At 09:31 AM 8/14/1997 -0700, Thomas David Kehoe wrote:
>Two questions:
>
>1) Is there a listserv or newsgroup for list owners?

You found one.  The other is lstown-l.

>2) Is there a "boilerplate" charter or ethical guidelines for listservs?

Not that I know of.   In my experience there is no consistency.  I own one
list where it is wide open, anyone can say anything about anything, in any
language they wish.  On others they're controlled fairly strictly with
requirements of staying on topic.  Others are in between.  That is up to
the list owner.

>Specifically, with policies about allowing/prohibiting advertising,
>offensive postings, and procedures for kicking off unwanted subscribers.

That's strictly up to the owner.  My procedure for removal is one warning.
Period. Second screwup and you're gone.  But others are nicer than me.   I
also have a few people set to review so I can trash their flames and let
their nice stuff go thru.

>I'm particularly interested in ethical rules universities have
>established for publicly-accessible lists run on their machines.

I've never seen any as such, but most universities will have linked
somewhere on their web server something called "AUP" or Appropriate User
Policies.  Those don't usually cover lists in particular, but some might.
If I were employed or student at said universities, I'd make sure my lists
didn't violate the policies, since I could be construed as violating them,
or permiiting violations, or "aiding and abetting" them by not stopping
them.

Ultimately the list IS YOUR responsibility and there is always someone who
could shut it down for any reason or no reason.  But the policies of the
list are up to YOU.  Some folks will cry First Amendment (in the USA), but
that is irrelevant.  As some of us like to say, "Freedom of the Press is
only guaranteed to the person who owns one".   Just because you mail a
letter to the NY Times doesn't mean they have to print it.  o-)   Same for
lists.  You can completely moderate it if you wish, and only allow posts as
you approve them.  For SOME lists that is the right answer.

cheers

and good luck

dan

Dan Lester
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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.  Erasmus, 1534