Guidelines for List Servers Hosted at ASA

ASA is willing and able to host list servers (commonly known as "listserv"s) for Committees, Sections, and Chapters. This can be an advantage for those official units of ASA needing a stable platform, and can assist ASA in archiving historical material. Alternatively, units can maintain their own list server and ask Amstat Online to advertise that list. In order for this to function smoothly, both parties (ASA Staff and Committee, Section or Chapter representatives) need to adhere to modest guidelines. This document covers the following topics:

The following links contain related material of interest: We are still deciding on list server software for www.amstat.org. In any event, we expect Administrators who oversee individual lists to be familiar with the operations for such a server. Here are links to manuals for a few well-known list server manuals that may be of interest:

Send Comments to Brian Yandell, Editor, Amstat Online. Return to Statistics-Related List Servers.

Features of a List Server

Following are the features we expect to have in the ASA List Server. Optional features would be under control of the Administrator of each list, while ASA Staff would maintain the system as a whole.

Guidelines for Hosting List Servers

The following guidelines are common for all list servers maintained on www.amstat.org. Please note that these lists may serve a wide variety of purposes. Some lists may be very private, concerning confidential matters that should not be shared beyond a small pool. Other lists may be quite public, offering advice to casual visitors or a means to build community across space and time. It is hoped that these latter lists can draw people into our field in new and exciting ways.
  1. Each list must be associated with an official unit of ASA.
  2. Each list must have an Administrator responsible for the list who is a member or staff of ASA.
  3. The Administrator must be familiar with the procedures for maintaining a list. These include adding/removing users from a list, maintaining archives as appropriate, ensuring privacy or public access as appropriate.
  4. The Administrator must keep administrator password secure.
  5. The Administrator should oversee the content of the list to verify that it is "on target". While some lists may be strictly monitored, most statistics-related lists are loosely administered with the aim to ensure that the list provides "good value" to its members.
  6. Each list server should maintain a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). These are usually posted periodically to a list and/or maintained on a web page for easy reference.
  7. List users should be encouraged to follow simple guidelines for "netiquete", or Internet ettiquete, such as Dear Emily PostNews.
  8. The primary aim of lists is to build communication rather than as an avenue for commerce. To that end, lists should not be used primarily to advertise commercial products or job opportunities. While information on such matters may be pertinent to list members, it is best to post detailed information elsewhere, for instance to a suitable web page. Please note that ASA maintains its own Job Site and encourages advertisements Online and in Amstat News.
Since list server email may be archived and made available as web pages (subject to the preference of each list server), Administrators should also read and abide by the Guidelines for Hosting Pages at ASA. In addition, Administrators should read the Privacy Statement for www.amstat.org.

Committee/Section/Chapter Responsibilities & Contacts

The committee/section/chapter units have certain additional rights and responsibilities when maintaining a list server. These are especially pertinent if ASA physically hosts the list server. These include the following:

  1. Identify an Administrator to maintain a list and liaze with the appropriate Associate Editor for Committees, Sections or Chapters. This person should be the primary contact for questions about list server operations.
  2. The Administrator must check in with the appropriate Associate Editor periodically, say once very six months, to ensure that the list is being actively maintained.

Amstat Online chief contacts are:

Tom B, Linda and Tom D should be your primary contact for web site deployment and development. However, should broader questions arise, please feel free to contact Brian directly.

ASA Staff Responsibilities & Contacts

ASA Staff (Webmaster, System Analyst, etc.) have dual responsibility of physically maintaining the list servers at www.amstat.org and developing content for members and subscribers. These are in addition to the common responsibilities outlined above.

  1. Identify an Administrator to maintain any list internal to ASA Staff. This person should be the primary contact for questions about list server operations.
  2. Arrange a method to support lists on the server (under development).
  3. Provide list command information for list Administrators and members.
  4. Publish these guidelines so that units can use the hosting service smoothly.
  5. Archive list server email.
  6. Maintain web pages as indicated in Guidelines for Hosting Pages at ASA.
  7. Identify potential quality or integrity problems with material in list servers and work with Editorial Board to address concerns.

ASA chief contacts are:

Tim and Ryan handle technical issues, while Nancy and Mary can address substantive issues (e.g. membership lists, current officers, etc.)