UTNE Reader E-Mail Salons

We're looking for more international participants for our Internet email salons (no fees!), so I thought I'd post this short announcement here in hopes that interested folks from Africa will contact us.

Griff Wigley, Salon-keeper Utne Reader ("The Best of the Alternative Press") Minneapolis, MN USA

========== U T N E R E A D E R I N T E R N E T E - M A I L S A L O N S (60 line announcement - ver. 1.4)

The Utne Reader Neighborhood Salon Association has launched a global network of Internet mailing lists designed to foster small-group dialogue about hot topics and timeless conundrums. We call them E-mail Salons and they're structured like the hundreds of Neighborhood Salons (face-to-face) that we've helped form across North America since early 1991.

WHAT ADVANTAGES DO E-MAIL SALONS HAVE OVER MAILING LISTS, NEWSGROUPS, FORUMS, CONFERENCES, OR BULLETIN BOARDS?

1) Participation is purposely kept small (25 members) so that all members get to know one another. This in turn helps minimize the lurking, the flaming, and the posturing that can plague other forms of online group communication;

2) E-mail Salon discussion topics change from time to time at the discretion of the participants. This creates a more relaxed atmosphere of learning through real dialogue. Virtually all other forms of online group communication are topic-based, which inevitably leads to discussions in which most people are silent while a few dominate.

Other benefits: We actively seek women participants to make the E-mail Salons as gender- balanced as possible.

Also, anyone outside of North America can participate free of charge. Having members of other cultures in your E-mail Salon can offer a diversity of perspectives that few face-to-face salons can match.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Anyone who does *NOT* live in Canada or the United States can participate in an E-mail Salon for free. Otherwise, you must be a member of the Utne Reader Neighborhood Salon Association to participate. For a one-time sign-up fee of $12 ($20 Canadian) you receive:

* Placement in at least one E-mail Salon of up to 25 participants. * A printed list of 20-30 members *NEAR* you who have joined the NSA for face-to-face salons the past two years. * Contact information on any existing salons (face-to-face) in your area. * Access to our national salon directory. * A printed copy of the Salon-keeper's Companion, our 8-page guide to conducting salons, council, and study circles. * An online-only Guide to E-mail Salons

WHAT IS UTNE READER? AND WHAT IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD SALON ASSOCIATION? For a complete list of answers to these and other FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and an application form, contact us via Internet e-mail at:

salons@utnereader.com or utnereader@igc.apc.org

If you would like us to keep your name on an electronic mailing list so you can receive any future Utne Reader announcements, be sure to let us know.

Griff Wigley, Salon-keeper Patricia Cich, Salon Coordinator