The Internet is the most significant change in communications technology in our lifetimes. ICSOM was an early adopter of the Internet as a way to communicate and distribute information. The ICSOM Governing Board began communicating by e-mail in 1993, and ICSOM became visible in the cyber-world in the 1990s with a website and a subscriber newsgroup. The person who initiated these projects was ICSOM Chairman Emeritus Robert Levine (Milwaukee Symphony).
At the 2004 ICSOM Conference the following resolution was adopted:
- Whereas, In this century all electronic transmission has become a primary source of communication for business and social intercourse; and
- Whereas, ICSOM business is conducted from cities through the nation; and
- Whereas, It is essential that ICSOM delegates have access to, and be accessible by electronic mail in order to function properly; therefore, be it
- Resolved, That a prerequisite to becoming and remaining an ICSOM delegate is having the ability to send and receive e-mail; and, be it further
- Resolved, That each such delegate must subscribe to the list known as “Delegate-L” and when appropriate shall respond to requests, questions, etc., on said list in a timely fashion.
The ICSOM Website
ICSOM set up its website (http://www.icsom.org) in January 1995, becoming the first support organization in the orchestral field to do so. The website has grown in content ever since. It now contains all ICSOM settlement bulletins since 1994, all issues of Senza Sordino, and a wealth of other information, including proceedings of recent Governing Board meetings, ICSOM conferences, ICSOM financial statements, and links to other useful information and relevant websites. The website also allows delegates to update their orchestras’ ICSOM Directory information online.
After thorough revamping, the current ICSOM website went live in early 2007. It was designed and is administered by current ICSOM Webmaster Bruce Christensen (Nashville Symphony).
Delegate-L
Delegate-L is a group discussion forum restricted to ICSOM delegates, alternate delegates, orchestra committee chairs and Governing Board. As per the above resolutions, all delegates are expected to participate in Delegate-L. It was created to share professional concerns, exchange information and ideas, and conduct inter-ICSOM surveys. It is moderated by ICSOM Chairperson Bruce Ridge (North Carolina Symphony) and President Brian Rood (Kansas City Symphony). To sign up for Delegate-L send a blank e-mail message to icsomdelegate-l-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Once you have joined, to post a message send it to icsomdelegate-l@yahoogroups.com. Messages are posted directly; they are not filtered or moderated before posting.
Orchestra-L
ICSOM began an online news service in June 1994 with the debut of the Internet newsletter, DOS Orchestra—with apologies to the German publication Das Orchester—which was distributed to subscribers via email. It ran for 58 issues until June 1996, when the Governing Board decided that it would be better to use orchestra-l for the distribution of news as well as a forum for discussion.
Once ICSOM had its own domain name, it started an Internet mailing list called orchestra-l, described as “open to unionized orchestral musicians and related unionized professionals only, and… intended as a forum for them to share their professional concerns and exchange information and ideas.” The subscriber list has grown steadily over the years and now consists of several hundred subscribers on five continents. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to orchestra-l-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To post messages on orchestra-l, send to orchestra-l@yahoogroups.com.
Orchestra-L Policy, July 2009
Orchestra-L is a project of ICSOM, The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. It is open to unionized orchestral musicians and related unionized professionals only and is intended as a forum for them to share their professional concerns and to exchange information and ideas.
Two kinds of material are posted on Orchestra-L.
- Official ICSOM business: settlement bulletins, announcements of new material on the ICSOM website, and other official postings by the ICSOM Governing Board or its designees.
- Postings from list subscribers: questions for the list, comments, news articles, discussion of issues, and similar material. The opinions expressed in these postings on Orchestra-L do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policies of ICSOM or the Governing Board. Any comments or complaints about an Orchestra-L posting should be addressed to ICSOM President Brian Rood at icsompresident@sbcglobal.net.
All postings from list subscribers, including news articles, must be accompanied by the subscriber's name and affiliation, i.e., orchestra name or other relevant identification data. Postings will be accompanied automatically by a disclaimer stating that the posting is not necessarily representative of ICSOM policy.
Mail posted to the list by subscribers will not be filtered, censored, or otherwise altered* unless the material is deemed irrelevant, grossly inappropriate, untimely, or abusive. A basic level of civility is expected of participants. ICSOM reserves the right to unsubscribe users who abuse the list in any way. Titles of unofficial material are the business of the posting list subscribers and will not be altered.
*If certain required information is lacking, such as the sender’s name, sender’s affiliation, or the source of an article, the Moderator will make a reasonable effort to contact the sender to ascertain the missing information. In some cases, when such information is easily found, the Moderator reserves the right to save time and effort by editing in this information without giving specific written notice that this has been done.
List Mechanics
Messages are sent to every subscriber on the list by sending the message to Orchestra-L@yahoogroups.com. When a user simply uses the mail reader to "reply" to any message from the list, the reply will go back to the entire list and can be read by all subscribers.
Formatting can shift when a message is sent. It will depend on the various servers employed, service providers and platforms used and other variables. Cutting and pasting an article from the source website directly into your e-mail submission can change the format significantly. Formatting your submission for posting is not the responsibility of the Moderator.
To unsubscribe, please send and email to orchestra-l-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Mail posted to the list by subscribers will not be filtered, censored, or otherwise altered unless the material is deemed irrelevant, grossly inappropriate, untimely, or abusive. A basic level of civility is expected of participants. ICSOM reserves the right to unsubscribe users who abuse the list in any way. Titles of unofficial material are the business of the posting list subscribers and will not be altered.