided how or whether to archive them.
Hosted forums and member controls
In 2013 AMWA planned to close its lists to new participation and replace them with forums integrated into its new association management system, retaining searchable list archives. The old software lacked vendor support and integration with the new system, while delayed emails and staff-managed subscription changes had frustrated members and caused some to leave.
The new forum profile was separate from the membership profile, and members could change subscriptions in real time, hide their email address and turn notifications off while away. Access required a member login and agreement to terms of use and community guidelines. The control panel included profile editing, registration details, personal information, forum preferences, subscriptions and help/FAQs. Members were to enter their real name, could add a customised signature automatically to posts, and could choose email visibility and reply notifications; the username matched the membership-account username.
The planned categories included Essentials of Writing, Professional Communities with a freelance forum, AMWA Announcements, Member Feedback and private forums for directory-listed members' freelance opportunities and chapter leaders. Links to the old searchable, read-only archives were to sit in the member-feedback area. Categories or selected topics could supply individual emails or RSS updates. Forum rules adapted the list rules for the new functionality, and the online community committee periodically reviewed policies, templates and legal disclaimers to guide updates.
By later 2013, forum subjects included tools and resources, education and academics, device writing, health literacy and research, with topic emails available. Twenty-two people had posted in grammar and usage; freelance had eleven topics and twenty-six posts, including insurance and opportunities, and the watercooler included social congratulations, while some forums still had no posts.
Engage, AMWA's exclusive member community on Higher Logic's platform, launched in February 2016; in its first week 1,327 members logged in and posted 168 messages. Volunteer beta testers tested functionality and reported problems before launch, and a member advisory group monitored discussions, identified needs, reviewed rules and recommended direction. Members could select real-time email or daily digests, search a directory by name, email or location, share and search files, and import a photo and profile from LinkedIn. Participants in 2016 strategic discussions were generally satisfied with Engage but wanted more active participation. In 2018, members described daily connection, questions, advice and occasional frustration-sharing; one read daily digests regularly while rarely posting.
Association groups on public networks
AMWA's LinkedIn group was established and maintained by member volunteers; in 2010 it had about 975 members, and chapter-linked subgroups were being considered to keep professional expectations connected to the national group. Volunteers had helped create the Freelance Opportunities list and persuaded AMWA to establish the LinkedIn group. Group rules in 2010 drew on the list rules, excluding financially beneficial advertising, recruiters and personal attacks, with a designated committee member monitoring infractions. AMWA membership was required to join, which the association regarded as a recruitment benefit but a member saw as excluding other voices.
On March 18, 2013, AMWA opened its LinkedIn group to nonmembers after a year of joining requests in which nonmembers outnumbered members two to one. It had over 2,100 members before opening and gained nearly four hundred people by the end of April, reaching over 2,700 by early August. Earlier discussions stayed visible only to those in the closed group; new discussions became web-searchable, publicly visible and shareable on other social networks.
A new social-media subcommittee was to moderate lightly, removing inappropriate content and blocking posters; prohibited content included job spam, advertising, irrelevant posts, political or religious debate, bullying, attacks and inflammatory comments. Members could flag posts or message moderators for review. Rules drew on other LinkedIn groups and balanced moderation needs with volunteer availability.
In 2010 AMWA also offered a public Facebook page maintained by staff and volunteers, with messages, photos and comments permitted and inappropriate material removable, alongside Twitter, journal and conference blogs. The journal blog enabled comments on journal contents and access to related material. Conference volunteers were to provide social updates and blog coverage for attendees and people unable to attend.
In 2012 EMWA had a LinkedIn discussion group of over one thousand members, a Facebook group and a Twitter account, supported by social-media volunteers and overseen by its public relations officer and web manager. Its freelance editors used LinkedIn to maintain contact and supply updates on important issues in real time. In June 2021 its planned #EMWA-BuzzItUp initiative aimed to post a relevant weekly buzzword on LinkedIn and add links, comments, videos and graphics to increase topic awareness and engagement.
Peer exchange and member feedback
AMWA's 2010 LinkedIn discussions were described as more general and conversational than its more formal, subject-specific question-and-answer lists. A participant could stop following a LinkedIn conversation without leaving the group, unlike an email list thread. Members valued detailed practical answers and contacts for research, although one disliked commercial promotion on LinkedIn more broadly. AMWA employees were not supposed to participate actively in list conversations, while they could respond on LinkedIn; event notices there attracted interest from doctors, nurses and other practitioners considering a career change.
By early September 2010, AMWA's LinkedIn group had 1,045 members across editorial services, regulatory affairs, technical writing, nursing, pharmaceutical work, educational and grant writing, scientific writing, marketing and consumer health. A website-design question drew twenty replies covering resources, software, hosting and professional help; the group also carried contests, coaching and conference-contribution opportunities. In 2011 a member seeking options for a humanities background was connected with a nearby health-literacy specialist. The group also pointed members to a salary blog and requests for input to conference sessions and roundtables.
In 2012, discussions included conflicts of interest, scholarly searching, career-transition blogs and humorous writing, and a call for social-media volunteers drew interested replies. In 2013 a reference-management discussion drew twenty comments, naming EndNote, Bookends, Reference Manager and RefWorks; another considered generational differences in email, voicemail, directions and texting etiquette. AMWA discussion lists also supplied items before publication in its journal's Briefly Noted column. Lists could alert leadership to issues needing a formal association response, such as acknowledgment of medical writers.