On 08-Jun-07 19:07:18, ray thomas wrote:
> It should be pointed out that Alison's message is out of order.
> It is not the job of list owners to try to control or curtail
> discussion
I beg (with reservations) to differ mildly from this. Taken as
it stands, it implies that "anything goes" and the only control
over rogue posters is being shouted down by the rest.
In my own role as a moderator of CENASIA ("Central Asia and
Former Soviet Union Political Discussion List"), now much
more sober (regrettably) than it once was, I encountered
times when things got much hotter than anything ever likely
to occur on RadStats. If an email could detonate a user's
computer, this would have happened.
At times, therefore, it was necessary for the moderator to
issue a warning, and very occasionally take someone off the
list (though still able to post via the moderation process
if they wanted to), until they had time for a cold shower
or two.
But this sort of thing was rare, and only in extreme cases.
Nevertheless, when it did occur it illustrated that it can
indeed be the moderator's (aka "list-owner"'s) job to control
and curtail discussion. The alternative is that valued members
of the list will simply sign off and not come back (as also
nearly happened on occasion).
As well as vehemence, one also needs to watch out for the
compulsive off-topic poster (aka "nutter"). Again, the
moderator may need to intervene, first tactfully, then
drastically.
None of these scenarios has occurred during the recent
exchanges about eugenics etc. It may be that some of us feel
that some things are distasteful, but I've seen nothing
which (I hope) any of could not take on the chin. While a few
things may be veering slightly off-topic, on the whole the
discussion is ranging fairly freely round a central on-topic
theme; and amicably enough too -- I'm not sensing an imminent
pub brawl!
Therefore, at the end of the day I tend to agree that the
list moderator/owner does not need to intervene in the present
situation.
With best wishes to all,
Ted.
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Date: 09-Jun-07 Time: 00:28:34
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