Complete manual/412/en

Agreeing on a mailing list policy—a set of do's and don'ts for the list—from the start will save you a lot of time and potentially difficult conversations. Even on a closed list, publishing your policy—which should include how the list is moderated, as well as how to report violations of the mailing list’s policy — can be helpful in establishing an online safe space that you want everyone to feel comfortable in. Your policy can also address particular tensions or issues within your group (for example, being free to express emotion is an important feminist principle, but losing your temper and attacking someone you don't agree with on the list is not ok). In the end, any good mailing list policy will set its own rules for achieving a balance between freedom of expression and opinion and impeding potentially racist, sexist, homophobic, or other types of aggressive attacks from taking place within the list community.