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OGEMID

Introduction

Led by a team of expert moderators the highly praised OGEMID mailing list (listserv) offers a unique platform for discussion, sharing of insights and intelligence of relevant issues related in a significant way to international dispute management.

OGEMID brings together most of the world's experienced professionals in the field of international dispute management, mainly arbitration, mediation, negotiation, with a particular emphasis on investment disputes. OGEMID members are now the most up-to-date and best informed professionals in these fields. A selection of TDM/OGEMID members can be found here.

Requests for admissions are received on a daily basis as it is seen as one of the most effective (if not the most effective) way of keeping abreast of recent developments in the specialised field it covers. A fully searchable archive of all OGEMID postings starting from 2002 is available to all TDM subscribers.

More information on:

• How to join
• OGEMID Moderator(s)
• OGEMID Current Debate
• OGEMID Guest Programme
• OGEMID Seminar Programme
• Trial Membership
• Administrative Issues, FAQ
• Rules (Substantive and Technical)
• Young-OGEMID
• Managing E-Mail Lists
• Suggest a topic

HOW TO JOIN

You must subscribe to TDM before you can join OGEMID. Each subscribing company or organisation to our Transnational Dispute Management (TDM) Journal is permitted to sign up 5 of its employees (per 5 TDM accounts) as participants in OGEMID renewable annually.

OGEMID MODERATOR(S)

Note: want to promote your event or book? Contact the publisher directly (policy can be found here)

Young-OGEMID moderator

Professor S.I. Strong

Young-OGEMID moderator
University of Sydney Law School, Professor of Comparative and International Law
Brief biography

Honorary members

 

OGEMID Guest Programme

The OGEMID Guest programme was launched in 2010. You can learn more about it here.

OGEMID Seminar Programme

The OGEMID Guest seminar was launched in 2012. You can learn more about it here.

TRIAL MEMBERSHIP

In principle only TDM subscribers are allowed to join the listserv, but we do offer the option of a trial membership for three to six months. To apply, fill in the registration form to request a trial membership. Please note that acceptance onto the list is at our discretion and is closely linked to OGEL/TDM subscriptions.

Important notice: If you apply for a trial membership we will not consider Yahoo, Hotmail, GMail etc. addresses. Please provide a regular e-mail address for your company or organisation.

ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES, FAQ

1. What is a listserv anyway?

   A listserv is an electronic mailing list similar to a traditional mailing list. When someone sends a message to the OGEMID/OGELFORUM/YOUNG-OGEMID address all members receive the e-mail and all members can post and respond to questions and participate in the discussion.

2. How do I join the list?

   Please contact us directly or use the registration form.

3. How do I unsubscribe / de-register?

   Please contact us directly.

4. How do I change my e-mail address?

   Please contact us directly.

5. How do I post a message to the listserv?

   To post a message to the listserv send a message to (only use the one(s) you are on):
   
   
   
   
   
   and the message will be sent to the entire group. If you are not on the list your message will be rejected.

6. How do I reply to an email sent via the listserv?

   Personal Reply: If you reply to an e-mail which you receive via the listserv it is only sent to original sender. To send your response to the list you must change the TO field in your e-mail and enter the listserv address (see above)

   Replying to Everyone: If your message is an informative response to someone's question, from which everyone can learn, you should respond and send your reply message to everyone. However, try to avoid re-sending the entire message you are replying to. Cut and paste the relevant parts when replying.

7. Help, my message is rejected!

   As a rule we prefer that messages that are substantial and professional comments be posted by the sender directly. Again, note the instructions above. The most common mistake is that people send from an email address that is different from the one you are registered with. OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID will naturally reject such postings. Think that if you use another address, you come to OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID - which does not know you personally - as another, unknown person. Please contact us directly if you need to change your e-mail address.

8. I want to send an anonymous message.

   There are two methods of sending an anonymous message.

   First, the Moderator is in principle willing to consider contributions for anonymous posting if he considers such postings suitable (i.e. of material value for discussions; not defamatory or otherwise inappropriate).

   If you send something to the moderator and do not clarify that it is confidential, your message maybe forwarded to the list. If you share some information with the moderator, you need to explicitly request anonymous posting to be considered or if you would like no posting at all.

   Second, you can make use of our anonymous posting form (contact us for details). Your message will be reviewed BEFORE it is sent to the listserv, this is done to prevent spam and rude or inappropriate messages. This may cause a delay of several hours before the message is being circulated.

RULES (SUBSTANTIVE AND TECHNICAL)

1. Chatham House rule

   Messages posted on OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID are personal and subject to "Chatham House rule", including they can not be used outside the OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID discussion, made public. See also 2.

2. Forwarding / Disclosing

   Forwarding OGELFORUM / OGEMID / YOUNG-OGEMID postings to non-members is discouraged and may lead to removal from the list at the unfettered discretion of the publisher. It is not allowed to cite or attribute OGELFORUM / OGEMID / YOUNG-OGEMID discussions, in particular make public or communicate to courts or tribunals with attribution or used to impugn the impartiality, independence, consistency or competence of discussants without the explicit permission of the publisher and all participants.

3. No attachments

   Do not send attachments (MS Word, PDF files etc) to the OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID lists. E-mails with attachments are blocked automatically. If you want to highlight a document provide a link. Where this is not possible, you may wish to contact us. We may be able to upload the information on our website where members may have access to them.

4. Conferences, seminars, courses, job adverts and other commercial messages.

   If you have information to share with regard to upcoming events such as conferences, or news to report with regard to employment issues in your organization / company (changes, vacancies, etc) or general press releases, please contact us first before posting such news directly. Please feel free to send such material to for inclusion in the TDM News Digest.

   Before posting job adverts on the OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID listservs please contact us first. Any adverts require previous consent by the Publisher.

5. Use good, descriptive subject lines.

   A subject line like "new book" is not very helpful. A good subject line makes life easier for everyone and will encourage people to read your message. We have a number of 'default' subject lines for certain topics:

   • Conference announcement: [name + date of conference]
   • Article abstract: [title of article]
   • Book review: [title of book, author]
   • OGEL/TDM announcements are always marked as follows OGEL: or TDM: so you can quickly identify them
   
   
6. We advise members to learn how to quote properly.

   Try to avoid re-sending the entire message you are replying to. Cut and paste the relevant parts when replying. Useful guidelines in English, Deutsch or Nederlands can be found here http://learn.to/quote.

   Note: the author(s) of the guideline above refers to "usenet", do not let that intimidate you, the same rules applies to e-mail.

7. What type of things should I send to the listserv?

   You do not require the approval of the OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID moderator to make contributions to discussions. It is only if you are worried about being tactless, have nothing substantive to say (usually with new members, most members make very substantive comments), or would like - this is the main exception - the moderator to consider if to circulate that message anonymously that you should send something to the moderator.

   If you are a new member it is advised to observe the list for a while to learn the style and the implicit and explicit rules and conventions. If you then have some but not all of the courage, send a message to our moderator, for review and ask if you should post it.

   We suggest to use the listserv to alert your fellow members to new cases, legislative or regulatory developments, post general discussion or research questions so that members of the group can respond, exchange information and engage in meaningful debate.

   Contributions should have substance: i.e. not "yes, I concur" or "no, that is nonsense", but a reasoned argument or relevant new information. Not a repetitive argument nor already just broadcast information either.

   Be courteous, professional in style: Not: "He/she is a liar" but rather: "I suggest the factual description of the situation at issue can also be viewed differently..."

   The Moderator is in principle willing to consider contributions for anonymous posting if he considers such postings suitable (i.e. of material value for discussions; not defamatory or otherwise inappropriate). See above.

   Please keep us posted on your relevant work. For instance we would like abstracts of your relevant publications (and cases if that is possible), but also (as our moderator tries sometimes) a short reference and commentary on something relevant that you have read (e.g. book, article) or a conference you have participated in.

   We would like to publish longer case comments and comments on specific substantive issues - typically arising out of your work or academic articles and notes - on OGEL/TDM. This makes it available rapidly, efficiently and very widely to the on community without that we ever insist on an exclusive copyright transfer, i.e. you can publish in a hard-paper publication later or earlier.

   As a rule we prefer that messages that are substantial and professional comments be posted by the sender directly. Again, note the instructions above. The most common mistake is that people send from an email address that is different from the one you are registered with. OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID will naturally reject such postings. Think that if you use another address, you come to OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID - which does not know you personally - as another, unknown person.

   The best way to post efficiently is to put
   
   "OGEMID - ",
   "YOUNG-OGEMID - " or
   "OGELFORUM - "
   
   into your address book.

8. What type of things should I avoid to send to the listserv?

   Please do not circulate to all members' administrative queries, your wish to (re-)register another address, de-register and so on. Avoid the embarrassment.

   The only postings we discourage are parliamentary-heckling type of messages, such as "hear, hear - I agree fully", "disagree completely" or "what a completely foolish thing to say" - i.e. expressions of value judgments without substantive reasoning, insight or information (see above).

   If you have information to share with regard to upcoming events such as conferences, or news to report with regard to employment issues in your organization / company (changes, vacancies, etc) or general press releases, please contact us first first before posting such news directly. If you have not asked permission it may lead to your removal from the listserv.

9. Reasons for expulsion.

   - Being rude.

   - Sending of any type of commercial message without prior consent (see above).

   - Setting up an automatic or systematic mailing distribution system that circulates OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID postings to non-members.

   - A significant breach of the basic usage conditions can lead to expulsion, temporary or permanent, at the unfettered discretion of the publisher/moderator without repayment of any subscription fee, all or in part.

10. Adding & recruiting new members.

    We would like, in a measured way, recruit and add new members, but it should be colleagues with a solid and not just transient interest in international energy and resources law, policy and strategy issues (OGELFORUM) or international dispute resolution and particularly in the field of investment and related disputes (OGEMID, YOUNG-OGEMID). The aim, obviously, is to get everybody who has something helpful (or of value) to say onto OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID and benefit from the collective wisdom and diversity of views and experiences by information, insight and debate.

    New members can apply for a trial membership (see above).

Young-OGEMID

Younger professionals who not have been made Partner or Counsel should be interested in Young-OGEMID, more information here. For the time being membership of Young-OGEMID is free.

MANAGING E-MAIL LISTS

At times OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID can be a high volume list and it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the posts. Here are a few short tips to manage the flow of e-mail.

1. "Delete" e-mails decisively with a rapid judgement based on the subject line (hence the importance of a good subject line)
2. Setup a filter or rule. Most e-mail programs have the option to use filters or rules to quickly sort incoming e-mail. If you do not know how to setup such filters or rules you can find instructions on the Internet*. Once you have setup a filter/rule you can read the OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID postings if you have a moment and they don't clutter your inbox.
   Tip: Use the "sender" field to setup your filter/rule, so the rule should be: "If sender contains OGEMID/Young-OGEMID/OGELFORUM @ ogeltdm.com move to folder XYZ"
3. Use thread view. In your OGELFORUM/OGEMID/YOUNG-OGEMID folder you can use a thread or conversation topic view, this will combine e-mails on the same subject in an organised manner. If a topic does not interest you, simply disregard new postings which it generates. You can also make use of the "Ignore all email messages in a conversation" options of your email program:
   1. Outlook
   2. Gmail
   3. Mozilla Thunderbird
4. Read only relevant messages, you do not have to read everything, and clean out your e-mail folder from time to time. For both the OGELFORUM and OGEMID lists there are full searchable online archives available. Sign in to the OGEL or TDM website and click the link in the menu.
5. If you still find the flow of email to be too much, we can change your membership settings to send you a daily digest. This does have some drawbacks as it makes it harder to follow a discussion but you will only receive one email per day.

* You can either visit your e-mail program vendor's website or simply use Google to search for instructions, e.g. "setting up e-mail filters Eudora" leads to this page http://www.berkshire.net/support/filters_eudora.html

MARIS

TDM is an initiative of MARIS BV (the Netherlands), visit www.maris.nl for more information about MARIS.