The listserv for the International Alliance for Localization (IAL) is an online communication platform for IAL members only. This listserv provides a space to share and exchange experiences, resources, inspiring initiatives and campaigns, petitions and strategies that will help further a global-to-local shift and build a strong collective voice for localization.

To take part in the IAL listserv you need to sign up as a member of the IAL here:

The IAL, launched in 2014 by Local Futures, provides a grassroots network to support place-based economies and local communities. The IAL has grown to more than 1700 members from all over the world. The IAL is open to all individuals and organizations that are interested in and/or already engaged in any action related to localization. More information about the IAL and its members can be found on the Local Futures website: International Alliance for Localization.

IAL Listserv Hosting

The listserv is hosted through https://groups.io, which is an independent communication software platform. All emails and messages sent through the IAL listserv are secure and can be viewed only by other IAL members, who have also signed up for the IAL Listserv.

All messages are checked for appropriateness of content by Local Futures moderators before being approved. The moderators may also ask you to shorten very long messages or create sub-groups for ongoing single-issue message threads. Posts that are abusive, spam or unrelated to the focus of the IAL may be denied or returned to the sender for revision.

We will attempt to review and post messages as quickly as possible, but due to differences in time zones it may take a day or more before your message gets posted to the list. Please note, our moderators only work Monday to Friday, so emails sent over the weekend will not be approved and received by the rest of the listserv members until the following Monday.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at: [email protected].

Setting up and Managing your Account

To manage your account, and view the message archive, member list, and shared documents:

→ Go to https://groups.io/g/IAL/ and click on ‘Log in’ in top right corner of the screen.

→ The first time you visit the listserv you will need to click “Forgot your password, or don’t have a password yet?”.
An initial link to login will be emailed to you. Click that link to log in.

→ You should be automatically directed to the page https://groups.io/account. On that page, you can set your own password to use for future logins.

→ After setting your password, you will see a list of groups. Click the group called “IAL” from the list.

→ You can change your password in the future by clicking on your name in the upper right corner, and then clicking on “Account“.

Changing your Settings

To change your membership subscription settings for this listserv, click the “Your Subscription“ link at the bottom of one of the emails you have received, or log in to https://groups.io/ and click on “Subscription“ in the sidebar.

There you may choose to receive emails from the listserv in 4 different formats:

1. Individually – you receive each email as they come in;
2. Digest – you receive the most recent 12 messages sent in one email (either plain text or HTML);
3. Daily summary – you will receive a daily summary, delivered in the morning, of the group’s messages from the previous day;
4. Special notices – you only receive email notifications from Local Futures moderators, including an IAL weekly update with localization-related news and resources.

Click the “Save“ button at the bottom of the screen to save your option.

If you feel like you are receiving too many messages through the listserv, instead of unsubscribing from the listserv, we encourage you to choose options 2, 3 or 4, so you don’t miss out on the communication opportunities of being an IAL member.

Sending a Message to the IAL Listserv

You can initiate a topic for conversation by sending an email to [email protected]. We encourage you to follow these recommendations when composing and sending an email:

• Be conscientious of other members and keep your messages succinct and relevant, If you are announcing an event, publication or other kind of resource, please keep the announcements to maximum of two.
• When announcing an event, share in good time, such as a week or two in advance. Include all relevant details, including as appropriate: website urls, registration instructions, whether a recording will be available afterwards, and so forth.
• Out of respect for the volume of each other’s email inboxes we ask that you not add the IAL listserv to your general mailing list or other mass distribution lists. The use or sharing of the listserv members’ contact details in other contexts is prohibited without the specific permission of the members themselves.
• Most importantly, make sure what you are announcing is relevant to localization. (To learn more about what localization is, please check out the resources on the Local Futures’ website: https://www.localfutures.org/learn-take-action/learning-guides/learn-about-localization/)

Please note the moderators reserve the right to reject any emails unrelated to localization and the purposes of the listserv and to reject repeated announcements of the same event/resource.

Replying to a Message on the IAL Listserv

We encourage you to reply to emails to create a dialogue. When replying to a message you have two options:

1. Reply to sender only – scroll to the bottom of the received message and click “Reply to Sender“. We encourage you to “reply to sender” if your reply is not relevant to the whole group;
2. Reply to the whole group – Click “Reply” and your message will go to all IAL listserv members. Please choose this option only if your message is relevant for the majority of members in the group.

General suggestions for composing your messages to the group.

• Please try to be concise – it is best to keep messages brief and to the point.  If you are sharing a long text or article, we encourage you to write a short introduction or summary and include a link to the whole resource instead of pasting a large amount of text into the body of an email;
• Please avoid ongoing single-issue posting – in-depth discussions on specific issues are welcome. However, drawn out single-issue discussions may not be of interest to the whole group.  The moderator or participants may, therefore, suggest that the conversation move to an IAL listserv sub-group set up to focus on a specific issue.
• Sign your messages – with your full name so that other members can identify you. You may also want to include your location, profession, focus or areas of work and any organizational affiliations.

Unsubscribe from the IAL Listserv

To unsubscribe from the IAL Listserv you click the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in one of the IAL listserv emails. In this screen you will have a few options for reducing the number of emails you receive: you can switch to a ‘Daily Summary’ or to ‘Special Notices Only’ or you can leave the IAL Group.

You may also unsubscribe from the IAL listserv and remain part of the IAL. In this case, you will only receive bi-annual informative e-mails from Local Futures about the IAL and you will not be able to send emails to other members or be part of IAL listserv discussions.

If you want to leave the IAL completely, you will find instructions on how to do so on the Local Futures website.