I am often amazed at some of the utterly tasteless and inappropriate postings I read on TexasCavers. Some postings have been rated “R” or even “X." Other postings are actually more a personal blog or diary and have no place in a forum where others must then wade through your account of having a flat tire on the way to breakfast on the day of the Grotto meeting. That sort of thing dilutes the quality of TexasCavers and has caused some members to unsubscribe. This is the price we pay for the freedom of an unmoderated listserve.
That aside, Denise is absolutely correct with her comment about how e-mails should be directed. I see some postings directed to all TexasCavers subscribers that begin with a single name and are directed solely toward one person (or a very small group). Those messages do not directly concern all subscribers. If it’s a personal comment, please direct it to that person. One personal posting often leads to several follow-up postings that add nothing to the thread. It’s all too easy to click “reply all” when it would be more appropriate to change the address box so that your two word response, “Me, too!” goes only to Joe Caver and not to the 99% of other subscribers who care not a whit about Joe’s earlier posting and even less that you agree with Joe Caver’s first comment that, often as not, is now completely detached from the original thread and misidentified on the Subject line. The fuss is mostly just an issue of e-mail etiquette. Before you post to TexasCavers, think for a moment, especially before you click “reply all.” Will quite a few readers be interested in your posting or should it be sent privately? Is it civil and reasonably on-topic for the group? Is the subject line appropriate for the message? Do you really need to include all previous postings to a certain thread to make your point? Maybe it’s time to delete a few. ===Carl Kunath -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Denise P Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 7:17 PM This is a public forum, and I think a general policy of civility is in order. If a person has a beef with someone, it would be nice if they kept their emails directed only to that person so we on Cavetex don't have to see it. You're bringing me down! My two cents, Denise
