[Web-master's note: The following is the text of a report given to George D., manager of the General Service Office (GSO) in New York by THHH, a General Service Trustee in Australia's service structure.

Two major changes have been made from the document presented to George D. in order to present it here. First, several of the responses from individuals that were included in the report were specifically derogatory about several GSO staffers. Warranty 5 of Concept 12 specifically cautions against taking any action which is personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy. The derogatory sections were excised for the report's presentation here.

Second, you will notice throughout the responses in this document many references to this WWW page, "Info About AA." At the time of the report, there was little else on the WWW about AA. None of those responses were authored by myself. I did give Trevor a note to include in his report, but since I don't want to use this page as my own personal soapbox, I have excised that response from the report.

One last note: although I maintain a WWW page, and I am placing this document on that page, I do not necessarily endorse any or all of the views expressed herein. The document isn't being placed here because I like it or dislike it. It is being placed here because it is about AA.]

Report on Electronic Meetings

TO:	George D.
	Manager, GSO New York
FM:	THHH
	General Service Trustee, Australia

1 May 1995

Dear George,

Since you asked me to write you a letter about Electronic Meetings, I have gathered together a lot of information. This is made up of submissions from individuals and groups and, due to the shortage of time, I am giving it to you in the form in which is was received. I am sure you will find that it is comprehensive and, if you feel it is necessary, I will put together something more consise when I get back to Sydney.

My interest in the GSO and its outlook on electronic meetings and electronic publishing was sparked by the following extracts from an exchange of messages on the Internet in February 1995: (I am not sure who wants their anonymity maintained and who does not. Where I am in doubt, I have attempted to disguise the names of the contributors)

From: THHH
To: "Meeting of Minds Group"
Subject: Re: Email for GSO
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 1995 07:34:37 +1100

XXX, YYY and ZZZ have commented on GSO and email. I suspect that the GSO answer is partly due to lack of knowledge and therefore being unsure as to how to use email effectively. I dont know George D so I cant ask him but I do know some of the other people at GSO NY.

I'm closely involved with the Australian GSO and we are going to implement email over the next few months. The address may not be publicised initially because the immediate purpose of the connection is to simplify the business of GSO. I have fax communication with GSO two or three times a week and that would be simplified with email. I send disks back and forth a couple of times a month and email would simplify that. We have numerous committees working on various things with members scattered all over Australia. Currently these committees dont achieve a lot due to communications difficulties. Our aim is to ultimately have every Conference Delegate on email so that the business of the General Service Conference can be carried out in between conferences. (If anyone out there does not know what I a talking about, I'd be happy to elaborate at some stage.) I have this vision of the dozen or so Conference Committees working away in geographically separate locations conducting their business largely via email.

I would like to see each CSO (Central Service Office) in the country with an Internet connection. The CSOs are the places where the suffering alcoholic goes/calls/potentially emails to get information about AA and meetings etc. Communication between CSOs could happen easily via email.

The GSO is not intended to be the first port of call for a suffering alcoholic - if they do happen to call GSO, they are given the number of the nearest CSO where they will be looked after by someone whose "Job" it is to that kind of thing. Our GSO will tell people where to find a meeting and would talk to a suffering alcoholic on the line but that is not their main function in life because a GSO employee does not have to be an alcoholic. (Out of around 100 people at NY GSO, the top eleven "executives" are AA members of long standing but for the balance it does not matter if they are members or not. They are performing administrative jobs that can be carried out by anyone who is suitably qualified. In a CSO you will almost certainly find that all people are alcoholics.

I would like to see a series of World Wide Web pages on AA to provide information to anyone who is interested. This could contain the text of some pamphlets, meeting lists for different areas, telephone contact numbers, etc.

The potential for PI (Public Information) on Internet and WWW is enormous.

BTW there is absolutely no reason as to why some MOM members could not get together to provide a CSO-like service via Internet. It would need to be very carefully thought out because, if an address is published and nothing happens when the suffering alcholic calls, then that is a problem. The AA Service Manual probably contains guidelines for CSOs.

Anyhow, to conclude, I think it would be constructive to put together a draft set of guidelines for the people at GSO (not only NY but UK and any other GSO) indicating the potential use of Email within the fellowship. This could address issues such as security etc.

One would have to bear in mind that most people in AA are not computer literate and the average Conference member would not have the faintest idea about the potential for email. It would need to be a document written in lanaguage that is easy to understand.

With best wishes,
THHH

From AAA

Very well thought out, mate! I would like to point out that quite a few folks in my home group (a men's meeting) are computer literate, though not on the 'net much. And this is a *blue collar* meeting. :-)

I would expect that as a non-profit organization, GSO/CSO should be able to easily obtain e-mail ID's (freenets, .edu's, etc.) and would be VERY surprised how much communication they'd get IF they just set up an ID. We may yet live to see *.AA.org on gophers or WWW.

Don't you suppose it'd be a good idea to get a workshop on this topic (or the MoM Group) by one of the members attending San Diego?

Meself, I think I'll bring it up at the next Area Meeting of GSO reps.

With Best Regards,
AAA

From BBB

THHH, there's already an online committee that provides that service; it's made up of folks from all over the world who are hosting a hospitality suite at the International Convention, and has also come to be a central inquiry point for folks wanting to find AA on the Net. The address is: committee@world.std.com. If you'd like to participate in setting up WWW pages and all that stuff, there's a telecommunications subcommittee busy working on it, why don't you join us?

From ZZZ

THHH, thank you for your well spoken remarks. I would certainly volunteer to help support an E-mail CSO and will read with interest any responses to your post in the next few days.

From EEE

Hi! THHH

I read with interest your mailing which might best be described as 'a vision for you.'

I can truthfully say that I was hijacked into joining the computer fraternity by my very good friend FFF, almost five years ago. On reflection, I am very grateful to FFF that events happened the way they did. I no longer have to worry about what to do with my time.

You wrote:

I have this vision of the dozen or so Conference Committees working away in geographically separate locations conducting their business largely via email. I would like to see each CSO (Central Service Office) in the country with an Internet connection. The CSOs are the places where the suffering alcoholic goes/calls/potentially emails to get information about AA and meetings etc. Communication between CSOs could happen easily via email.

I am sure, given time, and a considerable amount of careful planning, that what you are suggesting will become the norm for AA e-mailers the world over. In a relatively small country like the UK, I get the impression that, generally, AA thinking boarders on being claustrophobic. Some AA members never join a group, some groups never contribute to the support of our GSO. They don't participate in the activities of their local Intergroup or Region Committees, but they do get a free literature starter pack, a Big Book, and an entry in the 'Where To Find' directory, once they register with GSO as a new group. Probably, AA's in Australia do much the thing.

I am not really familiar with AA publications in Australia; our AA journal in Scotland is 'ROUNDABOUT', a monthly publication, the 'SHARE' magazine serves the rest of the UK. For your information, ROUNDABOUT does now have an e-mail address, roundabout@eclipse.exnet.com if you have not yet been informed.

You signed up to MoM about 22nd November last year, so you probably received the last issue of the e-mail version of the MoM journal. We distribute copies of the printed version of the e-mail journal, to any MoM members in the UK who particularly want them. We do not charge for them, and passing the journal on has resulted in AA members in the UK joining MoM. The printed version uses graphics and illustrations that cannot be used in the e-mail version.

You will find the journal address at the end of this message. All contributions to the journal come direct to me, they can then be put together and posted out, (at irregular intervals) by e-mail and in the printed form, knowing no-one else has seen them before. I am sure you could put something together for inclusion in the next issue, which would be of interest to all MoM members, and, It would be much appreciated, particularly by me. Anything that springs to mind, a general sharing article, maybe something about service, an item about AA history in Australia, or any humorous snippets drawn from your own sober experience. There's no rush tomorrow will do fine. :-)

My grateful thanks for all you have shared since you joined MoM. I look forward to hearing more about your ongoing investigations into a vision for you. Have a good day.

God Bless
EEE (Scotland)

George, after you asked me to write to you about the Internet, I put out the following request to a number of people that I know:

Dear People,

Back in January we exchanged a number of emails about GSO and email. The following is a very recent development and I seek your inputs. The following has been sent to a range of people that I know are interested in electronic meetings.

Rgds,
THHH

Hi Folks,

I am attending the USA & Canada General Service Conference as a representative of the Australian General Service Board. Although I will be there as an observer, I have been asked to prepare a paper on the subject of Electronic Meetings. This paper will be an informal draft which will hopefully provide more information about electronic meetings to the New York General Service Office and thus, perhaps, to the General Service Board and perhaps also to the Conference. The Conference is being held in NY from 29 April - 6 May.

I guess I could write a paper on E-meetings all by myself but it would be better if what I wrote reflected the views of as many people as possible. A kind of Electronic Group Conscience if you like. I am therefore putting this request out to everyone that I know of who is involved in electronic meetings and ask that you pass it on to anyone else that you know who is involved and interested. I dont know how many electronic groups there are in the world. I belong to a mens e-meeting. I used to belong to MOM but I could not handle the sheer volume of mail every day so I have unsubscribed for the time being. I know there are BBS in various places and there are probably other email groups. I would really appreciate inputs from you so that I can prepare a submission that represents the views of the widest possible range of people. Submissions from individuals and groups will be most welcome. Particularly group submissions which represent a 'Group Conscience'. I know some groups, such as MOM, conduct a regular Group Conscience and publish a document about the conduct of the group.

What topics should we address? The following is a suggested starting point.

Folks, the list could go on. I dont want to force my ideas on anyone but I would like to hear yours, especially if what you say represents a Group Conscience. Time is short. I will need to have my submission ready by the time I leave for USA on 25 April. I'll be in Santa Clara Ca from 25-28 April and in NY from 29 April - 6 May and in Florida in the Gainsville, New Smyrna Beach and Orlando areas from 6-10 May if anyone wants to meet to talk about these things. I am in Sydney until then.

Let's see if we can put email to the test and try to get this request circulated to the widest possible audience as quickly as possible and see if we can get reasoned responses from individuals and groups.

You don't need to cover all points. You may wish to add points that are not on the above list.

I'll collate the responses and put together a draft for the NY GSO. I'll circulate that draft also.

As you can imagine, it will be very helpful if groups were able to collate their own responses and send that document. I am, however, very happy to receive individual responses and I look forward to hearing from you.

To help my email package filter incoming mail, could you please retain the header "Electronic Meetings" - Thank you.

Yours in service,
THHH

The following responses were received:

From GGG about publishing AA related information on the World Wide Web

> Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of women and men who share
> their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may
> solve their common problem of alcoholism.
>
> AA's primary purpose is to carry a message of recovery to those
> afflicted with alcoholism. Books and pamphlets found here may help
> those wondering about their drinking to determine if AA can help.
> Literature about AA service will be included to possibly help those
> already in AA better carry the message. The site is also intended to
> contain information of interest to the general public about AA.
>
> I am constantly looking for items to add to this site. Almost
> anything AA related is possible, so if there is anything you would
> like to see, send email. If you can use anything on this site, feel
> free to copy and use it (e.g., for your own WWW site). This isn't
> proprietary material.
>
> I am now mailing out notices when major changes occur to this page.
> If you want regular updates on what's on the page, or want to keep
> your links updated when changes occur, please ask to be added to
> this list. This is not an automated script or mailing list. It's
> just a list of people in my mail program who I will notify. Names
> and email addresses on this list will not be revealed to anyone
> without permission.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Disclaimer
>
> This site is not endorsed nor approved by Alcoholics Anonymous"
> World Services, nor any other AA" entity. Some of these items were
> originally published by AA", but do not assume that this implies
> continued approval of the General Service Conference for their use,
> or their use at this site.
>
> I personally decide which items get placed here. You may disagree
> with my decisions. But I'm not the only person who makes recovery
> stuff available on the net. I encourage everyone to check out other
> sites, because my decisions only apply to this page.
>
>    * Other recovery sites

> Books
>      Alcoholics Anonymous (first edition)
>           The first edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous: The
>           Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have
>           Recovered from Alcoholism." Published in 1939, this book
>           spawned and became the basic text for the worldwide
>           fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous".
> Catalogs
>      AA" World Services literature catalog
>      AA Grapevine" catalog
> Conferences & Events
>      Australian National Convention! This weekend!
>           This years Australian National Convention will include
>           online meetings! Here's how to participate! [contributed
>           by Chris B.]
>      1995 General Service Conference Committees Agenda Items
>           This is what AA's" designated national decision-making
>           body will be discussing in April.
>      1995 International Convention
>           What's gonna happen at the Convention in San Diego? Lots!
>      38th International Conference of Young People in AA"
>           August 31st - September 3rd, 1995. See also Facts, Aims,
>           and Purposes in the Pamphlets and Brochures section.
>      1995 District 20 Corrections and Treatment Committee Spring
>      Workshop
>           A workshop to be held in April in the Southeast
>           Washington/North Central Idaho region.
> Miscellaneous
>      Fourth Step Program
>           For IBM PCs and compatibles, a program to help you write
>           your fourth step. The format follows closely the "Joe and
>           Charlie" tapes. [contributed by Tom F.]
>              * F-Protect 2.17 virus scan report
>      Photograph of Dr. Bob and Bill W., AA's" co-founders
>           Ever wonder what they looked like? Well, here they are.
>           After their deaths, each co-founders' family gave
>           permission for their anonymity to be broken. This is a
>           JPEG file! [contributed by James R.]
> Pamphlets & Brochures
>      Young People's Groups and ICYPAA: Facts, Aims, and Purposes
>           The rationale behind the annual Young People's Conference.
>           [contributed by Kelly M.]
>      Information on Alcoholics Anonymous"
>           For anyone new coming to AA". For anyone referring people
>           to AA".

From HHH:

> There are a number of ways to communicate on the Internet. One of 
> these is through USENET newsgroups, which are uncensored public 
> discussion areas that are broadcast all over the world, although not 
> all sites on the Net carry them, and some sites will only carry some 
> of them. There is an AA newsgroup which is named alt.recovery.aa, as 
> well as one for general recovery issues named alt.recovery. Check 
> with your provider for how to access them on your service. 
>  
> Mailing lists are another common way to communicate on the Internet. 
> They have the advantage of being reachable from any system which has 
> an Internet e-mail gateway, unlike USENET. There are lists for 
> practically every topic, including AA. Most lists work by sending a 
> message asking to subscribe to the list address, or to a 
> list-request address. You are then subscribed to the list, and will 
> receive all mail sent to that address, and may send to other 
> subscribers by sending to the same address. Different mailing lists 
> work slightly differently, depending upon which program and options 
> are used. 
>  
> There are several AA mailing lists on the Net, most of which can be 
> joined by sending to the indicated addresses. Some of these are 
> answered by human beings, others are automated: 
>  
> Lamplighters (oldest): contact lls-request@world.std.com 
> Meeting of the Minds (UK): contact mom@eclipse.demon.co.uk 
> Cybriety (women's): contact tamyers@aol.com 
> Women's group: contact laurak@netcom.com 
> Men's group: contact alorlando@aol.com 
> Trudgers (BB study): contact trudgers-request@bga.com 
>  
> Living Cyber committee: contact committee-request@world.std.com 
>  
> The committee is not a regular AA meeting, but was formed to serve 
> the various online AA meetings by providing contact information, 
> communication between groups, and planning joint events such as 
> hosting the Living Cyber hospitality suite at the International 
> Conference of AA in San Diego. If you would like to take part in 
> planning for the convention, or otherwise serving AA online, or if 
> you just want to read the latest news on these activities, then send 
> a subscription request to the address above. 
>  
> IRC, or Interactive Relay Chat, is yet another way to communicate on 
> the Internet. While there are no regular AA meetings currently on 
> IRC that we know of, there are some general recovery meetings. 
> Current schedules are posted frequently to the recovery-oriented 
> USENET newsgroups, along with information on how to get there. 
>  
> And there is also the Web, or World Wide Web (WWW), which is a way 
> of distributing information on the Internet, rather like a 
> periodical. While there are graphical "browsers" for those with 
> high-grade access, there are also text-based programs, like "www" 
> and "lynx." Check with your provider for details. 
>  
> There are no official AA Web pages, but there are a number which are 
> maintained by individual AA members. One AA-oriented URL is: 
>  
>      http://www.moscow.com:80/Resources/SelfHelp/AA/ 
>  
> And while that pretty much sums up what's on the Internet, there's a 
> lot more out there, such as local BBS's, many of which share 
> messages through "echo" networks; commercial online services, which 
> have their own message and chat areas, as well as varying levels of 
> Internet access; local networks at corporations and educational 
> institutions; and so on. Many of these have AA-related discussion 
> areas. 
>  
> If you have any questions, additions or corrections, send to 
>  
>      committee-request@world.com

From George B - Sydney

On Fri, 14 Apr 1995, THHH wrote:

> Hi Folks,
> 
> 
> What topics should we address?  The following is a suggested starting point.
> 
> * How many electronic groups/meetings are there?  How many members?
> * How does an electronic meeting fit in with all of the other meetings?
GB:
Email allows a broader, more positive approach to problem solving. It alows for many opinions, though the speaker is never interrupted....unless of course it is in irc format. There is much encouragement to attend meetings to pass on the message to other alcoholics who have email. Email broadens the scope of contact with other AA'ers, and does not take the place of traditional meetings. 
> * What are the positive and negative points of e-meetings?
GB:
There is a positivity with email that flows through the many messages of hope as each persen shares. 
> * Can one isolate oneself via the e-meetings?  What suggestions, if
>   any,  do we make to potential members?
GB:
It is felt that one ought to attend traditional meetings, though email alows for contact with other alcoholics through loners etc..It is possible for people to replace traditional meetings with email, and it ought to be suggested to members of the electronic meetings to encourage other members to attend real meetings... perhaps a format that suggests such an approach be made available for downloading to each member... 
> * Should there be a  'Code of Conduct' for e-meetings?  The Internet
>   has 'Netiquette' - should there be an e-meeting equivalent.  Should we
>   (eventually) have a written guideline?  (There are written guidelines about
>   various topics - should e-meetings be inculded?)
> * What about anonymity?  (I am told that a paper said to have been
>   written by a GSO staffer was published electronically without the author's
>   permission and including his full name.)  What are our thoughts on this
>   kind of thing.
> * How does the concept of an electronic meeting relate to our
>   thoughts about 'Press radio and films?'  Anonymity again.
GB:
Electronic meetings are still AA meetings and carry the same risk as Traditional AA meetings with anonymity breaks...If somebody wants to go public, it is not the fault of the E meeting, it is the persons responsibility...the understanding is that as an AA meeting, the E meeting upholds the traditions. 
> * How does an electronic group fit in with the service structure?
GB:
the same as any other group...with selected servants, and financial support. 
> * How does an electronic group contribute to the service structure.
GB:
see above... 
> * How does it help support AA?  Financial support, other support?
> * Should there be an electronic area with an area delegate to the
>   General Service Conference?
GB:
see ditto comments above 
> * How can information about AA be provided electronically?  WWW?
> * What information could be provided on an AA Web page (or FTP document)?
> * Who should be able to publish web pages that purport to be AA pages?
> * How does electronic publishing relate to our conventional
>   publishing activities?
> * What are the problems of e-publishing?  Recently an article
>   appeared on a BBS suggesting that groups could download an electronic
>   version of the Big Book and then customise it to their own requirements!
GB:
no...what Tommy meant was that selected parts of the Big Book text could be printed as guides...unchanged from the original text..

yours in trust and fellowship
George

[Web-master's note: The following was taken from an email update I sent out several months ago regarding this WWW page. I did not submit it for this report, nor do I know who did.]

From GGG

Hello everyone,

This is a semi-bi-weekly update on the Information about AA site. If you get this email and you don't want it, reply to me, and I will drop you from the list. Please note, this is not a "mailing list" per se; replies will not be automatically sent on to everyone else I am mailing to, and I won't do it manually either.

Normally, you would have seen this message tomorrow morning. But... I have a very important announcement!!!!!

A N N O U N C E M E N T ! ! ! !

The first edition of the Big Book is finally, completely, on line!!

Tonight I placed the last 11 stories and the appendix on the WWW site!! The project that originally started the WWW page over six months ago is finally done.

From III

On Fri, 14 Apr 1995, THHH wrote:

> * How many electronic groups/meetings are there?  How many members?

That depends upone how we define groups/meetings. GSO in NYC does not recognize any online groups, while GSO in York recognizes one. AA's gather many places online, but which ones really qualify as "meetings," and which of those would be "groups," if allowed to be? Most gatherings are without any structure, have no trusted servants, conduct no group conscience, may include non-alcoholics, etc. Others, especially the mailing lists, conform more closely with traditional FTF meetings.

> * How does an electronic meeting fit in with all of the other meetings?

Very well.

> * What are the positive and negative points of e-meetings?

The same as any other meetings, I guess.

> * Can one isolate oneself via the e-meetings?  What suggestions, if
>   any,  do we make to potential members?

Can one isolate oneself via FTF meetings? Of course one can. One can isolate oneself without them, too. Although, I don't know if you can call communicating with hundreds of people "isolating." Potential members get the same suggestions as elsewhere.

> * Should there be a  'Code of Conduct' for e-meetings?  The Internet
>   has 'Netiquette' - should there be an e-meeting equivalent.  Should we
>   (eventually) have a written guideline?  (There are written guidelines about
>   various topics - should e-meetings be inculded?)

That's something for each meeting to decide on its own. Different meetings vary in this regard. Should there be a "Code of Conduct" for FTF meetings? Some groups are more tolerant of wet drunks and disruptive behavior than others. I have a quote from Bill on the subject around here somewhere...

> * What about anonymity?  (I am told that a paper said to have been
>   written by a GSO staffer was published electronically without the author's
>   permission and including his full name.)  What are our thoughts on this
>   kind of thing.

I don't know about this "paper." What about anonymity? Works the same online as elsewhere. You can break it here, or you can break it somewhere else, what's the dif?

> * How does the concept of an electronic meeting relate to our
>   thoughts about 'Press radio and films?'  Anonymity again.

For private mailing lists, that doesn't even apply. The names of members are seen only by other AA members, those who receive their letters. For public discussion areas, which often bare little resemblance to a traditional AA meeting, members often break their own anonymity. On Net newsgroups, there are anonymous remailers which solve that problem, if the members will use them, and which can also be used on the mailing lists, if one desires even more anonymity. However, we need not be anonymous with each other.

Individual members do break their anonymity publically online, even when there are methods to avoid it, like the remailers and aliases. What are you gonna do about it? People also break their anonymity other places.

> * How does an electronic group fit in with the service structure?

According to GSO in NYC, it does not fit into the existing service structure. However, meetings can be registered with a "special contact group," such as ICYPAA, Birds of a Feather, Loners, Homers & Internationalists, etc. We have the beginnings of such a group in the Living Cyber committee.

> * How does an electronic group contribute to the service structure.
>   How does it help support AA?  Financial support, other support?

Since according to GSO in NYC, an electronic group is an oxymoron, they cannot exist, and meetings cannot contribute money. They can carry the message in the medium of cyberspace, however.

> * Should there be an electronic area with an area delegate to the
>   General Service Conference?

There does not seem to be enough meetings or members yet to justify an entire area. Maybe a district. But which area and region does it fall under, and which GSC? There is a district of the UK which is international and non-geographic, to which MoM's belongs. Perhaps this would be the most appropriate place for all such groups, as English-language meetings outside the borders of any geographic area.

> * Which General Service Conference does a particular group belong to?
>   USA, UK, Australia, etc?

Good question.

> * How can information about AA be provided electronically?  WWW?

In many different ways. There are a number of AA sites on the Web. There is also the committee, which provides info through e-mail, and various bulletin boards, online services and newsgroups where info is posted.

> * What information could be provided on an AA Web page (or FTP document)?

The same info as anywhere else, especially that which relates specifically to AA online. See my home page, for instance.

> * Who should be able to publish web pages that purport to be AA pages?

Who's gonna stop anybody? AA has no human enforcers. Anybody who wants to is able to do it. Of course, they won't all be "official," but what does that mean? If a group (such as MoM's or Living Cyber) decides to make one, then it's official. If we said that anyone couldn't do it, they'd do it anyway. Why would we want to do that?

> * How does electronic publishing relate to our conventional
>   publishing activities?

It's free. There's no printing costs for electronic info.

> * What are the problems of e-publishing?  Recently an article
>   appeared on a BBS suggesting that groups could download an electronic
>   version of the Big Book and then customise it to their own requirements!

So what? Groups can do that already. In fact, one group has been doing that for a couple of years, and they aren't the first. They don't need modems, just a printing press. Since the Big Book is public domain, there's not much AA can do about it. And if someone wants to do that, why not let them? We can't stop them: the genie's out of the bottle!

 
> I will need to have my submission ready by the
> time I leave for USA on 25 April.  I'll be in Santa Clara Ca from 25-28
> April

I live near Santa Clara. I have Wednesday off work (although not off school). There's some other members who are even closer than I am, including the chap who wrote the letter published in the Grapevine, so maybe we could all get together.

From JJJ

Hi THHH:

This is in response to your request for input concerning the topic. Thanks for asking. We (Lamplighters) care, and have discussed the issues at some length in our business meetings online. Recently, we sent in a regular group registration form, in the hope that it might get some attention from those in New York who "recognize" AA groups. (We understand that we do not need to be "recognized," to be a group, but we want it anyhow). I serve as an alternate GSR of the Lamplighters Online AA Group, but this message is my humble opinion only, in case we have too little time to gather a group message. I think it is wonderful that they would ask an Aussie to speak on the topic. Maybe the accent will be helpful. We seem to get the written equivalent of blank looks when we try to talk about the subject to GSO...

The online groups are growing by leaps and bounds, and membership in every group that I am aware of is increasing geometrically at a rate far faster than that of the usual AA group, and perhaps at a rate greater than the growth rate of AA as a whole. The point of this is that there already is a lot of AA on "The Net," in various forms supported by AA members, and there already are "personalities of groups" and various styles of group meetings, and growing traditions and customs, including BBS, chat, and Web as well as reflectors, and there already have been some problems met and solved. There is a real history already, though most of the AA structure is not aware of its existence.. And the experience, strength and hope of AA is being spread through this new medium with phenomenal reach and speed. The real question is how we should fit this activity into the organizational pattern of world AA, for the basic organization of AA is geographic, and online AA is truly a non-geographically-defined set of groups.

In my opinion, and I am sure I speak for a number of others, we feel that GSO/NY and other world service organizations should simply recognize us for what we are -- nongeographic groups that exist on the net, or in "cyberspace." In that sense, we are very much like Loners and Internationalists in AA, but an important difference is that because our communications medium is much faster, we are actually able to interact, crosstalk, sponsor, and do many of the things that "skin" groups do. We DO want to be called "groups," and we want a service number, but not in a geographic area. We are willing to contribute to GSO in New York, particularly to help them get online, so they won't be the last organization in the world who isn't. Perhaps the best way to determine which national GSO is "connected" to an online group is to define the "national location of the key electronic point" (e.g., the majordomo reflector in the case of Lamplighters is in the US, though a few of the group's members are in Russia, Canada, Alaska, UK, Bulgaria, Costa Rica and so on). Or it might be preferable to "relate" to the General Service Conference/Office which covers the geographic area of most of the group's members. This should be a decision of each group's members, not made for them by someone else. (I understand that Meeting of the Minds Group already has "official" group standing in UK).

Another important matter is that of representation. We would propose that a delegate to the General Service Conference be authorized for electronic groups (by the time it is approved, there will probably be a lot more groups and members than are represented by some of the geographic areas). That is, we feel that the online groups of the US and Canada, taken together, should be recognized as equivalent to a single geographic area. There should be some words about the online area and groups in the geographic directories, with sufficient instructions to enable any AA who wishes to participate to reach a group on the Net. The same information could appear in each directory for US and Canada.

In the US, the fastest growing onramps to the information superhighway are the commercial access services -- particularly America Online, Prodigy and Compuserve. It is true that many members have access and participate through the accounts of schools, businesses or organizations which they do not personally own;. however, I personally believe that making any AA judgment about the privacy, confidentiality or responsibility (sic) of that use is opening a can of worms that we don't want to look into, and AA general service doesn't have any need or possibility of governing that.

What we need is an encouraging, accepting and supportive AA atmosphere where the online members and groups can learn and grow in this new medium. Some of the members are housebound or remote and have no other access to AA. Most just want AA to be a part of their normal use of the computer atmosphere, particularly the Internet. Online groups want to be recognized, and want to contribute, and want to be represented in the whole of AA, but don't need much "governing," any more than (and perhaps less than) traditional "skin" groups.

All we really need is to be recognized for what we are and accepted. The details can be developed over time....we're working on it.

From KKK

I think it is excellent that you are taking on this challenge of trying to get a handle on Cybriety, Soberiety, or whatever other monicker we choose to put on recovery from alcoholism efforts on-line! Hopefully, I may be meeting you soon at the OzCon event in the next 24 ours, but if not, I hope your national convention goes well!

I will try to address some of the specific questions that you raise in a later note. I guess for me the key question about on-line recovery is "Does this activity help me stay sober and help me to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety?" And I think that I can answer in the affirmative. There is a network of fellow alcoholics on-line that I can connect with 24 hours a day seven days a week and I think that is a remarkable gift. I have sponsored people on-line, I have chaired meetings on-line, I have talked with active alcoholics live on-line and shared my story with them. I have gotten some wonderful thank you mail and heart warming progress reports from some of the people I have met this way.

No, I have not given up my face to face (F2F) meetings or my sponsor. I still practice AA in the real world as well as the cyber world. However, I do think there are some people such as those with handicaps, the infirm, the elederly, people in remote areas, or at sea, etc. for whom on-line recovery may be the only available option or a wonderful new opportunity to get connected.

One new development in my neighborhood of cyberspace, America Online, (AOL), is the much greater contact one finds between members of various 12 step programs (AA, NA, OA, ACoA) and even other non traditional programs like Rational Recovery. This has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. Working in a chat room called Recoverylink, we have found that we must declare ourselves to be an ecumenical, non specific, meeting place for people interested in recovery. It is more like a sober club where people can get information about specific programs available elesewhere.

On AOL anyway, I have been involved in setting up AA meetings in private rooms that use on-line protocol to help keep the discussion on track. We have found that these meetings work much better than trying to hold them in "public" rooms like Recoverylink where there is constant coming and going.

The most successful AA groups on-line in my humble opinion (IMHO) are the email groups that send out a topic each week.

It seems to me AA is crossing a new frontier here and much like the early days of AA, things are being learned by trial and error. I would imagine that some new traditions will emerge, but not without a period of growing, trying, and learning.

peace & serenity,

From LLL

Dear THHH thanks for your request, unfortunately I have my final examinations startinf on May 1st, so I will not be replying in detail. Please keep me informed and my sugestion is that AA set up an official web site, with excerpts form the literature etc and contact phone numbers and email addresses, as well. Best of luck at the meet.

From MMM

Hi THHH, My Name is MMM a recovering alcoholic. I had received your letter about your trip to GSO for the conference, I am a member of the Living Cyber Committee, we are a group of alcoholics from most on-line services including the net. We are going to have a Hospitality suite at the International convention in San Diego, Ca. I am sure you may have heard of this by now, I hope you have anyway. When we first started this committee last June '94 we started with about six people, before the next month we had over 40 people involved, honestly I don't know the exact amount today but, there are alot that had heard of our efforts, We have also been collecting donations from the people involved in the committee and some on-line groups/meetings to help pay for the costs of the suite which is going well. So that could answer the 7th tradition question about us e-mailers being self supporting yes, It can be done. I do belive the Living Cyber Committee is the first actual committee on-line, and so far is going vey well, I will also be one of the speakers at the workshop "AA meetings & computer networking" at the International Convention, 3 of the people speaking at that workshop are on the Living Cyber committee. We have had a article written from one of the members published in the Grapevine magazine and also in the Box 4-5-9. The Grapevine had also asked us to help them look into getting on-line, I am running out of time to finish this letter I basicly just wanted to touch base with you, I will try to answer some of the questions that you had posted in your letter, also I live in the Orlando area and would Love to meet with you, please keep me informed of as to when & where you will in Orlando . I would love to discuss what happened in NY, It will also be great to know that information for when I speak at the international convention, Will you be there? and have you heard of the Living Cyber Committee? the committee address is committee@world.std.com to be added to our reflector it is committee-request@world.std.com.

From NNN

Hi THHH, NNN here, alcoholic (hopeless variety)

This is a remarkable untaking of yours. *Excellent* questions.

I can appreciate your need to have comments come from, and be a result of, the Group Conscience. Being new to MoM, I don't know how that works. I will address a couple of issues here and cc them to MoM.

As a member of AA and as a member of a particular online mtg. I am willing and *want* to send money to the appropriate service structure. I have asked storm (current list owner) to let me know how I can do that. I can't see the need for a treasure right now. (am I overlooking something obvious?) Perhaps separate funds could be set up in UK, AU, USA, etc. to handle and appropriate monies that would in turn be used to support AA info on the Internet Highway (following along with the 11th tradition, of course).

I am spending more and more of my energy and time in cyberspace. So, just like listening to tapes in my car, reading literature at the stop light or in the cafe, seeing recovery material on my fridg or mirror, bumping into an AA friend at the store, dropping in at my local AA Intergroup Office, etc., I need to have AA recovery available in the world in which I live - the Internet!

Communicating online without the barriers of sex, size, color, preferences, and physical distance supports the idea of "...passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck." who "...have discovered a common solution."

Thanks again and God's Speed!

From XXX

> Communicating online without the barriers of sex, size, color, 
> preferences, and physical distance supports the idea of "...passengers of a 
> great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck."  who "...have 
> discovered a common solution."

NNN makes an excellent point. As an addendum, you may be aware that we in this republic have made vast, enormously expensive and politcally correct efforts in the last few years to rebuild our infrastructure to make everthing accessible to the handicapped: wheelchairs, etc. There has been criticism in some quarters that AA ought to make sure it only meets in buildings/churches which are handicapped accessible.

It is noteworthy that electronic sobriety offers total handicapped accessibility. Steven Hawking could log on if he were a drunk :-)

From EEE

Many thanks for your message about Electronic Meetings. I will certainly collect information together on the subject, particularly the views and opinions concerning on-line AA members here in the UK, as well as my own individual views.

The MoM meeting membership has grown so fast that, I too find it very difficult, and often impossible to handle the volume of mail in any one day. In my short experience on the Internet, this is the area that will need to be looked at with care, in order to avoid 'overcrowding' in the 'meeting room.'

I sincerely hope you will have added a new dimension to your experience, and your sobriety, after attending the GSC in New York. I wish you well, and hope you have a safe journey, which I am sure will have its rewards. Please keep in touch.

From PPP

My name is PPP and I am an alcoholic. I have been a member of the Fellowship for 10+ years, but have only been on-line since November 1994. I have been and continue to be active in AA service at group, district and area. I read your message with considerable interest and I do not envy you in trying to get your arms around this subject.

When I went on-line, I joined CompuServe, where I found a very large contingent of AA members interacting with each other on the message board in the Recovery Section of the Health and Fitness Forum. In January 1995 I joined the Living Cyber Committee on the Internet. The foregoing is just to let you know that I am a newbie, but that I have a very serious interest in AA in cyberspace. I am writing to you as an AA member, only, not as a representative of the members on CompuServe or on the Living Cyber Committee.

I have written numerous letters to GSO-NY in an effort to encourage them to acquire their own first hand information and to get them to provide an "official" AA presence in cyberspace. I have suggested that they establish a BBS, as a focal point in the US for AA members and others to communicate with GSO-NY and with each other, and have offered to donate the documentation and software to get them started. I have suggested that they get an Internet address so that cyberspacers (AA or not) can communicate with them by email. And, I have suggested that they follow Al-Anon's lead, and get a WWW homepage and a LISTSERV address. It would be unkind, perhaps, to say that I have been stonewalled, but it has certainly been a very firm rubber wall. My sole agenda is to have AA available everywhere that anyone might be looking for us.

Your message seemed to address itself to email meetings and email "groups". It seems to me that AAs are meeting with each other in a variety of ways and in a variety of places, which seem to break down, as follows:

  1. Internet email group meetings; such as Lamplighters.
  2. Internet newsgroups; such as alt.recovery.aa
  3. On-line computer service message boards; such as the Recovery Section (#2) bulletin board of the Health & Fitness Forum on CompuServe.
  4. On-line computer service "live", interactive meetings; such as the One Byte at a Time and the International One Byte at a Time AA "group" meetings on CompuServe.
  5. Bulletin Board Systems; some general recovery and some dedicated to AA, only. Such BBSs number in the hundreds. (It is estimated that there are 60,000 BBSs in the US.)
  6. Direct email between individual members (it only takes two to have a meeting).

Now, where it really gets fuzzy on the terra firma, and even more so in cyberspace, is the definition of AA groups, AA groups vs groups of AAs, and AA meetings. The North American General Service Conference has defined an AA Group. From what I understand of them, Lamplighter, Trudgers, MoM, OBAAT and IOBAAT would qualify as AA Groups, as would some groups of AAs on AOL and some BBS message boards. However, none of these AA group/meetings are _conventional_ AA Groups as far as I know. Example, the OBAAT and IOBAAT meetings on CompuServe are just like any AA meeting, including the Preamble, the Serenity Prayer, a meeting leader, a topic, etc. But, there is no GSR, no secretary, no treasurer, no service committees, no donations, etc. (I have read very recently that Lamplighters has sent a New Group Registration form to GSO-NY) My question is, why would an electronic AA group want to be registered or a part of the service structure? If the electronic groups do become registered and any GSO provides services; then, the group must consider Tradition 7.

The Recovery Section message board on CompuServe can not be considered an AA group, even though the board messaging is predominately AA. Some very serious AA is discussed (we just finished one Tradition a week), a lot of interaction and some plain silliness, but it all enhances the comaraderie of the section members and their continued recovery (I believe it is called fellowship and unity). The message board is not an AA group or even an AA meeting, but it is certainly carrying the message. There are frequent messages from not only the US and Canada, but Okinawa, Japan, Germany, France, Portugal, the UK, Scotland and Ireland.

With regard to your questions about 'Code of Conduct', Netiquette, etc.; let us remember that each group of AA members is autonomous. On CompuServe, three volunteer AA members help the two Forum sysops by announcing meeting times and places, watch for flaming and intercede if necessary, watch for inappropriate language and are the official greeters. They are affectionately called the AA Kops or Section Janitors. They function as an AA Group chairman would. There are three because there are about 200 messages per day in this one section, plus library uploads to review. I think that guidelines might be helpful if careful consideration is given to the experience of those envolved; not some theoretical projection of what should be.

Positive and negative points, isolation, relationship of e-meetings with other meetings- I wish that I had kept track of how many persons have appeared on the CompuServe message board looking for help; their very first contact with AA. I can only tell you that I never would have imagined so many. Many choose this way because of anonymity. Many lurk for awhile before sending their first message. Each new participant is greeted by 10 to 20 welcoming messages. If the new participant "opens the door", they receive suggestions to not drink, keep coming back, attend local AA meetings, study the Big Book and get a sponsor. When the topic comes up, most everyone responds that the e-messaging/meetings are a supplement to their regular AA meetings. Some are very envolved in service in their home groups, districts and areas. Many participants have made arrangements to travel and meet each other and attend a meeting together. Two participants in distant cities met on the forum, arranged to meet each other, went to meetings together, are now engaged and are to be married on Founder's Day on 10 June on Dr. Bob's front porch in Akron.

Anonymity-Most of us on CompuServe use our first name only, or first name and last initial or first name and city. About the GSO staffer's name being published electronically; that is unfortunate, but I know of no way that such things can be prevented. There is no criminal justice system within AA. I believe that education is the only possible way to preclude such happenings. I am fairly certain that if someone made a serious effort on CompuServe, they could learn my full name, address, etc. The same is true on the Internet. However, I am not doing anything to advertise my AA membership. The same is true of my home group, where people can see me entering an AA meeting place. My ego is just not big enough to believe that anyone cares that much. In any case, this type of anonymity break has nothing to do with the press, radio, film (or TV) or any other mass public exposure.

Copyrights-There are AAWS copyrighted publications in electronic libraries on every on-line computer service, on many BBSs and many other libraries, such as universities. I have had considerable correspondence with GSO-NY about this. Thus far, their thoughts have been to wait till it happens and then go after the person that did it. I have tried to convince them that admonishment, censure, litigation, etc., just won't work. Some literature has been in libraries since the early 80's, some literature is uploaded by persons having no idea that they are violating copyright laws, there is no money changing hands; it would be impossible to litigate. My solution is to educate. That won't stop the self-willed person, but it will cause many to rethink what they are about to do. Your comment about the BBS suggesting that groups could download the Big Book and customize it; there is no way that I know of to stop that sort of thing either. After all, AAWS no longer holds the copyright to the first 164 pages. Again, I believe that education is the closest that we can get to a solution.

Where do we fit in the Service Structure? I don't feel that we do or should! I should only have one vote in AA and that is in my land based home group. I feel that the cyberspace AA meetings and groups should be *recognized* just like the International Lawyers in AA, the International Doctors in AA, Birds of a Feather, the International Conference of Young People in AA, etc., and this cannot happen until we on-liners have our own international convention(s).

Your question; which General Service Conference does a particular group belong to? As mentioned, I don't feel that we belong in the Service Structure. I would like to see mutual cooperation between the electronic community and the GSOs. I believe it will probably breakdown by country or groups of countries, i.e., the groups on CIS and AOL will probably coordinate with GSO-NY, as will the US and Canadian BBSs (hopefully). Now the email groups, such as Trudgers, are another story. I have been told that MoM is a registered AA group with GSO-UK. Lamplighters has petitioned for registration with GSO-NY. It will be up to each autonomous email AA group to make that affiliation decision. My feeling is, that in the US, we mostly want GSO-NY to acknowledge our existance in a formal way and we want GSO-NY to establish their own presence in cyberspace.

THHH, I realize that I have not answered most of your questions. I wish I could, but I am not that experienced, nor that smart. I don't believe that this topic can be fully explored by email, but your paper may be just the start we need. The Living Cyber Committee will have a hospitality suite at the International Convention in San Diego where many on-liners will meet for the first time and I am sure that organizational discussions will take place. Also, a panel discussion about on-line activities is scheduled for the International Convention.

I wish you a safe trip, and a pleasurable and informative one as well. Best regards.

In the Fellowship,

From QQQ

I have noticed something special happening with the way I am learning from MoM sharing.

In the past I had the Big Book and the people I knew at the meetings I attended to source wisdom from.

This group was limited by geography and thus had a finite pool of wisdom. MoM has increased the geographical limits of my input field ... like we have a couple of hundred members from several countries ... and they tend to go to different face to face meetings ... and share the experience they gain on MoM.

MoM sharing thus draws upon a greater field of experience and wisdom ... and I learn more ... and my sobriety is enhanced.

From RRR

THHH, please deal with the issue of confidentiality. Many novices on the 'Net do not realize how available almost anything is to almost anybody who wants it. Posters post WWW sites called "black holes," into which 'netters are invited to 'dump' frustrations, etc. All these dumpsites are retrievable, of course. My principle is this:

Rule for living #2: Don't post on e-lists anything you wouldn't write on the back of a postcard.

From SSS

My name is SSS and I've been a "friend of Bill W's" for over 22 years.

You asked for opinions, so for what its worth here's mine.

I have attended several on-line meetings and they were good up to a point. I believe they do tend to allow one to remain isolated, but not necessairly anonymous. They will never, nor should they be intended to, take the place of "face to face" meetings. I also feel that electronic meetings should NOT be officially sanctioned by AA.. Too many variables that cannot be controlled for.

I do feel that AA needs to maintain a presence on the Internet. Perhaps a WWW page or a data base of AA meetings world wide. Literature could also be sold via the Net. To sanction electronic meetings would go against the very nature of the fellowship, in my humble opinion. When Bill was in Akron he didn't call Dr.Bob on the phone, he went to see him and they talked face to face.

Enjoy your stay in the US. I'm glad to hear you will be visiting the best part of our country - Florida! (I live on the west coast of Florida about 10 miles south of Sarasota)

In the Fellowship

From TTT

just a note to vote in favor of elevctronic meetings. I also go to regular AA and am involved in service. I find that the online meetings are just another source of strength , similar to meditaion books, audio tapes , etc. if they are considered a real meeting, a hard look at the seventh tradition is in order , although self support of these meetings is a little different than at a 3D meeting . I think isolation is a concern, but from everything I have read online the people who are involved are solid AA members and there is a lot of good sharing and for hte most part an excellant message.

Thanks

From Geoffrey N - Sydney

This is the reply to your request for information re electronic meetings. Needless to say I am pro Electronic AA .. and may not be able to see some of the problems as well as others can.

These are my own opinions ...

> * How many electronic groups/meetings are there?  How many members?

How many 'skin meetings' are there? How many members?

I guess if I wanted to know that I would ask the secretaries to register their meetings with AA GSO or a subdivision of the GSO. Secretaries would also know how many members their 'reflectors' were handling.

> * How does an electronic meeting fit in with all of the other meetings?

How does a step meeting fit in with a women's focus meeting?

Electronic meetings are just that, electronic meetings. They fit in like any other meeting fits in.

Loners have been surviving for years in AA by writing to each other. Electronic meetings use a similar process to loners with a modem, a telephone and a few computers replacing postage stamps.

> * What are the positive and negative points of e-meetings?

What are the positive and negative points of ID meetings as opposed to step or Big Book study meetings?

E-meetings are simply valid meetings.

They can be good meetings or bad meetings depending on how they are run. I guess it is up to the individual to discern if any meeting is good or bad. If a skin meeting gets off the track it's members will leave it and it is then faced with the need to change or fold.

LCS went through this process rescently.

Electronic meetings are the same. If no one uses them they will die.

I guess there will be different electronic meetings because people have different needs.

> * Can one isolate oneself via the e-meetings?  What suggestions, if any,
>   do we make to potential members?

Can one isolate oneself as a loner who posts his sharings via the post office?

What is wrong with isolating ones self.

For many years I felt different because I was not naturally a mixer ... I now see that as the way I am ... I am an introvert ... I can function with others ... but I prefer my solitude.

Too many people tire me out ... and today I accept that. For example conferences are not good for my recovery. A quiet walk with another member and its attendant discussion is more my speed.

Assuming there are others who feel like I do electronic meetings may be a way for us to constructively 'be' with others without having to endure the extroverts yo-ha brew-ha of some skin meetings. In fact electronic meetings may facilitate bringing introverts out into the public arena.

I have heard newcommers to MoM advised that MoM does not replace skin meetings but rather augments them. I think it would be unwise for any AA to only attend electronic meetings.

I have contacted more new people with solid sobriety since being on the network than I have for a long time in skin meetings. There seems to be a lack of long term sober members in AA in Australia. The internet seems to have a reasonable core of people with seven plus years up. I seem to have trouble finding the same quality of sobriety in skin meetings.

> * Should there be a  'Code of Conduct' for e-meetings?  The Internet
>   has 'Netiquette' - should there be an e-meeting equivalent.  Should we
>   (eventually) have a written guideline?  (There are written guidelines about
>   various topics - should e-meetings be inculded?)

Are there written guidelines for skin meetings? Why not use them for electronic meetings?

My previous comments about the natural regulation of meetings applies .... I do not use some forums because they do not suit me. MoM is a theme/step group. I like theme/step skin meetings too.

I do not like ID skin meetings and am not really interested in ID electronic meetings or ones that only provide a forum for electronic net buffs to share their computer based stuff ... I prefer AA material ...

> * What about anonymity?  (I am told that a paper said to have been 
>   written by a GSO staffer was published electronically without the author's 
>   permission and including his full name.)  What are our thoughts on this kind of 
>   thing.

The message could have been promilgated by fax or printed as easily as electronically. I guess it is up to the individual. My Name is Geoffrey N. and I am an alcoholic who has not had a drink for six and a half years ... I do not care if that gets shared ... if I did I would not have written it.

The GSO staffer you mention needs to be aware that what is placed on the net can be broadcast far and wide ... just as what is said at a skin meeting can be broadcast far and wide.

MoM requires that a person admits that they have a desire to stop drinking before they are allowed to become members. That is our only protection ... that and of course God.

> * How does the concept of an electronic meeting relate to ourthoughts 
>   about 'Press radio and films?'  Anonymity again.

Once again .. how do skin meetings relate to 'Press radio and films?' How can electronic meetings be any more sensitive than skin meetings?

> * How does an electronic group fit in with the service structure?

I would imagine that an electonic would fit in like a skin meeting would. MoM has its GSO representative just like a skin meeting.

> * How does an electronic group contribute to the service structure?

How does it help support AA?

By sharing our recovery ... just like in skin meetings. AA is the individual not the Service body. By helping a fellow AA I help AA.

Financial support,

When the subject has been raised on MoM ... it is usually recommended that those who wish to make a service donation should be more generous when next the plate is passed at a skin meeting.

In all other espects MoM is self supporting.

other support?

I have witnessed healthy 12th stepping on MoM and with solid results. I have also witnessed the return of those in early day who are experiencing troubles staying sober. Most of these people report that they are amazed at the care and kindness they recieve from MoM members.

> * Should there be an electronic area with an area delegate to the General 
>   Service Conference?

OK but ...

I like what the concept of a world without boundaries ... after all does it matter what country an AA comes from? If GSO needs a special area for electronic meetings to assist them with their work then do it ... but I will always just be a member of AA.

Perhaps if there were less boundries in this world there would be less need to fight to defend them. Perhaps electronic meetings are leading they way forward in breaking down these barriers .. Perhaps if this were to happen this would be the happiest little planet in this part of the galaxy!!

Perhap GSO could consider that attempts to contro lothers stifles freedom and AAs need to be free ... at least this one does.

> * Which General Service Conference does a particular group belong to? 
>   USA, UK, Australia, etc?

May I recommend the world wide group of AA.

> * How can information about AA be provided electronically?  WWW?

If it were conference approved or a copy of conference approved material.

> * What information could be provided on an AA Web page (or FTP document)?

Any and all of our material that was not subjct to copyright. That is to say all conferance approved literature.

> * Who should be able to publish web pages that purport to be AA pages?

Anyone should be able to electronically publish conferance approved literature.

> * How does electronic publishing relate to our conventional publishing 
>   activities?

I figure we will need written materialfor some time ... but we can also have electronic copies of that material.

> * What are the problems of e-publishing?  Recently an article appeared on 
>   a BBS suggesting that groups could download an electronic version of the Big 
>   Book and then customise it to their own requirements!

I figure they are free to do that as the copyright has expired. I saw the message you spoke of and I believe it was written in the context of how wonderfull AA BBS was. Needless to say the auther was pounced on from a great height ... not quite an appropriate response for someone who had done so much to get an AA BBS going in Australia!! No wonder some AAs shy away from the publicity and controversy service brings!

Why not have the Big Book on line ... the Bible is available in many electronic formats.

Think of it a new member joins us who is familiar with BBSs and the Internet ... and we welcome him or her with an electronic copy of the big book ... after all the idea was to carry the message ...

I know literature makes a profit ... if the AA service organsation can not survive without that profit then perhaps it needs to ask why it can't be self supporting through its own resources.

Whew ... what a lot of words ...

This group can't stand that group and that group does not agree with this group ... I figger with all the hassel that seem to surrond service bodies ... the only reason AA survives is because we need it to stay sober.

I hope this is of some use and not too negative.

I will copy it to MoM. Perhaps some other member may see fit to reply to you ...

Love
Geoffrey

From XXX

THHH, this is to add a thought to one item in Geoffrey's superbly drafted reply to your questionnaire: isolation

I attend 3-4 skin meetings here in San Francisco, California, USA, per week. This has, to me, a somewhat isolating effect in that I limit myself to "SF sobriety." Having spent years in AA in New York, Mexico and Japan, I recognize how much of the broader world of AA I miss by "isolating" myself here geographically.

Electronic sobriety, OTOH, helps me break out of this isolation by connecting me with the world off AA "out there."

George, that is a lot of stuff and I think youOll find it is a pretty comprehensive coverage of the issues related to electronic meetings. I really think that the World Wide Web is a tremendous medium for Public Information - information can be provided about many, many aspects of AA.

I really think the best way to appreciate the Internet and its potential is via a demonstration. I have my computer with me and would be happy to set up a demonstration for the Board if you would like me to do so. It would require hiring some equipment from the hotel and we would need to allocate one and a half to two hours for the demonstration and related discussion.

With best wishes,
THHH
General Service Trustee
The Australian General Service Board
1 May 1995
Draft report on Electronic Meetings and the Internet