The O-list:

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The O-list a Case Study
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This brief case study of the O-list (an email
list for origami enthusiasts) has been prepared
as part of my study requirements. Anyone
interested in the O-list is welcome to read on
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Background

• The Origami community is relatively open and
  equitable
• Being diagram based, it is open to everyone
  interested, regardless of language (though there
  are barriers such as poverty and access to paper,
  books, etc)I can look, understand and fold from
  a diagram from anywhere in the world
• The list, however, is based in English, but there
  are members from all over the world

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Background (cont)

• British Origami Society first western Origami
  group
• Set up in 1967 as a portfolio society (posting
  diagrams and models around the UK via snail mail)
  an early virtual community(I joined circa
  1973)
• There are now over 50 National Origami Groups
  including Australia

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History

• O-list began in May 23, 1988
• Basic email list, all sent to one central person
  to put together then send out
• All members from USA tertiary institutions
• Very limited list, small numbers (initially 5),
  and limited by technology, including how to send
  more than messages (ie diagrams)

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History (cont)

• First List-server January 1989, hosted by
  University of Texas
• By end of 1998, the list was large and
  cumbersome, with over 400 members, and a huge
  amount of work for the list managers and
  archivist
• It had become moderated after people started
  spamming, and emails were being used for spam
• However, this slowed down conversation as all
  emails had to be sent to central point, verified,
  with another email and then posted

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History (cont)

• After considerable and open discussion, the
  O-list was moved. Kept as an email list to keep
  it accessible to the widest possible membership,
  (eg dial-up or cable TV access), and fast
• To make it more private and easier to manage,
  the O-list was moved over to a list server,
  hosted by MIT in 1998. This was open to anyone
  who wanted to join, but had facilities to protect
  email addresses and content from spammers

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History (cont)

• 2006, MIT closed its list server
• O-list moved over to Mailman, hosted by list
  manager
• Anyone can join, but need to register through
  Mailman
• Today there are nearly 1000 registered email
  addresses from around the world (947 on April 15,
  2008.

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History (cont)

• Most people get O-list in a daily digest form
• There is a searchable archive of everything since
  day one, voluntarily maintained by a Dutch member
• I have been a member since 1997

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Boundaries and Norms

• Any one can join the list
• Stick to origami related topics etiquette to
  post NO for non-origami related items
• No attachments
• Private conversations discouraged, especially
  ones that post snail mail addresses or private
  email addresses
• Religion, politics, languages other than English
  and personal flaming are positively discouraged.

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Boundaries and Norms

• Care with culturally specific terminology/jokes
  etc
• Length limit to postings
• Regularly repeated topics people gently sent to
  the archives FAQ for some of these topics

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Boundaries and Norms

• The list owners can and do remove members from
  the list (eg flaming others, consistently going
  off-subject, such as political issues). Only
  done when several people have complained and the
  person been warned
• The list is largely self-regulating
• Other lists for more specific topics adult only,
  Flickr, specific fold types/country/language
  lists

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Hierarchy and Celebrities

• There are celebrities, such as famous authors.
  Some, given the history of the list, and
  origamis link to mathematics, strongly linked to
  the computing world. (Yes, you can do a PhD in
  Computational Mathematic.)
• List owners rarely pull rank
• Others are famed for teaching or promoting
  origami
• Origami is a sharing world these celebrities
  share their work and rarely act the prima dona
• One of older members is an incredible historian,
  and prepared incredibly in-depth papers on
  various paper-related topics, which have been
  collated and posted on the British Origami
  Societys website

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Community

• So is this a community?
• We certainly have shared births, deaths and
  illnesses. There have even been romances that
  developed out of the list! We even shared the
  horror of September 11, with one member stuck in
  the Pentagon, and many of his friends worried
  about him until he contacted us all through the
  list!

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Community (cont)

• We share ideas and help each other out all the
  time. (eg Im stuck on page 3 of the diagram of
  X)
• We ask for help for people outside the group (eg
  Ive had a request to teach in Alaska next week)
• Members do a huge amount of voluntary work in the
  community teaching origami, both for fun and as
  therapy
• We teach each other a lot teaching the blind, or
  utilising origami in mental health patients or
  those in goal

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Community (cont)

• We have a unique role in the Peace movement with
  the origami crane becoming a symbol of peace, so
  that members are often involved in various Peace
  and healing activities
• The list can become very US-based, with American
  members tending to forget that there are other
  nations represented. This is true of discussions
  about shops, seasons, festivals etc

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Community (cont)

• Identities, (email address) posted with each
  message. Most people use own names, at least in
  signature
• There is a strong feeling of reciprocity the
  more you put in, the more you get out
• Newbies are protected, especially if others flame
  them for doing something wrong
• There can be lots of in-jokes and puns

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Face-to-Face

• I would guess that most of the members do have
  some access to other folders. Many of us try and
  attend local meetings, national or international
  conferences
• When the big conferences are on, the list gets
  very quiet indicating many members are there
• When I attended the BOS conference last years,
  loads of strangers greeted me as a friend
  purely from the list

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Key Links

• About the O-List lists.digitalorigami.com/mailman
  /listinfo/origami
• Archives origami.kvi.nl
• British Origami Society www.britishorigami.info/
• Perth Origami Group www.origami.asn.au/
• Useful origami website www.origami.as

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