Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00498)

Murray Stentiford wrote:
> write anything on this list anyway. Maybe it's a confidence thing, too. I
> remember feeling pretty tentative about writing when I first joined theos-l.
> It felt a bit like trying to break into a circle of cognoscenti for whom I
> had little that could be of interest. However, after a while, I began to
> figure what notes I could usefully sing to add to the chords of the group.

     Let me share my experience in maillists. Years ago I used to be
very active in discussions in local Bulletin Boards. So I had my initial
training in messaging with a small group, most of whom I had known. One
of the things I learnt is to keep the focus on topics and subjects and
issues and not get personal. It is easier to deal with these things than
when you get personal. In the days of BBS, I have seen situations where
discussions became very personal attacks and the posters were banned
from the BBS. The second thing I noticed is that sometimes you write
something that you may have to retract or apologize for. One has to be
open about acknowledging any errors and not hesitant about apologizing.

      When I found out about theos-xxxx, one of the first things I did
was to find out "who is paying the piper" because if it is an
organization, then the payer is going to call the songs. I was very
happy to find out that none of the TS organizations had control over
theos-xxxx and that is *the* strength. Any organization soon gets
enmeshed in protecting its territory and secrecy relating to especially
money issues.

      So here I am signed on to the t*-xxx lists.

MKR