Re: ADMINISTRATIVE: Important Notice
Jim McMaster (mcmaster@SWENG.STORTEK.COM)
Wed, 1 Dec 1999 09:48:42 -0700
In message <Pine.OSF.4.05.9911301023330.11562-100000@unix3.is.tcu.edu>, Jon
Eid
son said:
> First off, how the SCOUTS-L list is run and managed is NOT, I repeat
> NOT open for discussion ... period!
Jon...I have no problem with abiding by any rules you set, and I do not feel
I have an "attitude."
My problem is I was moderated for seven or eight months. I do not know
exactly how long, because I was never notified when my "special" status
began. The first indication I got was when I tried to post an announcement
of our troop's first Eagle Scout in February, and got a notice it was sent to
a moderator (who took almost a week to forward it to the list, by the way.)
I tried to post eight or ten times during the ensuing seven months. A couple
of messages got posted within one day, most took 3-4 days, and a couple never
showed up at all.
Another complaint is I *still* do not know why I was moderated. I was never
told what I did wrong, despite repeated personal pleas to you and other
moderators. I also was never told when, if ever, my stint in limbo would
end. I just got unmoderated a couple of weeks ago. I am still apprehensive
it could happen again, and am really afraid to post anything now. I wonder
if the mere act of commenting on the moderation policy might get me moderated.
I suspect "over-quoting" is what did me in. I try to minimize the amount I
quote to put an answer into proper context. If my judgment of the minimum
amount conflicts with yours, I would like to know how to prevent the problem
in the future. Do you have some numeric limit on quoted lines? A ratio of
quoted to new lines? Some other formula? If so, please put that out so I
can abide by the limit.
The moderation rules are included in the welcome message sent to new
subscribers, but they were not in the version I got when I subscribed several
years ago. I now retrieve and read it periodically, but I was not aware of
the possibility of moderation until it got dropped on me.
I enjoy this list, and have gotten a lot of information that helps me to run
a good program for the Scouts. I have recommended it highly in SMF, Round
Table and every other forum I can think of. Being in "moderation limbo"
really limits the usefulness of the list. The long delays in the moderators'
forwarding messages meant I could not ask a question to which I needed an
quick answer, because it did not get asked in time. I could not participate
in a discussion because it was over by the time my opinion got posted. I
seriously considered unsubscribing out of sheer frustration.
I think the issue here is simple fairness. I make sure my Scouts know the
rules. If one of them commits an infraction, I make it a point to tell him
what he did wrong, how to correct it, how long the punishment will last, etc.
This is lacking in your current process. If you could find the time to
explain your rules clearly, you probably would have no complaints with any
policies you set.
--
Jim McMaster
mailto:mcmaster@sweng.stortek.com
Scoutmaster, Troop 70; Longs Peak Council, BSA; Boulder, CO, USA
I used to be a Buffalo...
