EMAIL ETHICS AND OFFICIAL EMAIL LIST
99-0326
Dear brothers and sisters,
Re: Email Ethics and Official Mailing List.
It has come to my knowledge that many of our Internet members are experiencing frustration and discomfort over the emails they received from time to time. I am also aware that despite instructions from Pastor Corina and the Watchmen, the problem still persists in some measure. I therefore feel that there is a real need to address this problem in a more official and permanent way for the future.
- Every email address is basically personal and they are to be treated like home addresses and private telephone numbers with personal rights. It’s up to each individual concerned to give to whomever they choose to. However many times, our email addresses are being circulated around to one another without even the permission of the owner. Thankfully, the owners are likely not mindful because they are glad to be hearing from one another and be edified by one another who are of the same community. However, we must all not take this trust for granted but be careful with the way we handle the list, so that it will not become too circulated and opened to junk or unedifying mails.
If mishandled, outsiders and the enemy can use this as a means for attack and gossip in time of trouble – a place of entry to create confusion in the sheepfold! It’s like giving an unauthorized telephone list of all our members to outsiders! Even though definitely not a foolproof way (at least lessening the vulnerability), I would require that you suppress the addresses by using bcc when you use the list and maintain this as a rule. If you insist that you must use addresses in "to" or "cc", you are required to get permission from the persons yourself, clearly stating the way you are going to use it, in which case it becomes a matter between you both. But you are not allowed to abuse the privilege of PRIVATE addresses that are entrusted to you because you are a member of this community.
- Even though we are of the same community, we must respect each other’s purpose and usage of the Internet facilities, which differ from person to person. I confidently speak on behalf of the pastors and leaders and some others in CT that our usage of the Internet is first for ministry work before anything else. Many of us find our Internet time insufficient, not to mention the frustration of having to wait for large documents and emails to crawl into our computers from the Net. Let me cite myself as an example, my Internet and telephone bills for last month amounted to more than $70/-. I am thankful to some who share with me their Internet hours and I am sorry that many times I overuse even their time limits and they have to pay extra money because they share with me their accounts.
With this in mind, can you imagine how I feel when after long waits, I see that what you have just sent to me is just a piece of beautiful picture with encouraging words or just some very amazing fun stuff! Do you think that I would be laughing or smiling at what comes on the screen? Am I blessed? Despite your sincerity, I am afraid I am not. I am signing up for faster Internet access, which costs more, but there are still those that will continue to be affected. And as the pool of such senders increases, you can imagine that retrieving email becomes nothing but a dread and a frustration.
Also, careful or serious users would not be likely to open up an uncertain .exe or .pgm file to clog up their hardisk or registry no matter how you name it. Some of these programs cannot be easily uninstalled or removed from your system after the fun is over!!! Worst still, some can be Trojan Horse programs like the Happy99.exe. Excuse me, I may have to take up to one week to re-setup my system and configure my programs, and what guarantee can you give me that the stuff you pluck off the web is definitely safe? You initial testing of it won’t detect a time bomb or a Trojan horse. This cannot be understated; knowing that even large corporate systems have been infiltrated and havoc created despite high security. I speak also on behalf of many of us who share the same sentiment as me but for fear of offence have chosen to be silent about it.
Yet I will not quench your zeal when you are confident that what you send will make everybody more holy nor will I spoil your fun when you think that what you send will surely make everybody fall off their chair. I must add that your edifying short stories and poems (especially those with no attachments) have been great!! But what I ask is, ask first if your fierce email has an attachment larger than 50K and then send only to those who respond to your big challenge! When you send an attachment, especially those .exe files, explain what it really is or it’s likely that many will not be confident to open it. We have better things to do than to fight a virus or to dig out an undesirable installation. We don’t choose to take that kind of heroic risk unnecessarily. But we like to enjoy your effort, so why don’t we work out a safer way?
- I have gone to great length to explain why certain instructions have been given to your Watchmen to be passed down and now I want to renew our membership and mailing list, which shall be made up of people who are willing to abide by the above conditions and any other such necessary conditions than may arise from time to time. Only such Internet members will continue to receive our regular news summary and other benefits that the Internet Club would provide from time to time. Of course thereafter, even as honorable people, you may individually make other private arrangements, for example, if you fancy, advertise your own address publicly in a big way and do what you want with your mailboxes like sending elephant and bomb emails to one another unannounced. This is your personal right outside of this Internet Club but you shall not do so with the official mailing list! My friend, no Club in this world would give you its membership list and let you do as you like. Emails are messages of written and spoken words. If you know enough, you will know that sending unwelcome and unsolicited mail is a violation of rights, an offence and a big issue on the Net.
- Watchmen, you are responsible to see that future new members to the Club know and are willing to abide by these rules, or else they should not be members. We have to preserve the integrity and image of our organization and community. We have to make provisions to accommodate the varied classes of people in our ministry. Express we must, but in the right way it must also be.
To sum up:
- Only members can use the official mailing list and this must be suppressed in the bcc. No unauthorized circulation of the mailing list to outsiders.
- You may freely send edifying emails of all kinds (with no attachment) like short stories and poems as is taking place now. But if your email has attachment of more than 50K, then you should first inform the list and you send only to those who respond to your generous offer. When you send an attachment, especially those .exe files, explain what it really is or it’s likely that many will not be confident to open it.
- Anyone, members or even non-members of this Club who deliberately abuse the above rules and violate the mailing list will be dealt with, like having his emails barred from all members of the Club.
- Membership Renewal & Update. For those who are interested in renewing their membership to the Club, please submit your name and updated email addresses to your Watchman. Please note that only members will receive updated member mailing list from an authorized source from time to time as more join the club. Also note that for future updates like changes of your email address, you should inform the Club, which will then update the others. This is to ensure that everybody receives your changes as you may not have the full list, if you fail to update it consistently.
This letter will be posted into the Net as continual reminder for and as information for new members. More necessary instructions may be issued and changes made from time to time. All these, my brothers and sisters are necessary for orderliness and for enhancing our Internet ministry as we move in unity to fulfill the vision.
Have a blessed time Surfing with the Lord and with one another,
Pastor
