FAQv2
The long version
1. The basics
2. Becoming a member
3. Membership options
4. Sending messages
5. Things to avoid
6. The MyLAFF websites
7. Using the repository

1. The basics
1.1 What is MyLAFF?
MyLAFF is a forum for sharing information about land, rural livelihoods, forests, fisheries,
agribusiness investment and natural resource management in Myanmar.
1.2 What does MyLAFF stand for?
MyLAFF = Myanmar Land Agribusiness and Forestry Forum
1.3 And what is the purpose?
MyLAFF aims to support rural development in Myanmar by providing decision-makers
with better access to information and analysis and to promote communication between
stakeholders working on issues relating to land, natural resource management and land
related investment (agribusiness, fisheries, forestry, etc.).
1.4 How does it work?
MyLAFF makes use of the internet to provide members with a mailing list and online library.
1.5 When did it get started?
The forum was founded on the 8th of July 2014.
1.6 What is the difference between MyLAFF and other info channels?
MyLAFF is not a substitute for official meetings and publications. It attempts to ‘add value’ tothe discourse about rural development in Myanmar by making information-sharing more
open and pluralistic. The discussion at MyLAFF is diverse, informal and open 24-7. It pulls
together news from a wide range of sources and provides space for professional
announcements and debate without delays or censorship.
1.7 What do you mean by 'open' information-sharing?
MyLAFF operates under the principles of open source, open access and open minds. For
further explanation, take a look at 'The Dongdok Statement on Access to Information for
Development' (Dongdok SAID), which can be downloaded from the MyLAFF repository.
1.8 Who manages MyLAFF?
MyLAFF is managed as a public service by the Land Core Group (LCG). Funding forthis service comes from the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT).
1.9 But who actually does the work?

The members do most of the work. The majority of MyLAFF messages are posted
by ordinary members. The moderator of the forum is Casper Palmano, an adviser to
LCG. He posts frequent news updates from local and international media and is responsible
for approving new members and any files uploaded to the MyLAFF repository. You cancontact him at mylaffmoderator@gmail.com
1.10 And who makes the rules?
The MyLAFF document repository and google group's initial operating principles andrules were designed under advisement from LaoFAB (www.laofab.org). MyLAFF
memebers were then invited to participate in a 2015 survey to discuss and improve on
the websites' rules, principles, and operations. More surveys will be held periodically sothat you, the members, can help shape MyLAFF into something useful for you.
The basic principles followed by LaoFAB are: a) the scope of MyLAFF will not be changed,b) the forum should not be used for either trivial exchanges or protracted debates, and c) themoderator should make interventions when necessary to keep the discussion friendly anduseful.
1.11 Does the discussion on MyLAFF have any 'official' status?
No. Opinions expressed in this forum are those of individual members, not the organisations
for which they are working.

2. Becoming a member
2.1 How much does it cost to join?
Nothing.
2.2 Great! How do I sign up?
Go to the MyLAFF group page, here: http://groups.google.com/group/MyLAFF and click‘apply for membership’. Google will send you a confirmation message. Click on the link in themessage to complete the application process.
2.3 Why am I asked for personal details when joining the group?
Before membership is approved, you will be asked to provide information about yourprofession, organisation and country of residence. The purpose is to make sure you have agenuine interest in Myanmar land issues and are not a spammer. Just a few words are
required; you are not expected to provide your name and contact details. Once thisinformation has been submitted, the moderator will add your address to the MyLAFF Google
Group.
2.4 What’s this Google Group?
Google Groups is a free service from Google which allows people to have discussions aboutcommon interests. In the case of the MyLAFF group, when a member sends a message tomylaff@googlegroups.com it is automatically sent to all other members.
2.5 Who are the other members of MyLAFF?
Members include Government officials, staff of donor agencies and NGOs, projectexperts, academics and business people.
2.6 How many are there?
MyLAFF had 576 members by the end of September 2016.

2.7 If I join, how many messages can I expect to receive?
On average, about 5-6 messages are posted every two days. Some days there might
be double that number, while occasionally there are none. This number may increase as
more people join the Google Group.
2.8 What is the scope of discussion on MyLAFF?
While we are always keen to expand the topics covered, here are some of the things thathave been discussed over the past few months: Government plans and policies; the impact
of hydropower and mining on rural livelihoods; the role of contract farming and farmer
associations; the rapid expansion of cash crops such as maize, palm oil, sugar cane, andrubber production; investment and trade; land grabs and corruption; the work of ADB, theWB, and others; plantations, forest cover, and biodiversity.
2.9 It sounds like we can say anything, right?
Wrong! Despite this long list of topics, members are discouraged from posting every news
article they find on the web or sharing every opinion that pops into their head. All
messages should relate to issues of land, natural resource management and/or land
related investment and be of professional interest to other members.

3. Membership options
3.1 Help! I can’t cope with all these messages. What should I do?
Maybe you need to change your membership settings.
3.2 OK. How do I do that?
Go to the MyLAFF Google Groups website (see 6.3) and click on the small grey box on the
top right hand side of the screen labelled 'My Settings'. Select the option 'Membership ande-mail settings' to manage the number of e-mails you receive per day.

'My Settings' button on top right of screen

3.3 What options are there?
a) no email: nothing will arrive in your inbox, but you can continue to read or post messages
at the website.
b) abridged email: this will give you one message per day containing a summary of what has
been posted in previous 24 hours. You can click the links to read the complete messages if
desired.
c) digest email: this also gives you one email per day, but the message contains the fullcontent of what has been posted in the past 24 hrs.
d) email: this is the default option, which means that you receive each individual message as
it is posted.
3.4 Can I filter MyLAFF messages?
Yes. You can use the prefix [MyLAFF] for this purpose. The prefix is included in the subject
line for all messages, so it can be used to automatically redirect these messages to a
separate folder. This will prevent your inbox from filling up with posts from MyLAFF.
3.5 I'm not interested in this. How do I unsubscribe?
Are you sure you want to unsubscribe? If you are having trouble handling so many
messages, then consider changing your membership settings so that you get a single'digest' message every day. You could even select 'no email' but still have access to the
MyLAFF websites.

3.6 Seriously, get me out of here, OK?
If you really, really want to leave the group, you can unsubscribe at the MyLAFF Google
website. And if you can’t figure that out, just send a message to the moderator (see 1.9).
Please do NOT post an unsubscribe message to the forum.

4. Sending messages
4.1 How do I reply to a MyLAFF message?
It’s easy. Just click 'reply', write your response, and press 'send'. But remember, your reply
will go to ALL of the members, not just the person who posted the message.
4.2 What if I want to respond to the sender, not the group?
Click ‘forward’ and add the address of the person to whom you want to send the message.
(Note that if you read messages at the Google website there is "Reply to author" option at
the end of every post).
4.3 And how do I start a discussion on a new topic?
There are two ways of starting a new topic, a recommended method and the lazy method.
The recommended method is to open a blank message, type or paste the MyLAFF address(mylaff@googlegroups.com) into the message header, type in the subject, write themessage, and press 'send'. Alternatively, you can start a new discussion on the Google
Group page by selecting the red 'New Topic' button at the top left of the screen.
4.4 And the lazy method for starting a new topic?
The lazy method is to open an old message from MyLAFF, click 'reply', then change thesubject line and (optionally) delete the old content before typing your message. Please do
NOT do this. The result is that messages get jumbled up in the online version of MyLAFF,
with unrelated items filed under the topic used to start the thread. This is confusing formembers reading messages at the MyLAFF website. The 'reply' button should only be used
when adding information or opinions to an existing thread, in which case there’s no need tochange the subject line.
4.5 I tried sending a message to the MyLAFF address and it bounced back: what’s the
problem?
Maybe you are not a member! Or, if you are a member, perhaps you are sending from adifferent e-mail address to the one you used to join MyLAFF. Google only accepts
messages from senders that are included in the membership list.
4.6 Can I send messages in Burmese or other Ethnic languages?
Yes you can! When replying to a discussion already in progress then all you have to do is hit
the 'reply' button and write as normal. When creating a new topic, though, or posting anarticle or link to a text in Myanmar language please prefix all of your messages and related
articles with [MM] as this will make it easier to manage the forum and repository.
4.7 Should I post translations of articles available in both English and Myanmar
language?
Please do, the core aim of MyLAFF is the sharing of information and strengthening ofcommunication between involved parties. If you do so, though, please post the original text
and translation as separate messages, as this will make it easier to archive them in the
document repository. Remember to prefix all posts concerning articles/texts in Myanmar
language with [MM].

4.8 What's [NLM] and how is it different to normal media updates?
[NLM] = The Global New Light of Myanmar (aka Myanma Alin). We've chosen to markarticles from this source out as it is currently the go-to English language government
mouthpiece, meaning that the articles should be taken with a grain of salt. As yet, the othergovernment mouthpiece news sources are available only in Myanmar language. If you
would like to post articles from Kyemon or The Yadanabon please prefix them with [KM] or[YB] respectively, instead of the usual [MM] used for Myanmar language posts.
4.9 Can I advertise on MyLAFF?
No. This is a forum for sharing professional information. It is not the place to advertise goods
and services. The border between professional and commercial information is sometimes a
bit fuzzy, and we don't object to people making recommendations and connections, butblatant publicity for companies and products is not allowed.
4.10 What about job announcements?
Job announcements are permitted under the following conditions: the position must be in
Myanmar, and the job must require professional experience in a field related to land
management, agriculture, natural resources, land related investment, and/or ruraldevelopment. If you want to post an announcement, please remember: no attachments(see 5.8).

5. Things to avoid
5.1 Is the discussion moderated?
Generally speaking, discussion on MyLAFF is not moderated. Members can start new topics
at any time. The majority of messages are immediately forwarded to other members without
being seen or approved by the moderator.
5.2 But some members are moderated, right?
Thus far, there are no moderated members, but this may change. Members are placed on
the moderated list if they post an unhelpful message at some point. These members cancontinue to submit messages which are reviewed by the moderator. If the message isunhelpful, it will be deleted. If it is OK, it is posted to the forum.
5.3 What do you mean by an 'unhelpful message'?
Members are put on the moderated list for the following reasons: a) sending messages thatare outside the scope of the forum, b) being offensive, c) engaging in chit-chat, d) attachingfiles, e) posting 'Out of Office messages' to the group.
5.4 What type of message is considered offensive?
Members are expected to show respect for each other. They don't have to agree, in fact weenjoy a good argument! But we should stick to the facts rather than making rude remarks
about each other. You can raise questions about the policies and activities of organizations
involved in land, natural resource management and land related investment - and that
includes Government Departments, donor agencies and private companies - but please do
this without calling into question the intelligence or integrity of other members of the forum.
More advice about 'netiquette' can be found here: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/
5.5 What is the problem with 'Out of Office' messages?
If your computer sends an 'out of office' message to the MyLAFF address it will automaticallygo to ALL members (that’s a lot of people!). Some of the members don't appreciate this. Any
offender will be put on the moderated list; this will stop them from sending further messages
unless the moderator approves them.

5.6 Out of Office messages are automatic, surely you can't blame me?
Please don't see moderation in these cases as an accusation, we understand that it's notyour fault that these messages are sent, and that some organisations have them set up
independent from yourself. The software that creates Out of Office messages usually
has the ability for creating exceptions, so it's possible to avoid the issue entirely if you create
an exception within your e-mail service for MyLAFF e-mails. For example, in Outlook, try'Tools -> Out of Office Assistant -> Add Rule'.
5.7 What’s wrong with ‘chit-chat’?
MyLAFF is different from FaceBook or Twitter. Members do not appreciate casual responses
that increase the number of messages without adding any substance to the discussion, e.g.
'thanks for your suggestion’, 'thanks for your contribution', ‘I completely agree’, or ‘you mustbe joking!’. You can send this kind of message directly to the person concerned and thus
avoid overloading the inboxes of other members.
5.8 And why can't I send attachments?
Attachments should be avoided. Due to the current state of internet connectivity in Myanmar,a large number of MyLAFF members have slow connections. Documents of only a few
pages can block their access. This is particularly annoying if - after waiting for 2 or 3 hours they open a file that is of no interest to them!
5.9 So how can we share files?
You have two main options: a) If the document is already online somewhere, you can post amessage containing the link, or b) you can upload the document to the MyLAFF document
repository www.mylaff.org, and then share a link to the file.

6. The MyLAFF websites
6.1 What? There’s a MyLAFF website?
Actually there are two websites: the one provided by Google, and another that we createdfor ourselves called 'The MyLAFF Document Repository'.
6.2 What is the Repository?
This is an online library that was launched in November 2014. You can find the site at:www.mylaff.org. All MyLAFF members are given a password that can be used in conjunction
with their email address. Once you have logged in, you can search, browse, upload anddownload documents. More details are given in section 7 below.
6.3 And what is the Google website?
Our Google page is here: http://groups.google.com/group/mylaff. If you subscribe to Gmail,you can jump from your mailbox to MyLAFF by using the menu bar at the top of the page
(select ‘more’ and ‘even more’ and then ‘groups’). At the MyLAFF group page you can readthe latest discussion, post new messages, and change your membership settings. You canalso search the archive of old messages, which is very useful if you are doing any research
about rural development in Myanmar.
6.4 I tried to visit the MyLAFF Google website and it said I was not a member. What's
the problem?
You must sign in to Google before visiting the website. To sign in, please visit:https://www.google.com/groups/signin. Note that you need a Google password to sign in. If
you have not got a password, click on 'create an account now' at the signin page. It is free
and takes only a minute. Google will send you a confirmation message; once you have
responded you can visit the website.

6.5 So, I need a Gmail account to visit the MyLAFF Google website?
No. Google will allow you to create a password for any email address. Make sure - however- to use the same email address for which you are subscribed to this group (ie. the address
at which you receive MyLAFF messages).
6.6 But I need two passwords, right?
Well, you need a password for the MyLAFF Document Repository (which we will send toyou) and another password for the MyLAFF Google Group (which you select). But you canchange or select passwords so that they are identical for the two sites.
6.7 Help! I forgot my password.
For the MyLAFF Google Groups Website, go to the signin page (see 6.4) and click on ‘I
cannot access my account', and then select the appropriate option. For the MyLAFF
Repository, select the 'recover your password' option (written in green) which is below the'login' button on the wesite's homepage. You will be asked to provide an e-mail address tohave the password reminder sent to (it's easier if you provide the e-mail that you'reregistered to MyLAFF with). It if this doesn’t work, write to the moderator (see 1.9).

7. Using the repository
7.1 What is in the Repository?
The repository at www.mylaff.org contains copies of laws, training manuals, market studies,conference reports, presentations, academic papers, NGO and CSO reports, and otherdocuments pertaining to issues of land, natural resource management, and land related
investment in Myanmar. Documents are available in English, Burmese, and other ethnic
languages of Myanmar, and most are PDF format files.
7.2 How do I download a document from the Repository?
Use the 'search' or 'browse' options to find a file that has an interesting title. Click on thefilename to open a record that shows more details of that document. If you are sure youwant the document, click on the button that says 'download file'.
7.3 And how do I upload documents?
Click on 'browse' in the menu bar and open the relevant folder. Click the button that says
‘upload a document to this folder’. You will be asked to fill in some details (title, author,
date…). Then use the browse box near the bottom of the page to find the file on yourcomputer, and finally click 'submit document'. If you are not sure what to do, you can always
aim your mouse pointer at the blue information icons and a hint will appear on the screen.
7.4 I want to upload something but I don't know which folder to use?
Don't worry. The MyLAFF Repository is organized around 'virtual folders', which means thatyou can put a single file in more than one folder. If, however, you have a collection of files fora topic that is not yet included in the repository, just send a request to the moderator who
can create a new folder for you. Please don’t send the files to him; you can upload themyourself!
7.5 I uploaded a file, but it didn’t appear online. What’s going on?
It may take one or two days before your documents become visible. This is because theyneed to be reviewed and approved by the moderator. This provides an opportunity to ensure
they have been placed in the correct folders and tagged with enough information to makethem searchable.

7.7 Who owns the copyrights?
Copyright to the documents and photos is held by their respective authors and/or
photographers. The files are made available through the MyLAFF repository on the basis of‘fair use’. It is understood that members can make use of these files for non-commercial
purposes, but should acknowledge the copyright holder if this is known.
8.3 This is really clever stuff. Who created the repository?
The website and software was developed by Joakim Lagerqvist. You can contact him at
joakim.lagerqvist@gmail.com.
MyLAFF FAQv2
Casper Palmano (With thanks to Andrew Bartlett)18 Oct 2014
Send queries and suggestions to:mylaffmoderator@gmail.com