AAonline.net produces open "facsimile AA" real time topic meetings for alcoholics on AOL. It has 49 scheduled meetings per week, and plans to add more. Approximately 40- 90 people flow through the room during any one meeting, but average attendance per meeting is 39. AAonline is a communication tool and adjunct to the AA fellowship and neither usurps nor replaces face to face meetings/groups in one location in which the AA member votes his/her group conscience on matters affecting AA as a whole.
This area was created by a man named Michael, (DCAAStep12). When he was refused admittance and told to leave an AA chat room, he felt that legitimate AA needed to be represented and protected online, a place where the 3rd tradition, for example, would be practiced. He contacted AOL and asked if he could set up meetings in a public area that would be open, accessible and not hidden with secret passwords and room names.
Although this group is dedicated to observing AA principles, being as close to the Traditions, Concepts and Warranties as possible, GSO NY/ AAWS is simply cautioning AAonline@aol to observe the traditions. AAonline is a registered member of OIAA (Online Intergroup of Alcoholic Anonymous) which is recognized by the 46th GSO Conference, April 1996, and the 47th Conference of 1997. AAonline is also listed as a recommended online (real-time) AA meeting by GSO NY, and is officially listed in the Alcoholics Anonymous Directory under the International Correspondence Meetings as an AA online meeting.
Anyone who wishes to join may, according to the 3rd Tradition, and all members who pay for AOL service can visit any sites provided by the server. AOL provides Forum sites for any and all of its members if there is enough interest, whether, it be Surfing, Traveling, Banking, Wall Street, Digital Cities, etc. They are all a part of the general service provided to any grouping or organization. AOL charges advertisers much like a newpaper does, and all of the members, so to speak buy the newspaper, and get to read the news articles, but have to put up with the advertisers.
The staff is totally volunteer, spends their own money in developing computer skills, buying the correct software to do the job, pays their own personal phone bills that result from this 12 step work to all parts of the country. Plus many of the staff spend anywhere from 3 to 40 plus hours a week in working and developing the meetings and working with newcomers to AA. The Forum Leader/ developer of AAonline not only has never received any pay or benefits, but has paid out of pocket for expenses, as well. AOL does provide staff training in AOL procedures, TOS, and ROR and preferred procedures for handling difficult situations and people as a legal requirement (as it does for all of its other Forum volunteer staffs).
Sometimes AA meetings are held in restaurants with advertising.... sometimes in synagogues, or Baptist Churches, even on Navy bases, on luxury cruises... AA has conventions in hotels, in resorts, etc......each with their own form of advertising. Most people don't assume that AA is endorsing that hotel, church, ship, or restaurant.... When you buy a newspaper with advertising (and AA does place meeting times and places in newspapers), you don't assume that the Editor of the newspaper is endorsing each product. Maybe the Grapevine doesn't have advertising, but most of the larger servers must use advertising as part of their business... AAonline has no control over AOL's advertising policy, and AOL has no control over AAonline... as we "rent" the room from them not only with individual monthly rent, but also pay the rent with over 700 plus man hours of free labor in maintaining the technical and functional management of the meeting site. AA meetings are also held on Prodigy, on Compuserve, and on multiple servers... that doesn't mean that AA endorses them either.
If you wish to avoid the advertising, and most of us do, simply bring up keyword and type in
*Note: For months now there has been now advertisements on the main meeting marquee, but that is due to a changes in Digital City that may only be temporary. The Hosts pay out of their own pocket for the web area that these pages are on to avoid Server Related Web Advertisements.
Warranty 6 (p. 73 of the AA Service Manual): "no penalties to be inflicted for nonconformity to AA principles, no fees or dues to be levied -voluntary contributions only; each AA group to conduct its internal affairs as it wishes - it being merely requested it abstain from acts that might injure AA as a whole; and finally that any group of alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an AA group provided that, as a group,they have no other purpose or affiliation."
Actually, the 46th GSO Conference has placed that responsibility of sorts of on OIAA. However,the group conscience is extremely alive and well and very vocal within AAonline. AAonline is striving to follow the AA Service Manual in as many aspects as is reasonably adaptable to the medium. AAonline started as a chat meeting in DC Talk at 8pm 7 nights a week, with Digcstep12 chairing the first 17 nights around March 1996 and opened its own AAonline Meeting Room on Feb. 15, 1997, as its membership grew. So it is only 18 months old and just now developing its "OMR/GSRs" (i.e. Online Meeting Representatives) and structured assembly, a Delegate is in the process of being selected. AAonline has an elected Chairman and Secretary who are in the process of guiding the committees and building up the membership base and training the chairs/queuepersons, holding informational meetings for the Online meeting representatives, and starting the process as indicated in Tradition 2 and aligning the AAonline Conference Room with applicable elements of structure as found in the AA Service Manual.
AOL provides the site freely as it would any other organization online as part of the membership monthly fees. AAonline has j had discussions on the 7th tradition which has not yet received substantial unanimity. The main proposal is to have a form available for members to download, print out, fill out, place in an envelope addressed to GSO and AAWS NY with their contribution. This direct contribution to GSO/AAWS could also be placed in any face to face meeting basket. There has been some discussion as to how to pay for incurred expenses such as Web page and perhaps convention displays and computer demonstrations and education about online 12 step activities at AA functions. But so far, the group conscience consensus seems to be that a Treasurer and handling money is too soon or unnecessary at this point.
By the individual member when he signs up with AOL... it is part of the AOL service to provide different Forums of interest to its members to keep a high volume of membership. Also the staff pay back to AOL for any rent, by maintaining proper decorum in the room, and by providing hosting service, its own training and management freely. The meeting is actually held in a Forum called Digital City Washington, and AA meetings have been opening up in other Digital Cities online... San Francisco, Boston, etc... eventually, each city site will probably have its own AA site, Assembly... Intergroup, etc.
That has always been a problem with online AA on many servers as well as AOL, as in the past so many self-styled AA gurus with all kinds of personal motives and corrupted AA messages have given online 12 step work a definite black eye. In AAonline's case, at present, each staff member must have been recommended by other staff members, regarding his/her sharing and AA knowledge. The applicant then fills out an application in which his/her AA experience and previous service is detailed. After confirmation of time online and TOS issues, a trial period of 6 weeks with a trained staff as mentor is begun in which the member performs duties and shares, trains with the software and studies structure, and attends staff meetings. At the end of the apprenticeship, a recommendation is required from the mentor and trainer before the person becomes official staff and handles the meeting as an offical AA host. Other than that, the meeting representatives, chairs,leaders etc. are naturally selected by the group conscience and from their sharing and participation, members can usually tell the sincerity and the "AAness" of a member. Needless to say, there are plenty of AA bleeding deacons online and hard nose AAers that tromp on anyone who violates singleness of purpose, and any other principle...... etc. Warnings as to IM solicitors, preditors, and or gurus have been done in the Alanon online rooms in some cases. Alanon is being guided and directed by their World Services in their AOL online activities and are in the 18th month of a 3 year trial period. However, the AAonline Room is in the process of developing group conscience through elected meeting representatives and democratic process so that standards of AA knowledge and evidenced time and integrity in the program will insure carrying the AA message to those who visit AAonline@aol. .
As many of the participants are new to AA, we are reaching alcoholics long before they would ever dream of walking into a face to face meeting. So we have the honor of carrying the message such as it has never been done before. Our first admonition to these newcomers is to get to a face to face meeting. Many online sobriety miracles are happening.... Of course, these newcomers only want to quit drinking and are only learning the first step, but the rest will follow as will the traditions etc. The core group of AAers who share at the meetings and do the behind the scenes 12 stepping and all of the staff have the BB, the 12 and 12, AA comes of age, the AA Service Manual etc. right next to the computer. You will find more AA Conference Approved literature typed out here than you may ever hear in a face to face meeting. However, there is no one person or body except the group conscience that judges anyone's adherence to the principles or traditions.
You will note that the DCAA hosts remain anonymous (first name, last initial) at this level, and it is recommended that participants be aware that online is a very public and world wide medium in which no control of the sharings can be assured. Just like the Grapevine, these sharings may end up in Timbuctoo or Australia for all is known. So in that regard, this medium cannot be treated like face to face meetings... and anonymity is a key tenet that needs to be impressed on members. However, you will also note, that we are not anonymous to each other, and that strong AA bonds are formed whether in IM, or in outside screen names. Also many AAonline members are meeting face to face in larger numbers and taking and talking about this venture in Area Assemblies.
You might want to email your screen name and date of sobriety to AAHomeMeet or to the OMR or DCAA of your favorite meeting to become a "home meet member." As a registered member, you may vote in decision making, online issues, and elections for your home meet. You may also receive announcements of special meetings, speakers, and events in AAonline. You may also become an OMR (Online Meeting Representative) for your meeting and participate in "group conscience" decisions and represent that meeting/group in the AAonline Assembly of OMRs and in OIAA (Online Intergroup of AA).
If you are interested in being a host/DCAA on the Service Staff of AAonline, the requirements are two years of sobriety, 6 months continuous membership on AOL with no TOS violations, 3 months participation as an Online Meeting Representative (OMR), and 2 current DCAA recommendations.. E-mail DCAASerene@aol.com for an application. Once an application is accepted, the trainee/apprenticeship period lasts for 6 weeks in which the member receives an orientation, AAonline training, is assigned a mentor and a meeting in which to practice, and works on computer skills and procedures. After receiving a DCAA /or host name , the host may enroll in further training with AOL Community Leader College and begin hosting meetings.
Many people in the past have left this amazing medium in the hands of those not sincere in providing a clearly AA oriented service online. They have missed a great opportunity to carry the message purely and selflessly.
• Who created this area?
• Is this area affiliated with The Alcoholics Anonymous Fellowship or is it part of the paid for aol service?
• Have the General Service Conference of AA or our Trutees of our General Service Board been consulted about this venture?
• Who pays the staff?
• Why does this site have advertising at the bottom of the screen when AA does not endorse or oppose any causes? Or indulge in affiliation or endorsement actual or implied?*
• Is there an actual AA group in place that is responsible and accountable to the rest of the AA fellowship in accordance with our traditions?
• How is this site supported? If it is a Group how is the 7th tradition observed?
• How is rent paid?
• What safegaurds are in place here that exist in the real fellowship to help ensure that the AA name and message of recovery and not a small groups interpretation of these are being carried to the newcomer who comes looking for a way out.
• Does the body that is responsible for this site adhere to our 12 Traditions?
• How can one be more involved in AAonline service work?
"Nothing matters more to A.A.'s future welfare than the manner in which we use this colossus of modern communication. Used unselfishly and well, it can produce results surpassing our present imagination. Should we handle this great instrument badly, we shall be shattered by the ego manifestations of our own people. Against this peril, A.A. members' anonymity before the general public is our shield and our buckler."
--Bill W. Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, 1960.