C.O.N.A. of South Pinellas County

Motion: CONA Listbot Evaluation Committee

Motion approved by CONA Board 5/20/09

Mission: To make suggestions with updates/modifications of the existing rules and/or augmenting those needing clarity.

Recommendations:

I. Rebrand LISTBOT as CONA Reps Forum

II. The subscriber rolls of Listbot need to be culled (cleaned up), establishing a maximum of 3 names from each neighborhood for “Listbot” participants.

III. Listbot subscribers should be limited to Members Only - dues currently paid.

IV. Augment rules published to all on Listbot/CONA Reps Forum as stated in the rules written in Jan 2007. (current rules are in red & Italicized)

1. Existing/Proposed CONA Reps Forum’s Rules:

• Few communications tools give us as much exposure as quickly as our CONA Listbot does. Here are a number of common e-mail habits that waste time and cause problems:
o Vague or non-existent subject line
o Changing the topic or adding a non-related topic without sending a new e-mail with a new subject line
o Including multiple subjects in one e-mail
o Sending before thinking
o Shooting the messenger (when replying to an e-mail
o Disengage your auto signature to comply
o Sign your message with your name (first and last) and your neighborhood affiliation (1 only).

• Limit discussion to CONA or neighborhood service type related issues. Do not list neighborhood functions.

• Subsequent misuse: This was to be handled directly by CONA President with a private e-mail to the offender listing what was not allowed and asking the sender to stop. Only one person actually was removed for cause AND the other one chose voluntarily to stop his usage and was eliminated.

• Discipline should come from the CONA President and/or Vice-President.

• Letter/email should be private to the offender each time a violation occurs. (Meaning it should be addressed to the offender and carbon copy the other suggested persons officers that monitor the ‘list’).

• When rule violators have been warned: - “Three strikes and you’re out.”

• Additional suggestions: We have some people with two or more e-mail addresses. Suggest we limit each member to one e-mail address only.

• Subscriber e-mail addresses must be personal, not a mailbox for the neighborhood association.

• Additional Listbot CONA Reps Forum Members: Committee chairs could be added if they are not already on the Listbot for their neighborhood. This was allowed to keep them in the info loop on subjects pertaining to their committee.

• Annual updating of Listbot CONA Reps Forum: We usually wait until March to get all the current Neighborhood Association information. Then we ask each NA President whom they want on Listbot and we remove the past presidents.

• Not allowed on Listbot CONA Reps Forum:

• Government (city, county, state) employees

• Anyone who has announced candidacy for public office

• Anyone removed from Listbot for cause.

o Personal targeted attacks

o Disparaging comments, based on personal opinions

o Endorsement of an individual or party as defined in the action of publicly declaring one's personal or group's support of a candidate for elected office on the CONA Reps Forum or CONA News.

o Scheduled neighborhood events will be posted on CONANews, not on the CONA Listbot/CONA Reps Forum

o Postings to CONA News or CONA Reps Forum (CONA Listbot) should only be directly related to government (City/County) and neighborhood activities (bungalow tours, block parties, Crime Postings etc...)