MMD Editorial Practices
By Richard Danzey
I was very pleased to discover this mailing list and to be accepted as a part of it. As a moderated list, I believe it is in some sense the 'property' of the owner/moderator and can take whatever form and do whatever things desired by the owner/moderator. In view of the effort involved in moderating a list, I respect that privilege, and accept that I am a 'non-voting' guest here.
Notwithstanding any of this, nor other opinions and contributions by the list participants, I enjoy it immensely and read it daily, if I can arrange it. I will continue to do so if no changes whatsoever are made.
But, there _are_ things I see which I'd rather not. And there are threads I'd enjoy which receive short shrift or which are ignored altogether (in my short-lived experience with this list, so far). I'd be happy to share them with you (all) if requested.
But one thing which I'd rather see more of in almost every way is a laissez faire kind of tolerance of the contribution of anyone who cares enough to make one. The broad outlines of the subject matter are pretty well defined. Any prohibitions can be stated explicitly in the list every now and again, as a refresher, to keep folks more or less on track. And the moderators are entitled to have their say when and wherever they wish!
I, for one, truly enjoy, and especially appreciate the differing opinions and perspectives which have become accessible with the advent of this marvelous 'universal' medium (the Internet or Web). I understand that there is a distinct trend for 'netizens' to withdraw into private 'rooms' to avoid the incursions of those whose opinions differ, or whose standards conflict. This is both understandable and not unexpected.
But society depends upon a general level of mutual acceptance and cooperation, and it's success depends on how cooperative and accepting of one another the body-politic is. There is a place for private 'clubs', even cults, perhaps, but I would argue that the greatest benefit occurs when the society is open and 'civil' in the best sense. So I would hope that any changes in this list occur in that direction.
I joined this list hoping that I could successfully acquire a player piano (probably), at a reasonable price. Unintended, I find I am enjoying many of the other things that just come up in discussion. I am sure others come to this list with differing agendas. In a spirit of openness and acceptance, we can all fulfill our objectives and multiply our enjoyment without stepping on other's toes or bruising sensibilities.
And we can do it without narrowing the focus or excluding anyone.
Best wishes,
Richard Danzey
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(Message sent Sun 9 Feb 1997, 22:12:18 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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