Mailing list etiquette question

[david at thekramers.net (David Kramer)]

On Wednesday 02 April 2003 02:56 pm, Duane Morin wrote:
> Having just been laid off I started a mailing list for ex (and soon to be
> ex) members of my development team.  Out of politeness I put my boss on
> the list, since he too has a termination date in the near future.  The
> first thing he asked was whether I could send him a list of every name on
> the list.  Is that typically a fair request of mailing list users?  It
> never really struck me to ask such a thing of other groups, such as
> this one.

My optimistic guess is there are some ex-subordinates that he would like to 
keep in touch with outside of the confines of the list.  But I am not known 
for optimism.

I would tell him: 
(1) Feel free to post his email address to the list so others can contact him
(2) If he wants to contact one of the ex-subordinates, you will gladly ask 
that specific person if it's Ok to give out their address.

Mailing list subscribers usually have some expectation of privacy.  Of course 
once they post their address is out there (unless the mailing list software 
munges is, like Mailman can do).

Personally, I wouldn't have invited him to the list, and certainly not while 
he is still working there.  It will change the nature of the list, and people 
will be afraid to say certain things.  Maybe you're OK with that though.

--
DDDD   David Kramer         david at thekramers.net       http://thekramers.net
DK KD  
DKK D  If all of the economists and all of the meteorologists in the world 
DK KD  changed jobs....no one would notice  
DDDD