Moderation of this U.S. Open Government Google Group

[Daniel Schuman]

Hey everyone,

I want to share information about the administration of the U.S. Open Government Google Group. As the "owner" of this Google Group, a few months ago I designated Alex Howard and Susan Harley as "managers." Both are long-time leaders in the open government community in the United States and are knowledgeable about open government topics. I hope that you will welcome them in this role.

Alex and Susan are empowered to address spam messages, moderate to keep conversations on topic, and so on. I expect that they will operate with a light touch, just as I have over the years. I'm not going anywhere, but it's always useful to have more hands on deck.

This Google Group was formed on March 14, 2014 by the U.S. government to focus on issues relating to open government, bringing together members of government, civil society, and the general public. You can read the first thread here, celebrating Sunshine week. Later on, as the Obama administration came to a close, I was designated as list owner and have moderated the Google Group ever since.

As a reminder, our focus is spelled out in the about page:

Welcome! The goal of this group is to provide a safe and welcoming arena for government-focused collaboration and news-sharing around open government efforts of the United States government. Specific topics may include:

• The Open Government Initiative, Directive, and Agency Action Plans
• The U.S. National Open Government Action Plan for the Open Government Partnership
• The Freedom of Information Act and Federal Advisory Committee Act
• Open government data disclosures, programs, policies, and projects
• Civic engagement and public participation

As was noted previously, I take an expansive view of allowing sharing of news and information around US-centric open government. Basically, anything that is relatively connected to open government is an appropriate fit even if it does not necessarily fit in one of those categories.

Individuals who send emails unrelated to the purpose of this Google Group will be gently reminded to send messages on topic; those who persist with off-topic posts will be moderated, which means moderators must approve messages before they will be distributed to everyone. Individuals who send spam messages will be banned.

Back in March 2023 some folks had expressed an interest in identifying listserv best practices. The offer remains open should anyone wish to take up the mantle and put together a proposal.

With best wishes, and thanks,

Daniel