ThinkWell Discussion List

what it is and isn't

Ælflæd of Duckford

If you haven't read the ThinkWell Home page, please do that first.

The current ThinkWell has several facets, only one of which is a discussion list. The discussion list might be all that some people want or need, and that's fine. Others won't enjoy the pace and confusion. For those, there are other options, and the ultimate goal is to have webpages with the best parts and links to similar writings. Those pages will be created from the writings of participants in several different "workshops." If you want to join the discussion list, read the guidelines below first. It won't be to everyone's tastes.
Invite your Friends!

If you want to invite friends to join that would be great, but please send the link to this page rather than a direct link to the list's page at Yahoo.

As I consider myself the hostess of ThinkWell, and it's like my house for the purposes of the project, please send people in through the front door so that they can be greeted and briefed, instead of letting them in through the window.

Thanks!
Ælflæd

What is all this really good for? It's good for improving the level of thinking in the individuals who participate and in the group they interact with. It's good for turning vague ideas into plans and convictions. An idea you have all by yourself at home can't be a conviction; ideas have to be tried out, and turned over and prodded. You have to take your idea with you everywhere and test it on people and situations, and if it holds up it can become a conviction - a strong, proven idea with some importance to you. Which do you think shows more depth of character - a person with thirty ideas or a person with one or two convictions ?

Don't let the discussions become attacks on individuals.
If enough people know who you're talking about, even if you haven't named names, either drop it or pull back and discuss it in more general terms.

The two paragraphs above are from an article on the original "philosophy practice". You might want to read that for more background and ideas.
Identify yourself honestly. Use your SCA name, at least. For those whose writing is to be saved on topic pages, I'll need biographical information or a link to an existing biography, with some information on SCA experience, kingdom, and whatever might be applicable to the topic at hand. Once the project has gone on for a while, the biographies should be fairly easy to reference, and we'll start to know one another, too.

The original 1991 ThinkWell policies:
with comments :

PUBLICATION POLICIES

(subject to later improvement)
I won’t publish things unless I have the author’s SCA name, real name, and address.
SCA name and e-mail address, at a minimum for online; all of the above for postal mail

length—no such thing as too short. Don’t know yet what’s too long.
True as ever.

content—make it productive, positive, don’t name names in a negative context
STILL GOOD

deadline—before I print again. Send what you have when you’re finished
not applicable now

format—legibly on paper (or Microsoft Word on a 3.5” diskette my Macintosh can read)
yes about the paper, no about the disk—use e-mail for files

cartoons—same as above. Don’t use recognizable people in a negative way.
Same deal. Using recognizeable people in a positive way is fine.

Anything I think might get you or me into trouble will not be published (but I might send it back to be toned down, or print excerpts or a paraphrase).
You can post it, and it might stay, but don't post what will make you look bad. Everything counts.

Please include some information about yourself, such as peerages, kingdoms in which you’ve lived—whatever you think the readers would find useful and interesting. Mundane job and education are optional, and if you think they’re pertinent you’re very welcome to include them, either within your writing or in a note to me so I can put it in. If for some reason you’d prefer not to be identified as to rank, let me know (in case I know your position and would inflict it upon you in print against your preferences). I usually use “Mistress” and rarely “Countess” so I can fault no one for preferring a lower title or no title.

[end of the original 1991 ThinkWell policies]

Don't write what you don't want public because the internet is public. Too often people think they're in a small group, but it's more like a small group with a PA system and a court reporter and a video feed. Guard your words. Only use the best of them.

Guard your thoughts. We can't hear you think, but if you're not careful about your word choices and tone, we'll know more than you wanted us to know. Try to write when you're in a good frame of mind about the topic about which you're writing.

Be honest. You'd think that would go without saying, but much dishonesty goes without saying "I was exaggerating," or "That's not really what happened," or "Those are my for-show feelings, not my real feelings." We don't need fluff or filler. We need real, honest ideas and reports and suggestions.

The next two are lifted straight from another list I help moderate. The list has over 1,000 members and is seven years old, so we're doing something right

If you have a belief or practice that you don't want held up to public examination, don't post it to the list.

When differences of opinion arise, stick to discussing ideas, not the person with whom you are disagreeing.

Open Archives of the Discussion List

Click and mail to Join the Discussion List, or if you're not on the right computer at the moment, join at groups.yahoo.com/group/ThinkWellTNG.

To discuss the list itself and the project, you can join ThinkWell Meta-Discussion by e-mail or at the TWmeta page at Yahoogroups.

ThinkWell Home

Blog * Discussion List * e-mail * address to print out

Other Ælflæd stuff