Becoming a Member to LISA

LISA will be working accordance with an open agenda, and it will be possible to participate in LISA's work without adopting common positions on specific issues. However, should the need or opportunity arise to speak in the name of LISA this could sometimes prove an advantage. For this reason we have established a number of working forms. These are described below.

• LISA consists of members and observateurs. Members are those who have not expressed a wish to become observateurs. Membership is open and administered by joining or leaving the e-mailing list that is hosted by LISA.
   
• Observateurs take part in LISA-meetings, but have no other relation to LISA. They are not responsible of actions, positions or any other work of LISA.
   
• Members can always speak as "members of LISA". Should anyone choose to speak out on any issue that draws attention to the work that LISA is performing, it is perfectly acceptable to sign or act as "member of LISA". When something is written, said, or done in this capacity, the views expressed are those by that individual alone, and not the views of LISA as a whole. This will be clearly stated at LISA's web-site.
    
• Collective positions are only adopted through a consensus building process described below.
  • Any one member can issue a Request for Comments (RFC) on a position paper or any other such document or act.
  • Such an RFC must be issued to the mailing list. The standard time in which comments should be submitted is 30 days.
  • If any comments are made, they must be injected into the document and a new RFC period starts for the consensus building process to go forward.
  • When the RFC period is concluded, a member can issue a Request for Position (RFP). This will the become the position of LISA, if any one member of the list does not reject it in the following 30 days.
      
• It should be noted that this process is very cumbersome, and that usually it will suffice to spead as "members of LISA", and not claim any consensus in the views one wishes to express. This is due to the network character of the work that LISA performs. We do feel that there should be a process for adopting common positions should the need arise.
    
• Under certain circumstanses, processes, methods, and review, service might be developed under the umbrella of LISA. These methods need not be commonly adopted positions, but could instead be marketed as "methods developed in collaboration with the LISA-network". Neither members nor observateurs are responsible for these methods unless they have developed them and are using them. LISA accepts no liability whatsoever for such methods.