Hi all, Bravo to Mr. Kneebone, perfectly stated! Beth Bond [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Kneebone" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 3:18 PM Subject: VA-HIST > Everyone, > > VA-HIST got underway about seven years ago. At the time, and since, we have > specified that subscribers must follow the standards of "netiquette." These > include not only the usual expectations of civilty but also other standards > unique to the Internet, especially a prohibition on posting another's > private message to the list. > > At the beginning, we were warned by other list owners to watch carefully > that the list not become the personal mouthpiece for individuals with a > particular agenda or particular point of view. With some 700 subscribers, > postings from such persons become the equivalent of a loud personal argument > occurring in a public place. When that happens a list loses subscribers, as > has happened in the past to VA-HIST. For the health of the list, we were > advised to be prepared to step in when such situations came up. > > Elizabeth Roderick has taken the primary responsibility for maintaining > VA-HIST's standards for netiquette, but she is supported by all of us who > have a stake in the healthy continuation of VA-HIST. It is difficult to > perceive persons who are still posting messages to the list as suffering > under a gag order, but we do sometimes privately request subscribers to > refrain from actions that do not serve the list. What we do is no more than > a newspaper requiring certain standards for letters to be published on the > editorial page, and newspapers also cut off discussions of certain topics > that threaten to monopolize the correspondence section. > > No one can say that the Jefferson issues did not get a thorough airing on > VA-HIST during the past several days. If you look back through the archives > of VA-HIST, you will also discover that these issues have been debated > almost annually since the list's beginnings. > > Our purpose is not to stifle discussions or to prevent anyone from posting. > If it were, why would we offer an unmoderated list? Our efforts are to > protect VA-HIST's health, and what we do is based on several year's > experience with these situations. > > Please, have a care, and let's get back to Virginia history. > > John > > John T. Kneebone [log in to unmask] > Director, Publications and Educational Services > Library of Virginia http://www.lva.lib.va.us > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html