Objection to endless censorship threads

[Roy Tennant]

I do not believe that splitting the list would be a good idea. I forsee 
problems with determining to which list something should be posted, as 
well as problems with cross-posting and keeping track of threads that 
jump (and they will jump) from one list to the other. I would also guess 
that many people on the list cannot (and perhaps should not) get by with 
subscribing to just one. Thus the majority of subscribers would then be 
on two lists instead of one, with no reduction in messages and an 
increase in headaches.

>From my experience, raging discussions on ethical dilemmas (recent 
evidence to the contrary notwithstanding) will eventually abate (for a 
time). As has already been pointed out, there *has* been some light among 
the heat, and anyone who doesn't wish to see postings on the topic can 
easily delete them based on the subject line. (Please don't flame me 
about wasting your time).

As perhaps you all have detected by now, I prefer an approach to list 
ownership that greases the wheels, maintains the infrastructure, and gets 
the heck out of the way. When I am forced to become list cop to maintain 
the list policy, I try to do so with the individual rather than to the 
list membership. Infractions have, on the whole, been very rare. So if 
you are waiting for me to jump in and say "this is enough," you will 
probably go grey waiting. If the topic is appropriate to the list and no 
blood is being spilled then I will not attempt to draw it to a close by 
asserting list owner authority. As my office mates will attest, there are 
plenty of times when I may despair of ever seeing the end of a thread *as 
a participant*, but as the list owner it is not my place to assert my 
individual will on the group regarding relative lengths of discussion 
threads.

In nearly all cases, the topics being endlessly discussed are essential 
ones to the community as a whole. If you individually find them less than 
useful, then exercise your right to not read or participate in that part 
of the discussion. But my guess is that soon you will see something 
coming across the wire that *is* of interest to you, and perhaps of such 
importance that it makes all the rest worthwhile. 

Roy Tennant
Web4Lib Owner

On Mon, 9 Jun 1997, Lori A. Schwabenbauer, Camden County Library wrote:

> The debates do go back and forth endlessly, but I find that's part of their
> value.  This is not a simple issue I can make up my mind about at one sitting.
> I've gotten a lot out of new angles and viewpoints that different list members 
> have brought out.  Maybe we should have two lists, though - one technical and
> one philosophical.  Berkeley, what about it??
> 
> *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
> Lori A. Schwabenbauer               609-772-1636 x3336
> Supervisor, Automation Services     fax 609-772-6105 
> Camden County Library               lori at camden.lib.nj.us  
> 203 Laurel Road                     http://www.cyberenet.net/~ccl/
> Voorhees, NJ  08043  USA            Opinions/ideas/gripes are mine.
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> 
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