The E-Mail Discussion Group

Welcome to CYC-Net which is a network for the child and youth care field world-wide.

A message sent to cyc-net@icon.co.za will be reflected in the e-mail of all members of the network – who may take note of the message, respond to it, or simply delete it if it is of no interest to them.

A few guidelines to make CYC-Net helpful and efficient – 

Messages
CYC-Net can be used for giving information (of conferences, courses, new books, etc), for requests for help and information (for literature on a given subject, for a "what can I do when ..." issue) and for discussion on any relevant child and youth care issues of the day. Send your message directly to cyc-net@icon.co.za

Subject Headings
For most of us, dealing e-mail becomes a busier part of each day, so we will help in these ways:

1. CYC-NET mailings are always labelled [cyc-net] followed by the message header
2. Message headers are always as descriptive as possible, helping you to choose between selecting and reading items – or deleting if they are of no interest. Use the message headers the way you would use headlines in a newspaper. Headers will look like this:
    [cyc-net] Drugs and street children
    [cyc-net] Info wanted on team building
    [cyc-net] UK conference on child care

Length
As a general rule keep messages short and to the point. As the network expands, a large number of long e-mail messages becomes technically problematic. But feel free to use your own judgment about this.

Signing messages; threads posted on the Internet
Please be aware that selected threads are posted on our web site (see http://www.cyc-net.org/threads/threads-index.html) and may well be seen by anyone who visits or searches the site. If you wish your query or reply to be anonymous, please mark your message accordingly, clearly, and your anonymity will be respected.  Otherwise, do put your name name at the bottom of your message. Members known only as xyp3@durt.hoff.eu sound very intimidating! Members also appreciate your putting a city and/or country with your name.

Pairing Off
Use the network as is most useful to you. Two members who share a particularly small or focused subject area may meet on CYC-Net but then may prefer to pair off on the basis of their subject – that is, to reply direct to each other instead of through the network. On the other hand, don't keep to yourselves a discussion which might be of interest to all. If you do get involved in a paired discussion and are unsure of its possible interest to others, you could always post a notice asking if others want to become part of it.

Direct replies
When a reply or comment is of specific and limited interest to an enquirer (for example, "How can I cantact John Smith?") it may be sent directly to the enquirer and not posted to all members,

Moderating
Moderating includes two aspects –
1. When a member is not being helped by the discussion of some problem, a moderator may step in to offer information, suggest further reading or recommend a resource.
2. To keep posted material within the basic ethics of our field.

General
Normal internet etiquette (netiquette) applies. While any relevant and legitimate information about child and youth care is welcome, no commercial advertising will be accepted – tell members about an upcoming conference but don't try to sell them insurance!
Probably the dominant language is going to be English, but as CYC-Net is a world-wide network, be aware of such things as time zones, spelling differences, cultural sensitivities, etc.
Any message or query intended for the CYC-Net administrator should be addressed to cyc-net@icon.co.za in the usual way but with the subject field as ADMINISTRATOR

Signing On
Either fill in our online form here or send an e-mail message to cyc-net@icon.co.za asking to be included.