Theos-Talk Archives (September 1993 Message tl00007)

> Should we advertise the Theos-L discussion list?

This would be a good idea.

> Here's a sample announcement I wrote:
>
>   ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>               Electronic Theosophy Study Group on INTERNET
>
>                                  9/3/93
>      ... description deleted

I'd suggest the writeup, to this point be something like:

    Electronic Theosophical Study Group on INTERNET 9/3/93
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    This is an announcement that the Theosophical Society is now
    active on the internet. Members of the Theosophical Society
    in America have recently established an internet mail list.

    It is hoped that the list will form the first Electronic
    Study Group within the Theosophical Society in America.

    This list provides a forum for informal discussion of ideas
    of concern to Theosophists, regardless of membership status.
    We--the participants--wish to serve Humanity, and not any
    specific organization.

    The list is for the free exchange of ideas relevant to
    Theosophy, and does not represent the official views of
    The Theosophical Society in America or any other organization.

    Subscription to the list does not require one to agree to
    any particular beliefs, and membership in The Theosophical
    Society is not required. Although many active contributers
    to the list may be members of a Theosophical Study Center,
    the free exchange of ideas carried on in the list is open
    to all.

    To join (subscribe to) the list, send an email message to

       listserv@char.vnet.net

    with the text of the message saying:

       subscribe theos-l NNNNN

    where "NNNNN" is your name, like "John Deva".

    If you would like further information about the list, feel
    free to ask for more information from:

       jem@char.vnet.net
       71331.3517@compuserve.com
    ------------------------------------------------------------

The reasons are

(a) that you don't want to give the impression that The Theosophical
    Society in America (e.g. Wheaton, Headquarters) is itself
    creating and managing the list,

(b) that you want to make clear one is welcome to participate
    without any organizational pressures to join anything,

(c) that the group is the *first* such group, not *the* group
    of the TS, and

(d) and that one is not subscribing to any belief system by
    participating,

I'm glad to see that the list has been created and this sort
of activity is starting up, although I do not want to give up
my T.S. membership in the Los Angeles lodge, so I could not
join the Study Center.

I've told some former PeaceNet contributors about the list and
they've passed on the information to others that they know.
You may have a few more inquiries in the next few days.

                           Eldon Tucker
                           eldon@netcom.com