These are the Original Rules of Operation as passed to your Moderators in February of 1998. As you can see, little has changed since then. RULES OF OPERATION ================== a/ Broadcast messages must conform to the Mission Statement, i.e. have some connection to West Point. Other "valuable" messages for charitable causes, describing Internet virus warnings, providing jokes etc. are always inappropriate. Humorous material should be directed to the HUMOR listserver, established for that purpose. b/ Users agree to abide by a prohibition against political, religious, discriminatory, or sexual messages as a condition of participation. Profane and / or "four letter" words are similarly prohibited. c/ **Commercial** broadcast messages must be sent to the listserver manager and will be posted by him/her if found acceptable. Acceptable material must have some connection to West Point. While football ticket exchanges or Parent Club related sales are OK to broadcast directly, non-West Point charitable causes are not permitted, even with the manager's review. When in doubt, ask! d/ Consequences for statements made when using these facilities are the responsibility and liability of the sending member. e/ Messages which can be perceived **by the recipient** as personal attacks should not be broadcast. Remember that members from other parts of the country may not have the same views as are prevalent in your local area. f/ Positive and congenial messages are preferred on WPP-NET. A negative message, if and when one is perceived as necessary by the sender, should be sent directly - not broadcast. g/ Broadcast message material should be suitable for receipt by 2,000 members. Personal E-Mail is best directed to individual addresses. Remember that this is not a "chat room!" Requests for items such as tourist information, non-West Point related travel directions, phone numbers, and items for sale are not appropriate. h/ Criticism of administrative aspects of the Academy is **not** a function of WPP-NET. This includes "constructive criticism," in the eye of the sender. i/ Reporting of negative incidents concerning cadets or USMA is prohibited. The potential harm to USMA and this listserver from such "tabloid" type messages could be substantial. Thus this type of broadcast is not allowed. j/ Advocating mass action by listserver members is ALWAYS inappropriate. That especially includes calls to contact political or official figures for **any** reason. This is an informational listserver, not an activist one! k/ Do not post messages asking for results of individual sports. Rather, act as a volunteer, check out the available information through web sites, cadets, official contacts, etc. and post the information to SPORTS-NET. **THAT** is the listserver devoted to sports reporting. Asking for contacts from parents interested in individual sports is fine . . . and makes a GREAT addition to reported results! l/ In order to prevent unwanted feedback to plebes, member identification in broadcast messages **on PLEBE-NET** should include first name only. Last names should NOT be used in the text or closing. For the same reason, no reference should be made to a cadet's (first or last) name, year, or company. This restriction **does not** apply to broadcasts on WPP-NET. m/ All parents should be aware that information might inadvertently be fed back to cadets through internet communication. While such communication to cadets of such identifying information is discouraged, each parent has the responsibility to **not** post items which might have an impact on their (or any other) cadet. Messages with "sensitive" comments can be forwarded through the listserver manager. This "laundering" procedure will eliminate reference to names contained in an internet return address. n/ Personal information regarding cadets should not be broadcast without the permission of the individual concerned. Cadets are adults and they have a right to privacy. o/ A family's right to privacy should be considered prior to any reference, for example, in the case of death or serious medical situation. p/ Send your broadcast messages to plebe-net@west-point.org if they involve new cadet or plebe year issues. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES **EVER** send a message to both PLEBE-NET and WPP-NET. q/ Do not send file enclosures such as graphics with your message. Many members have slow modems and pay for their service by the hour. The preferred method for distributing pictures is to broadcast a web site where they can be viewed. r/ Direct operational questions and administrative matters to . DO NOT send them in a broadcast message. s/ All questionable broadcast messages should be referred to before sending. t/ Ticket exchange messages are routinely handled by a bulletin board at http://www.academyparents.org Broadcast messages **offering** tickets only are permitted 7 days before the game. Broadcasts **requesting** tickets and announcing that tickets have been sold are not permitted at any time. u/ The listserver manager is responsible for maintaining adherence to these rules. His / Her judgment is final regarding suitability of postings and corrective actions taken. These can range from notice of inappropriate actions to unsubscription from the listserver. v/ Anyone unwilling to abide by these rules should unsubscribe from the listserver.