From: Paul Smeulders [mailto:psmeulders@;idirect.com]
________ Hi folks, I have made it public here that my ISP won't allow mail through this list to my e-mail box. Has somethin' to do with Topica being considered a spam source (LOOK is pretty good at filtering junk mail out, so I'm probably better off than sympaticos). Be that as it may, I find using the web interface much nicer than receiving every message in my mailbox. My delete key wears out. I (under normal circumstances) can also post to the list by logging-in and posting using the topica web interface. Well, really I can't, and that has something to do with my security settings, but it doesn't seem to be something Topica is helping me with. So I'm in a death-struggle with them. All this being the case, I find I post less to the list. I think that's pretty good, 'cuz I think more about what I'm going to say, and whom I might offend. I must say I thought closing the list to members-only MIGHT resolve some of the flaming that goes on. It's harder to flame in a community where you WILL someday meet your "targets" face to face. Happened to me, and I was all-wrong about them. A good bit of growing for me, there. Nevertheless, I hear (read) much dissatisfaction with the decision taken to limit the list. I think Les made a KEY point when he said essentially that this forum is used by non-members to pressure the board on club policy. I often wonder why non-members care so much about club policies, even if they are not members? It's a case of "I wouldn't be a member of any club who would take me??" Would the point be that IF such policy were in place, they WOULD join? I dunno. Perhaps we take Les' comment to heart, and find an alternative new process whereby the Club executive can be legitmately pressured by the membership, and where the comments of non-members can be received, aired out, but clearly judged as not requiring any Executive reply. I think we HAVE such a process, it's just that we've become victims of the convenience that e-mail and web-posting has provided, and our currrent formal process may be out of date with respect to this. Some will say "going to a bored meeting is inconvenient". I could reply, hey, if you have a problem and want it fixed, be available and ready to help fix it, don't just whine-digitally that it should be fixed by someone else. If you can't come out and whine, it probably isn't important enough to you. There are those who have done it, and it got results. Now, having written that, I would agree we might need something more modern and convenient than Bored Meeting appearances and all that. I can't think of what it would be right now. Perhaps THAT's a good subject for dialog, rather than just voting to keep status quo or not....it may keep the list as-is, but it doesn't solve the problems that (apparently) the present structure seems to present. Our current process does exert more pressure to be civil to one another, since it IS face-to-face. It's a first line in politeness. See ya'll till I break another promise to Dave Hall to NOT inconvenience him ever again. I tried. Paul Smeulders ------------------------------------------------- For list help, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Club Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (613) 230-1064 Website: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb Newsletter: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------- ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
