Welcome to the 350VT Burlington Node google group! This is a place for communication between Node members, for announcements, for meeting minutes, for pertinent community announcements, and for important news items. This google group can be a fruitful and non-stress-inducing means for us all to stay in touch. We would like a google group that does the following:

a) reduce email overload;

(b) reduce the confusion that unmoderated, large-group email lists sometimes lead to; and

(c) maintain good, respectful working relationships.

Also, if you have never been part of a Google Group, you can get some tips here.

GROUP GUIDELINES

Pick your subject line with care. The subject line should demonstrate the purpose of the email clearly.

Sample effective subject lines:

Report from October 24 Rally in Montpelier
Agenda for 11/9 meeting
Time Sensitive: Respond to Meeting Scheduling Poll by Friday noon

If you’re changing the subject, change the subject line. In an era of email overload, it’s important and respectful to give list members a good idea of what you’re writing about. Similarly, if the subject has changed, consider deleting some of the old messages in the thread before you respond.

Always change the subject line if you are responding to an email that you received in “Digest” mode (i.e., if you’ve chosen to receive all email from this listserv once a day).

Decide if the whole list needs to receive the email you’re sending. Before you “reply all”, consider whether the whole list needs to see your reply. Often it’s more appropriate to respond to just the sender or to a small group of people. List members will very quickly tire of reading “Thanks for this announcement, Jake, but I can’t be there because my cat is sick.”

Make forwarded emails easier to read. When forwarding an email to the group, try to fix the formatting so that the original message is reasonably easy to read.

Consider adding your name, email address, and/or phone at the end of your message. In the course of getting forwarded, your email address may get lost. Also, in long threads, it can become difficult to figure out who sent which message, so a signature at the bottom can be useful.

In every email communication in this groups, please keep the tone respectful. Remember that this google group is an organizing tool and that sometimes it’s best to communicate with people directly. -- pick up the phone or plan a meeting with someone so as to avoid misunderstandings and to develop relationships.

In addition to maintaining healthy email communications, the google group is an important organizing tool. Sometimes emails that are sent out through groups are not opened and needed action is not taken. Here are some suggestions for turning your google group emails into action.

Be clear about what you’re asking for. Clearly describe what you need help with, and what you’re looking for.
Follow up with people individually -- pick up the phone or send an individual follow up email.
If necessary and appropriate, bring the subject of your email to the Node meeting. Don’t assume someone else will! This is especially important if your email requires the Node to make a decision about it.

I hope these guidelines can inspire thoughtful, productive and respectful conversation!

If you have any questions about this please feel free to get in touch with the Burlington Node google group moderator, Jen, at jen@350vt.org.

Thank you! Jen

Minutes from our Nov. 24 node meeting

Kimberly Hornung-Marcy