AML-List Guidelines

AML-List
An Internet mailing list devoted to the
discussion of Mormon letters

Guidelines
version 5.2, 19 July 2002

By Mormon Letters We Mean . . . literature by, for, and about Mormons and criticism of same. We mean essay, family history, autobiography, children's literature, sermon, and the literary dimensions of scripture. Or join the conversation and come up with your own definition.

More than 250 subscribers, including readers and writers, scholars and teachers, journalists and librarians, editors for local and national publishers, and practitioners of related LDS arts, from the majority of U.S. states and several countries.

AML-List is sponsored by the Association for Mormon Letters, but opinions expressed on the AML-List are not necessarily those of the AML board and staff or of the group as a whole.

List administrator and assistant moderator: Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury

List acting moderator: Ron Rasband

List Mechanics

AML-List is moderated and comes in two flavors: AML-List and AML-List-Digest.

• AML-List offers open discussion of Mormon literature, limited to 30 posts a day (10-12 posts maximum on Saturday; no posts on Sunday).
• AML-List-Digest is a compilation of all AML-List posts, sent out every 24 hours or whenever the compilation reaches 40k. (Digest mailings have been averaging one or two a day.)

To subscribe to AML-List or AML-List-Digest, go to AML Discussion List and scroll down the page to the Subscribing to AML List section. Follow the instructions there.

To unsubscribe, go to AML Discussion List and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Follow the instructions there.

To post to any version of the list, send your messages to <aml-list@mailman.xmission.com>. All messages are forwarded to the moderator for review.

You can view AML-List posts at the Xmission archive for AML-List.

House Rules

1. BEHAVE
   Avoid flaming or name-calling. Reply to posts, not people. The motives of other subscribers are off-topic. Respect the integrity, opinions, and beliefs of others.
2. THE TOPIC IS LITERATURE
   It is not politics, pet peeves, the general authorities, or the doctrines or policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (except as they affect how Latter-day Saints read and write). State your opinions frankly, but stick to literary judgments.
3. ALL ARE WELCOME
   . . . writers and readers, scholars and fans, teachers and students, highbrows and lowbrows, conservatives and liberals, members and non-members of the Church and the AML, at home and abroad. No one approach is preferred.

Other Guidelines

1. PUT THE AUTHOR AND TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE
   When referring to literary works, please put the writer's last name in all capitals in the subject line, followed by the title, like this:

   HUGHES, _Children of the Promise_

2. SIGN YOUR POSTS
   Posts should be signed with first and last names (except when the post is relatively short and the name is given in the return email address). Use given names rather than surnames with titles. Screen names are inappropriate on AML-List. Anonymous posts are not allowed, except by special arrangement with the moderator.
3. INTRODUCE YOURSELF
   After you've been on the list awhile, if you feel inclined, you are invited to introduce yourself. Respond in paragraph form, and include any or all of the following: name, age, whether you're male or female, family status, home town, occupation, and connection to Mormon Literature (reader, writer, teacher, critic, other).
4. AML-LIST IS MODERATED FOR TONE AND VOLUME
   Not every post submitted makes it to the list. A post may be bumped:
   • If it's off-topic. We define literature broadly and frequently run items on other LDS arts or on LDS culture or language issues. Beyond that, inclusion is at the discretion of the moderator.
   • If it includes bad language. We have noticed that whenever someone uses a curse, no matter how mild, someone follows it up with one worse. For this reason, the moderator sometimes returns posts with fairly innocuous language.
   • If it includes explicit sexual references or references to the temple. People have different levels of tolerance, but these items, together with bad language, tend to make many Latter-day Saints (and others) uncomfortable and to put a damper on discussion. AML-List conforms to accepted journalistic standards. You can quote more than you can say, but in general, if you can't use a word in the Deseret News, you can't use it here.
   • If it goes too far in substituting moral terms for critical ones. People frequently use words like "immoral" or "dishonest" when they mean things like "politically incorrect" or "facile." Because the convention is widespread, AML-List tolerates this as long as it's clear a personal attack on the author is not intended. Even then we discourage it because of the inference that those who like the work are complicit in something unethical.
   • If its hyperbole gets out of hand. This is another gray area. Critical conventions allow for insult and invective, which no one is supposed to take too seriously. However, we've noticed when people use too much, particularly early in a thread, some with opposing views take it personally and opt out and we only get one side.
   • If it uses sarcasm or unfair characterization of the positions or beliefs of others. These often do not translate well in an electronic medium and tend to come across as less respectful than forthright disagreement. While it's acceptable to point out what you see as the implications of other list members statements, every effort should be made to respect their right to define their own position.
   • If it veers too far into Church doctrine, policy, or the opinions of the General Authorities. It may be appropriate to discuss these in relation to specific literary works, market conditions, etc., but when the conversation turns to establishing just what those doctrines and opinions are, or whether you think they're justified, that discussion belongs on another list. It is never appropriate to attack or belittle the religious beliefs of another, or to use religious beliefs to condemn or suppress the opinions of another.
   • If it's redundant. The moderator may cut off a discussion that has gone on too long. Depending on how many people are involved, this may take place behind the scenes or publicly (in the latter case usually after a day's notice).
   • If the list is too busy. In order to keep things manageable both for the moderator and subscribers, AML-List is limited to 30 posts a day. On busy days, posts that are acceptable by all the other criteria may still end up in the overflow folder, perhaps forever, perhaps to reappear when traffic subsides. If you don't see your post and still feel strongly, contact the moderator or post again.
   
   
5. AML-LIST IS COPYRIGHTED
   All posts belong to their authors. Just as with any published writing, messages that appear on AML-List should not be quoted without proper attribution, nor reprinted on another Internet list or in any other form without the author's permission. By submitting to AML-List, you give permission to the AML to distribute your posts with the archives.