How do I…?

Mailing lists & email

Every Technical Committee (TC) runs on two separate channels: a general discussion list for Members, and a public comment facility for everyone else. Knowing which is which keeps your work in scope and on the record.

What changed since the 2010 handbook

TC mailing lists, archives, and comment facilities now run on the Higher Logic member platform, which replaced Kavi in March 2024. List addresses and public archive URLs are stable; the web interface you log in to has changed. Kavi-to-Higher-Logic transition

The three channels, and the rule for each

"Email" at a TC is not one thing. Three distinct rules govern three distinct channels, each in a different policy.

Policy requirement

Each committee is provided on formation with a general discussion email list and a means to collect public comments. All committee email lists are archived for the life of the corporation, and all committee email archives are publicly visible. OASIS Committee Operations Process §1.5.1

Policy requirement

All official communications and discussions of the TC must take place on the email list, and subscription to the general email list is required for all Members. Comments from non-TC Members, including the public, must be made via the TC's comment facility, and shall not be accepted via any other means. TC Process §1.7

Policy requirement

When a Committee Specification Draft is out for public review, comments come in through the TC's public comment facility (per §1.7). The public review itself runs for a minimum of 30 days for the initial review and a minimum of 15 days for any subsequent review of the same draft. TC Process §2.6

Which channel do I use?

How to route email by who you are and what you are doing
If you are…	…and you want to…	Use this channel
A TC Member (or above)	Discuss work, make or second a motion, deliver a Contribution	The TC's general email list (official business only happens here)
A member of the public or a non-TC Member	Send a comment on the TC's work	The TC's public comment facility (no other channel is accepted)
Anyone	Comment during a public review of a draft	The TC's public comment facility, within the review window

An Observer may follow the list but may not post to it or make Contributions; see From Observer to Member. A Contribution is not "sent" by linking to it: it must be delivered to the TC's general email list or document repository, and a URL or other reference to the document is not sufficient. TC Process §1.15

Step by step: post to your TC's general list

Confirm you are a Member. Only Members and above may post. If you are still an Observer, register first (see From Observer to Member).

Find your list address. Sign in to the OASIS member platform (Higher Logic) and open your committee's workspace; the general discussion list address is published there. Since the 2024 platform move, list addresses live on the member platform's mail domain; the historical <tc-abbrev>@lists.oasis-open.org addresses no longer carry mail.

Write a clear subject line. Because the archive is permanent and public, a descriptive subject (e.g. "Motion to approve WD-03 as CSD01") is what future readers and the minutes will rely on.

Send to the list, not to individuals. Anything that is official TC business must go to the list so it is on the record. Side conversations off-list do not count as TC communication.

Step by step: send a public comment (non-Members and the public)

Find the TC's comment facility. Every TC has a companion comment community named <tc-abbrev>-comment on the OASIS member platform (for example, csaf-comment). Its Discussion tab is the comment archive.

Read the archive freely. No account is needed to read a comment archive: the Discussion tab returns its threads to a logged-out visitor. Comments are publicly archived and must be considered by the TC, although the TC is not required to respond. The pre-2024 mailing-list archives, comment lists included, remain preserved and searchable at the TC Archives (October 1999 to July 2024).

To post, request an account. Posting into a comment community requires a free account on the member platform. Account creation is handled by OASIS staff: submit the TC Join Request form naming the comment list you need, or write to [email protected], and staff will set up your access. Then open the comment community and select "Join Community".

Do not email Members directly. A comment sent any other way (a Member's personal address, the general list, a side channel) is not accepted as a TC comment. The comment facility is the only valid route. TC Process §1.7

Tooling may change

Addresses and policy rules above are stable, but the member-platform interface evolves (Kavi gave way to Higher Logic in 2024). For the current way to reach lists and workspaces, start from OASIS Member Resources rather than bookmarking a deep link into the platform.