"No Fee Academia Party" Media Release

Rules of Electronic Communication

• Working through the “do’s and don’ts” of email can be tricky for those unfamiliar with this form of communication, especially within the workplace
• Basic tenet of email: always think before you send
• Those who are familiar with email etiquette and protocol = unlikely to overstep workplace boundaries or offend anyone
• Plenty of room for misinterpretation and misunderstanding, as only seven percent of communication is verbal – 38% is the sound/tone of voice, and 55% is body language
• A short, simple and to the point email could come across as terse or possibly nasty as a result, being that it’s written and not spoken – the author may not have intended it that way, but the recipient might
• Can be counteracted by including terms such as ‘please’, ‘thank you’ in the email – sets a friendly and courteous tone
• Email at work is a business medium, and as such should be reserved for work communication only – not casual chat between employees
• Consider the recipient’s business environment as a starting point, and if appropriate modify the tone of emails once a relationship between sender and recipient has been established
• Always be polite
• Young workers who have been raised on texting, emailing and blogging can find formal emailing a challenge
• It is never appropriate to start a work email informally, unless the work culture dictates it – and even then it might not be well-advised; it could even be seen as offensive
• Less is always more
• Repeatedly sending unnecessary, unpleasant and overly familiar emails to colleagues and clients – a major faux pas
• Unprofessional and a waste of valuable work time – save it for family and friends outside the workplace
• Once an email is sent, it can’t be unsent
• Six-hour rule: if an email is written in anger, or it contains anything confrontational or controversial, leave it for six hours before re-reading, and edit/rewrite if necessary
• If you don’t want something out there for others to read, don’t send it in an email
• Don’t email if a phone call or in-person conversation would work better
• Correct grammar and spelling are absolutely essential
• How you express yourself over email reflects your level of professionalism – or even your lack of it
• Always consider the law – many people are not aware of the potential legal implications of sending inappropriate emails
• Most emails wouldn’t be a catalyst for legal action, but in some instances one simple email can cause its author to lose their job, cost them or their employer money, or even attract a criminal conviction
• A thoughtless, inappropriate email can mean major problems if it contains material that is of a sexual or racist nature – can be construed as discriminatory or as sexual harassment
• It doesn’t even need to be forwarded to a specific person to be seen as offensive or be risky in a legal sense – even just having an offensive picture open on a computer, or reading an inappropriate and offensive joke aloud could cause someone to take offence
• NEVER upload pornography in the office – save that for your own computer

An Aussie In The Hanson Brothers' Court

Background:

I have been a fan of the American band Hanson since May 1997. On May 18 2010 I will celebrate thirteen years in this fandom, time I would never change for anything.

I am also a fan fiction writer. Fan fiction is stories written using characters media from published media (e.g. Harry Potter fan fiction is written using the characters and settings created by J.K. Rowling), or even using celebrities or media personalities as characters. The latter is known as real person fiction or RPF. I work with both forms, but I prefer to write RPF, using the members of Hanson as my characters.

In December 2009, I volunteered to write an article for the Hanson fan fiction directory Place To Hide, and chose to focus on my status as an Australian Hanson fan and fan fiction writer, something that makes me very much a minority.