Well, naturally, a rose by any other name... in the early 80s, too.
This is from the "institution" of XGRAD in 1991:
=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=
=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=
=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1=B1
NOTE: do not follow the instructions given below, they are _outdated_
Note also that I have placed Mike's long message last, although it is the
earliest: it's so LONG you may not want to read it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 91 14:37:58 pst
>>From: ltaub who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu (Lora Taub)
>>Subject: grad student x-change
>>To: xlchc who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
>
>>To all xlchc participants:
>
>>About a month ago a rumor appeared on xlchc that a graduate student at
>>Berkeley was interested in beginning something like xlchc for graduate
>>student discussion--xgrad. I'd like to re-suggest this with the hopes
>>that if you know of any graduate students who might be interested in
>>participating, you pass it along to them.
>
>>Lora Taub
>>LCHC
>>University of California, San Diego
>>ltaub who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
>
>
>>From cole who-is-at casbs.Stanford.EDU Mon Jan 28 15:48 PST 1991
>>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 91 15:48:04 PST
>>From: cole who-is-at casbs.Stanford.EDU (Michael Cole)
>>Subject: xgrad
>>To: xlchc who-is-at ucsd.edu
>
>
>>Cricket- As soon as you have three or more people intrested, Peggy Bengel
>>at LCHC will set up an xgrad account. I assume that you would like to
>>restrict participation to graduate students. Do you want Peggy to archive
>>the discussion, or would you be more confortable either having no
>>collective memory or having the grad students watch after their own
>>collective memories? Michael Cole
>>Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences 202 Junipero Serra Bl=
vd.
>>Stanford, California 94305
>>cole who-is-at casbs.Stanford.edu
>>(415) 32-2052 Fax: (415) 321-1192
>
>
>>Date: Tue, 29 Jan 91 10:50:38 pst
>>From: pbengel who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu (Peggy Bengel)
>>Subject: xgrad startup
>>To: xlchc who-is-at ucsd.edu
>
>
>>I've started the ball rolling to get xgrad established. It usually takes
>>a few days...as soon as I have word it's a go, I'll notify everyone.
>
>>Peggy Bengel
>>LCHC 0092
>>UC San Diego
>>La Jolla, CA 92093-0092
>>pbengel who-is-at ucsd.edu
>
>
>>Date: Sun, 6 Jan 91 14:27:28 PST
>>From: cole who-is-at casbs.Stanford.EDU (Michael Cole) Subject: Organization
>>To: xlchc who-is-at ucsd.edu
>
>>The following message out organizational changes in xlchc is rather long.
>>If you do not want to read it, hit q at the --more-- prompt and then d.
>>-----
>>Dear XLCHCers,
>
>>Over the past few weeks a subset of about fifteen or so xlchc
>>participants have been discussing suggestions for improved organization
>>of xlchc dicussions on the subconference called xorgan who-is-at ucsd.edu. Shortly
>>after Chirstmas Jaromir Janousek (Charles U., Prague) and M.Cole (UCSD,
>>LaJolla) summarized the discussion, distributed the summary on xorgan and
>>elicited further comment. Now it is time to send the tentative
>>conclusions out to the full membership.
>
>>We found it convenient to divide the suggestions into three categories
>>which vary in the requirements for implementation.
>
>>I) Mechanical/technical simplifications
>>---------------------------------------
>>1) To simplify bookkeeping arrangements: Those who join should say so on
>>XLCHC or whatever subconference they hear but those who withdraw from the
>>system should simply send a message to pbengel who-is-at ucsd. Rationale:
>>participation spreads by word of mouth and we cannot
>>prevent people joining in this way, so we should simply encourage a
>>little self introduction. However, when signing off they will be
>>knowedgeable enough not to bother others. 2) A membership list will be
>>distributed periodically to all members. 3) All members will be given a
>>document upon joining the system
>>that will include an origin myth, current customs, and some hints about
>>using e-mail in the xlchc subculture including a sample ".mailrc" file
>>for creating alias and filtering out unwanted header information. The
>>document will be a sort of "constitution" which can be amended when
>>needed to facilitate the evolving needs of the users and minimizing
>>dependence on the technology. 4) LCHC will provide a "help" person
>>(pbengel who-is-at ucsd.edu, 619-534-4006)
>>who will field questions and seek help for those she cannot handle directl=
y.
>
>
>>II) Simple organizational customs
>>----------------------------------
>>**NB** These are PROVISIONAL suggestions for customs that appear to have
>>wide support. Additions, objections, alterations are expected to crop up
>>as the group culture evolves.
>
>>1) Every participant should label the content of her/his message
>>as clearly and as briefly as possible.
>>2) Contributors should carefully consider length. There are at least
>>two schools of thought on length: Some feel that 1 1/2-screenfuls should
>>be the norm. Others are opposed to length restrictions, but suggest that
>>long messages be preceeded by a warning of length.
>
>>III) More complex possibilities
>>-------------------------------
>>Contributors made a number of interesting suggestions that raise
>>fundamental issues we are not prepared to deal with definitively, but
>>about which we must take some actions and which we hope will generate
>>additional discussion.
>
>>Some of the suggestions:
>
>>- To have the ordered array of "boards" with differing goals - There is a
>>need for more focused discussion groups with a different
>>set of rules, how this would be different needs to be spelled out - To
>>create dynamic forums and subforums - To bring together people who share
>>an interest in some topic
>>and who will continue the discussion off-network in an
>>n-person exchange
>>- To have a group of experts for given communication to prepare
>>summaries,to structure the process and to consider the proposals - To
>>have occasional summaries
>>- Graduate students are welcome to participate in the discussions, but
>>ought they to have an additional subconference structure (xgrad) of their
>>own?
>>- Take measures to increase participation of women and minorities. No
>>concrete suggestions for accomplishing this were put forward. Current
>>state of our thinking:
>
>>The members of this discussion group are generally not particularly adept
>>in the use of e-mail and there is pretty frequent confusion concerning
>>where messages are from and to whom the answer should go: a particular
>>subconference or the "plenary level" of XLCHC. The consensus seems to be
>>that we should retain the subconferences, recognizing that "leakage" will
>>occur between them. The following points capture what we were able to
>>achieve.
>
>>1) To have functioning subgroups and the possibility of switching
>> from the plenary XLCHC forum to the subgroups and vice versa be
>>as free as possible.The subgroup should be the product of consensus
>>of at least three participants who would appoint a
>>facilitator/editor.
>
>>2) The FE of the subgroup would be responsible for providing feed-back
>> for the plenary forum by a summary (either by writing it
>> her/himself or by finding a voluntary summarizer/translator) at
>>times that seems appropriate.
>
>>3) Everybody should be able to join any subgroup. A current list of
>>subgroups and their membership will be sent out to the present
>> membership and new members. It will be updated periodically.
>
>>4) There is widespread agreement about the need to foster/facilitate
>>active participation of as diverse a group as possible.
>
>>5) We believe it would be very beneficial to the growth of discussion if
>>a cross section of the membership would participate in writing summaries
>>of discussions,but we do not know how to arrange for this. At present, we
>>believe that FE's of each sub-conference should recruit their own
>>summarizers.
>
>>6) Some questions were not taken up, or were not widely discussed, but
>>are of obvious concern. One of these is the question of language. We have
>>had volunteer translations from German and Russian, but we have no
>>systematic mechanism for this. It was also suggested that we might work
>>actively for promotion of more user friedly software and perhaps consider
>>using a regular Bulletin Board.
>
>>Conclusion
>>-----------
>
>>The suggestions we have made are based on a mixed consideration of what
>>people requested, what would be possible, and what would be attainable
>>given our resources. For example, we cannot provide more than minimal
>>support to users, but many whom we would like to be in interaction with
>>NEED support. The realization of this medium/activity's potential for
>>multivoiced discussion seems inconsistent with too much moderating, but
>>some form of summarizing on behalf of the growth of discussion seems
>>worthwhile.
>
>>We attribute a lot of significance to the development of a sort of "Whole
>>XLCHC Introduction/Cheatsheet" in place of a list of hard and fast rules.
>>The contents of this form of "information sheet" as it evolves over time
>>should serve as a kind of artifact for the concensual building of joint
>>activity. Through tracing the growth of a common "etiquette," the growth
>>of some common origin myths, and analysis of the quality of the products
>>of joint discussion, the information sheet will become an index of the
>>development of a common "culture." This document would then also be a
>>means of collective self-regulation and theoretical contemplation.
>
>>We welcome suggestions for change or elaboration from XLCHC membership at
>>large. As a mechanism for collating membership suggestions without
>>overburdening those who are not interested, we ask that comments be sent
>>to xorgan who-is-at ucsd, which will coordinate these changes and services. Anyone
>>in xlchc is welcome to joint xorgan, but you may write to it without
>>joining.
>
>>We will wait for a week or so after sending this out to draft our first
>>"XLCHC Introduction and collective cheat sheet" to give everyone time to
>>send in their favorite hints for using mail effeciently, their suggetions
>>for changes in THESE suggetions, etc.
>
>>Michael Cole
>>Jarek Janousek
>>Center for Advanced Study