Hi all
There are calls to consider a code of conduct for this list. Recent posts have raised issues about the scope and type of discussions here, and list management. In particular it is time for some guidelines on subscriber behaviour and how to manage any misdemeanours.
A little history... phd-design was started by Keith Russell (Australia) and myself (UK) shortly after the original 1998 conference Doctoral Education in Design held in Ohio. Following some poorly considered statements and much public criticism, Keith decided to step down as list co-owner a few years ago, leaving me as the single listowner. 'Listowner' is a JISC term for the administrator responsible for maintaining the list, and the list is run under JISC rules and located in the UK. The list is independent of any society or university.
It is a privilege to run this list and to learn from many of the discussions here. For many years I have remained in the background and almost never post my own opinions, though my longstanding attempts to remain a neutral observer and administrator are sorely tested at times of silliness.
The list continues to grow slowly. Nearly every day people subscribe and unsubscribe. In periods of heated debate, more people leave than are replaced by new subscribers. It has never been clear to me whether a larger number leaving is due to the nature of the debate or an unwanted volume of emails at times of more intense debate.
Some years ago we had some heated discussions over for example decolonialisation of design, harsh words were said, and a number of people left the list. Matters were not helped by a persistent troll who was eventually removed by JISC.
Around that time I decided to moderate subscriptions to the list. Lists are often open to anyone to subscribe with whatever address and name they choose. This had led to a number of unknown subscribers hiding behind fake identities who were abusive or disruptive. There had been cases on the list of people who turned out not to be who they said they were. This came to a head when we realised that some people had taken one-day free email accounts apparently to disrupt discussions here.
I therefore decided to check out every new subscriber, and developed a protocol where if a new subscriber applied from an institutional address (for example university or company where their identity could be verified), they were subscribed straight away. But applying from for example gmail or yahoo was met with a request for more information. Just over half of new subscribers sign up with a corporate address. This process has kept the list safe from hidden disruptors for several years.
It is time to expand management of this list. Several subscribers have suggested to me off-list that this might be achieved either through one or more co-owners, or with the addition of an advisory group, or both. For example, an advisory group might set a code of conduct as a priority, and then help arbitrate any disputes.
I call for volunteers - please pop me a note off-list for a 1:1 discussion, or discuss publicly if that is your preference. Alternatively you may wish to nominate someone. I will especially welcome diverse non-UK suggestions. All ideas are welcomed. It seems sensible to use the power of the list community to agree a way forward.
best wishes
David
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David Durling HonFDRS PhD http://durling.tel
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