Re: The Who Digest Vol 3 Num 79

[WFang01@aol.com]

Eddie, re:

>That list is a digest only forum and he deletes posts that are flames or off
topic so they don't get shipped out. He also reads every post and sometimes
comments on them...

Sounds like a full time job! Somehow, I think Paul already has one. :) What
your "censor friend" also may be doing is deleting posts that disagree with
"his" opinion. Once you start censorship, there's no end to it. In the early
days of Prodigy, approximately 50% of members posts were returned for a
various bunch of reasons that had nothing to do with anything "real".
Eventually (after several years of member's complaints) they changed their
policies and "loosened up" a bit, then... a LOT... Some people feel very
"protected" in that environment as they only want to see or read what THEY
came to participate in. Most people's needs and desires are VERY different
from one another. I don't know of anyone I'd want to be "judge and jury" over
me, do you? 

Flame wars/fights, aren't necessarily a "bad thing" either. It sometimes
gives people an avenue to vent, get their feelings out in the open, and
before you know it, it's over. In a format like this, it's often difficult to
"get a reading" on people as interactions of the majority are brief and often
non-existant. However, when you're in the middle of a "fight", you learn very
quickly who your real friends are, and who they aren't. I think people are
entitled to make mistakes, be eccentric, etc and every now and then, BOOM! If
that's the worst thing that ever happened to someone, I'd say they are doing
pret-ty good...

As for people "leaving"... People come and go all the time and they don't
announce it. Their lifestyle changes, they're bored, they're busy, etc. It's
normal, it's natural, it's part of life. At some point in time, this "list"
or an evolution of this list will be quite a bit larger. Currently, there's
over 300 people. At some point, that number will grow to the 1,000s. There
will be a lot more traffic, different opinions, fights, the whole nine yards.
It WILL be a lot more difficult to manage, read, wade through and perhaps the
list will break off into different "interest" groups. 

'nuf said...

-wf  "...from wiser folks who've been through it all, to the faded names
sprayed up on the wall..."