Info explaining some VNSA policies and workings

[AnHai Doan <anhai@cs.washington.edu>]

We received one message formally commenting on the TLT case. Some of you 
who are interested in finding the rationals behind some VNSA policies and 
its workings may find my answer useful. Hai.

----------------------
Hi,

> As a member of VNSA, I would like to make a few comments with regard to 
> the recent VNSA Admin posting about Anh Thanh Long To.
> 
> 1. Should such an announcement only needs to be sent directly to the 
> corresponding person rather be posted in the forum?  I believe that by 
> posting such a message, it would generate unnecessary attention and 
> tension -:) among VNSA members.  I think all other VNSA members and myself 
> would trust and respect Admin Board decisions.

Public announcements of disciplinary actions is chosen for several 
reasons. 

First, it informs all members of what happened and is happening; it 
provides members with a certain (admittedly limited) way to keep the
power of the admins in check, to make sure the admins use their power 
properly.

Second, it lets members know that the admins are handling the issue. If the
admins deal with such things under the table, some members may have the
impression that the admins are not doing anything; they may then feel that
they themselves need to handle the matter. Also, an impression of the the
admins being weak or unable to handle disruptive behaviors can quickly lead
to disrespect for the admins, which in turn can lead to even more 
disruptive behaviors. 

Third, any kind of trust can quickly disappear if there is the slightest
suspicion that the admins intentionally do something wrong under the table.
The best way to avoid this situation is to "operate with the maximal
transparency", which is one of the guidelines for operating VNSA. 

Fourth, it helps inform members of what is considered acceptable behavior on
VNSA and what is not. It also serves as a deterrent for future possible 
violators. 

However, please note that a public announcement of serious disciplinary
action is typically preceded by many private messages among the admins and
the involved parties trying to understand each other and to resolve the
matter quietly. 

In designing the VNSA policy, we made a lot of careful considerations and
discussions; we incorporated ideas, advices, and suggestions from our talks
with mailing-list experts and experienced admins of other mailing lists, as
well as our observations concerning the working of other Vietnamese 
mailing lists and newsgroups. Designing the VNSA policy section 
concerning disciplinary actions was not an exception.

> 2. The posting goes fairly details into anh Long's behaviors which 
> could build up a "bad image" about him to anyone who read it.  
> Looking from the other angle, regardless to its correctness, would Admin 
> allows a similiar message which "dissects" a VNSA member to be posted in 
> the forum?

No. Such a message would very likely be interpreted as a personal attack, 
and personal attacks are considered serious violations of the VNSA policy.
If a member want to post such a message, we would advise him/her to talk 
with us privately first.

We never intentionally try to project a "bad image" about any VNSA member
(and as a matter of fact, about anyone). We try our best to stick to the 
facts and make our decisions based on those. Also, violations are 
discribed only to that level of detail which presents a convincing case
but does not disclose unnecessary sensitive information.

 All admin messages concerning serious disciplinary actions are written based
on a "disciplinary action" template (enclosed at the end of this 
message). Typically, one or two admins who feel the need to initiate
a disciplinary action will draft an admin message based on the template, 
and then send the message to all other admins for approval and revision.
Serious disciplinary actions need the approval of the majority of the 
admins. 

The case regarding Anh Thanh Long To is not an exception in any aspect. 

Hope this answers your questions.
Best regards, Hai.

-------------------------------------------
THE DISCIPLINARY-ACTION TEMPLATE
(internal, for the admins only)

Subject line: a brief sentence summarizing the disciplinary action taken 
again X.

Greetings (in the necessary case include the e-mail address of X).

Describe the recent accident that triggered this disciplinary action.
Say why the accident is a trigger.

Describe the history of violations committed by X. Sorted by the degree of
severity, if necessary. (Warning: stick to those which can be verified.)
Try to be as detailed as possible in order to present a convincing case, 
but do not disclose unnecessary sensitive information about involved 
parties.

Any extenuating circumstances, facts?

Describe the disciplinary action the admins will take in light of the recent
accident, the violation history, and the extenuating circumstances. Justify
it based on the VNSA policy if necessary. (Warning: describe in layman terms
what this disciplinary action means.)

Say what X needs to do later. Say when the disciplinary action takes 
effect.

Signature.

A tag informing the members to comment only privately to the admins.

Evidences of violations, if necessary.
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