Online Etiquette

Dear Soup,

Here we are: 2020! A new year, a new decade and a new domain name. This seems like a good time to put out some intentions around email etiquette.

The Soupsters.org mailing lists* are how our community stays connected in the virtual world. Membership to these lists is gained by attending The Soup’s annual gathering, and we currently have over 1000 subscribers, representing 26 years of Soup. These lists exist so Soupsters can freely request and share information and resources with one another, and so Soupsters can stay connected year-round.

Keep in mind that the Soup mailing lists are unmoderated forums, with a handful of Soupster volunteers keeping them up and running. Because we do not pre-approve each message sent to the lists, we rely on all members to practice benevolent online etiquette.

As members of the Soup community, each of us is accountable for what we post. To ensure that The Soup's email lists are a safe, respectful, and effective means of participating in our Soup community, we offer these guidelines when communicating via these lists.

1. Remember that these are all-ages lists.

2. Show respect and kindness toward others.*

3. Refrain from personal attacks and disparaging others as you speak on these lists.

4. Comments can offer differences of opinion, but not be intentionally combative or divisive.

5. Be thoughtful about messages you post to the Soup mailing lists. Imagine you are standing on a chair in front of 1000 people making this announcement and decide whether it is right for the Soup. If you are forwarding a message or announcement, add a personal introduction.

6. Self-promotion (of a personal skill, event or business) is OK to do, but use moderation. Get yourself added to the list of “Soup Awesome Referrals” linked in the footer at the bottom of all Soup list emails. If you maintain a separate mailing list for announcing your activities, let people know how to sign up.

7. Use descriptive subject lines and create a new subject line when the topic of the thread changes.

8. Refrain from replying to a mailing list post with mere exclamations or funny quips (e.g. heck yeah!)

9. To manage your subscription or find the date of the next Soup, please refer to the footer of any Soup email you’ve received. It’s always there!

10. If you did not see your post go out right away, do not send a second post. Delays happen sometimes. Ask a friend if you want to double-check that your message went out.

11. Refrain from forwarding the Soup list emails to other lists or organizations.

A link to these guidelines is included in the footer of every Soupsters.org email to be referenced at any time. By remaining on The Soup's mailing lists, you agree to honor these guidelines. Those who intentionally disregard them may have their access to The Soup's mailing lists revoked.

Finally, if you have a concern about someone after reading their post on a Soup mailing list, we encourage you to contact that person directly. If you are concerned about the content of a post, let us know by emailing bigsoupylove@gmail.com.

Love,
~ The Stones

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* Soupsters.org email lists including All Soup, Democracy Soup, Summer (Event-Specific) Soup List, Stirrers, etc.