Welcome to CHat AMP, the AMP members-only listserv

Champ Mission Statement: The CHAMP listserv is designed as a forum for all AMP members to engage in discussion of topics related to the practice of Molecular Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics.

Posting Policies and Etiquette

Frequently Asked Questions

 

CHAMP Posting Policies and Etiquette:
The following policies and etiquette recommendations help to ensure that CHAMP remains an enjoyable and useful communication tool for AMP members as well as a valuable membership benefit.  All CHAMP messages are screened by a Moderator to ensure that submitted postings are of a suitable nature.  Questions or comments regarding CHAMP can be directed to Mary Steele Williams.

 

1   Enjoy the Information Exchange on CHAMP: This is our most important "policy."

 

2   Attachments:  The CHAMP listserv will reject messages with anything larger than a nanoparticle attachment.  In addition, large attachments eat up space on recipients' mail servers.  Therefore, attachments are limited to 150kb.  If you have a larger file that you want to share, please note that in your message and offer to send it to interested individuals.  Alternatively, you can post your file on a website and direct readers to the link.

 

3   Message Format:  Please use a specific and descriptive Subject line for your message.  This will enable readers to search for your valuable comments in the future and to quickly delete messages that are not of interest to them.  Please change the subject line in your reply if you introduce another subject.

 

4   Replying to messages:

 

a.  Most replies are of interest to the entire CHAMP readership.  Specific situations where you would want to ask readers to "please reply directly to me" include questionnaires, seeking job candidates, individual queries, etc.

 

b.  When personally replying to the original sender, please look at the addressee line before you click "Send" to ensure that the message will be sent to the intended recipient.  If you simply click "Reply", your message will be sent to the full membership.  If your intent is to reply personally to the sender, then copy and paste their personal email address into the "To" line.

 

5   Commercial Activity:  Discussion of commercial technologies and products is a frequent subject of CHAMP discussions.  We encourage participation of our AMP members from commercial companies in these discussions where added information is useful.  However, we have a strict policy that prohibits distribution of promotional material. Therefore, company employees may not make product announcements (e.g. new products, FDA clearance/approval, IP position, offer to collaborate, etc.), even if it is in response to a current discussion thread.

 

6    Postings by Professional Recruiters:  We recognize that AMP members may be interested in such information so we are willing to allow paid advertising for molecular positions.  We also recognize that advertising on CHAMP is high value because a message on CHAMP reaches a large number of specific targets quickly.  Professional recruiters have 3 options for advertising jobs with AMP:

 

7   Gene Patents:  Patents are "banes" for many AMP-member labs and "boons" for others.  For several reasons, we've chosen to not approve discussions of gene patent claims.  It is difficult and time-consuming for us to verify claims suggested.  It is also difficult to balance giving everyone their "say" with policing members’ messages that vent frustration and anger over the "banes" of gene patents. AMP has a published position on gene patents; this is an ongoing area of work for the Professional Relations Committee.

 

8   Announcements of non-AMP Meetings:

We will advertise meetings on CHAMP that meet the following criteria:
°  The meeting focus is molecular (research or clinical), and
° The meeting is organized by a non-profit group, and
° The meeting is directed by an AMP member (or at least a number of people on the Organizing/Program Committee are AMP members)

Alternatively,
°  AMP has a co-promotional agreement with the organizing group.  This co-promotional agreement could be as simple as reciprocal link on their website and distribution of JMD and AMP membership brochures at the meeting, etc.  We recommend that AMP members use their influence with their meeting-organizing colleagues and the organizers of the meetings at which they've agreed to present to seek an agreement with AMP.  It's win-win-win.  The organizing group gets its meeting advertised to over 1,400 molecular diagnostics professionals, AMP gets visibility and promotional benefits, and the members hear about a meeting that may interest them.  Mary Williams says, "If you’re speaking at or attending a meeting that you believe should be advertised on CHAMP, get your people to call my people (me) and we'll talk."

 

CHAMP Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I reply directly to the author of a CHAMP message?
A: Yes, but you need to change the recipient (TO:) to the email address or the author of the original message. Simply clicking "Reply" will send your message to the entire listserv. 

 

A: We probably have an incorrect e-mail address for you. Your server address may have changed and all e-mail addressed to the old server name is being forwarded to you. You may be unaware of the change or you may have neglected to tell us about the new server name. Please send an e-mail to AMP so that we can work with you to get the correct email address into CHAMP.

 

Q: I used to receive a lot of e-mails from CHAMP, but I haven’t seen any for a while.
A: Send a message to AMP and ask us to check into it. We can see if your e-mail is bouncing – maybe your server has changed and your address is now a little bit different. Is it possible that you forgot to pay your membership dues? It happens! Please contact us. We’ll try to work it out with you.

 

Q: I’m at home or visiting another institution. I have internet access but no access to my regular e-mail (the one registered with AMP). I want to post a message to CHAMP. What can I do?
A: Either wait till you are back in the office to submit your posting via your regular email or, if you will be using a different e-mail address for a period of time, contact us to request that we add an alternate e-mail to the listserv.

 

Q: I submitted a message to CHAMP yesterday, but it didn't appear on the CHAMP listserv yet. What's happening?
A: All e-mails submitted to the CHAMP listserv are reviewed by a Moderator before they are posted for all members to view. Your message may get posted within minutes or there may be occasions when it takes a few days to get moderated and posted to the CHAMP listserv. The Moderator’s role is to judge the appropriateness of the message for posting to CHAMP. Your message will generally get posted for all CHAMP members to view; however, sometimes it is more appropriate that a message be forwarded to an individual who can address your inquiry directly. Occasionally, a message may be rejected, but a reason for rejecting a message will always be conveyed to you. At times, a reply to a CHAMP message is meant for the originator rather than the entire membership.  In that case, the reply is forwarded to the original author and is not posted to the entire listserv.

 

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Q: Somebody sent a question out last month on the use of something I am interested in – how can I access that specific message and the CHAMP member responses to it?
A: The new listserv does not have the capability of archiving old messages on a secured website. We are working on a threaded message archive solution. It may be best to set up a folder within your own e-mail system to save CHAMP messages for your own perusal.

 

Q. I do not want to receive CHAMP messages.
A: There are instructions at the bottom of each message that explain how to unsubscribe from the listserv. You can also contact us and request that your "subscription" to CHAMP be temporarily turned off. If there is a specific difficulty that you are having with the listserv, contact us to discuss possible solutions before unsubscribing.

 

Q. I would like to receive CHAMP messages as a " Daily Digest" rather than in real time as messages are distributed.
A: We will be happy to change your message settings for you.  Please contact us with this request.

 

Q: I just thought of something that you do not cover in the Frequently Asked Questions.
A: Great! Send the information to AMP in this Q&A format and we’ll add it to the list. 

 

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