>What bothers me even more than promotions like this is when people
>get into the mindset that nothing ought ot be allowed on a mail list
>if it upsets (or might upset) anyone on the list. down that road lies
>pablum, but the intolerance of anything that isn't within the purview
>of the personal tunnel vision is a much larger problem than an
>occasional puff piece. God help us that someone might post something
>one person doesn't like -- we must ban everything like that.
I've been involved in an experiment along these lines. There's been a
mailing list for years for Unitarian Universalists to talk about whatever
they like, called UUs-L <http://www.iecc.com/uus-l>. The level of personal
attacks, sniping, and nitpicking has driven lots of people away, include
people who might have considered joining a Unitarian Universalist church.
So the Unitarian Universalist Association set up UU-Community, a moderated
list, to be a "kinder, gentler" list
<http://www.uua.org/lists/uu-community.html>. It's kinder and gentler, all
right, but it's also kinda boring. It just feels like there's no there there.
Margy Levine Young <margy@gurus.com>
Coauthor of "The Internet For Dummies" <http://net.gurus.com> and "Poor
Richard's Building Online Communities" <http://www.topfloor.com>. Looking
for kids' videos? Check out <http://www.greattapes.com>
References:
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