If you want all business to be on the blog (good idea to be off the college server), then you must let everyone know and then stop sending emails. That's what the blog was envisioned to be but when you give people the option of email or blog - email is the easiest choice.
Joey M (still an advocate for adjuncts - cause I was one!)
With 4 contributors and 12 followers listed, this blog does not seem to meet the needs of all of the part-time faculty. There are not enough individuals regularly checking this. And with important items like job postings, it would actually be a disservice to not make sure that all faculty receive the information in a timely manner.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, we have items like the attachments for Health Insurance Reimbursement each term. With specific deadlines, it would be unfortunate not to have that information go into someone's e-mail inbox.
To take items off the college server does not guarantee privacy since absolutely anyone can read the blog -- and comment. At least on the college e-mail system, it's limited to individuals at the college. I can just imagine how challenging it might be to have an overzealous individual not connected to the college becoming involved on the blog and create havoc. Anything is possible.
Besides, nothing prevents someone from copying information from an e-mail into a word document to save on his or her L-drive for later reference. This may be more efficient for some who want to keep and organize messages that have personal / professional value.
Finally, since anyone can read, anyone can post. Who am I? Do I work at the college or not? Am I a part-time faculty member or not? Just because I say so, it doesn't make it so. Hence, we have anonymity, which can make some feel free to say things without negative repercussions, but it can also remove the "filter" that helps us remain civil to each other. I have seen the negativity on many sites in which individuals didn't have to reveal their true identity.
I have found our part-time faculty to be highly respectable of each other, and I find our president highly personable and motivated to keep good relations with our administration. I am not afraid of posting on the college server because I do not plan on being inappropriate.
Dear Joey and Anonymous. Thanks to both of you for posting your opinion. It makes me happy to have dialogue -at least people care enough to contribute. It's true, neither way is private. The college owns our emails and the blog is open to anyone. It looks like some things should go on CCC email and some things on the blog. So far, I've thought that postings on the blog should be related to the union (OEA/NEA/liberal politics) and postings on the college server to be more time sensitive and more relevant to our work lives. Sound good? Jen
ReplyDeleteOne more comment- I HAVE been guilty of saying GO to the blog, then I send more emails anyhow, but I'm a work in progress :-)
ReplyDelete