Re: [AlwaysLearning] Problem with responses.
Sandra Dodd
-=-I have an issue on which I would like help from all of you.
Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
clearances and all such things.-=-
You could make a folder within the forum and call it "politics" or
"the wider world" or something and when they get on those topics, ask
them to take it there.
Maybe.
Or you could just do what I do here and ask them to take that to a
forum that's specifically about that issue.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
clearances and all such things.-=-
You could make a folder within the forum and call it "politics" or
"the wider world" or something and when they get on those topics, ask
them to take it there.
Maybe.
Or you could just do what I do here and ask them to take that to a
forum that's specifically about that issue.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
dola dasgupta-banerji
Hi,
I have an issue on which I would like help from all of you.
Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
clearances and all such things.
I always feel difficult to encourage such discussions on a
unschooling, parenting, homeschooling forum. I face a block here
since even though in my younger days I have been a journalist and
reported against all things wrong with the world in general. Now at
this moment in life I like to focus more on the better and positive
aspects of the Universe and the world. I feel by trying to live in
harmony with myself and helping my children to do the same I might be
successful in contributing in a small way to creating peace and
compasssion and a better understanding of how the world works.
I have long given up this activist attitude and like to do quiet work
on changes and transformation.
However I often find some parents trying to connect the simplest of
parenting talk to complex world issues. For example I tried to start a
discussion on "not always completing that which we start with
parenting and unschooling in mind" and get responses on food crisis,
on dams, and oceans and mining and what not. Parents who I feel try
and connect these to how they are being with children.
Since I Iike to speak plain and direct I cannot sometime be "nice" to
such responses.
Am I wrong in feeling this way? Should I just keep quiet and
backtrack? What can I do? Or am I just overreacting?
Dola
I have an issue on which I would like help from all of you.
Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
clearances and all such things.
I always feel difficult to encourage such discussions on a
unschooling, parenting, homeschooling forum. I face a block here
since even though in my younger days I have been a journalist and
reported against all things wrong with the world in general. Now at
this moment in life I like to focus more on the better and positive
aspects of the Universe and the world. I feel by trying to live in
harmony with myself and helping my children to do the same I might be
successful in contributing in a small way to creating peace and
compasssion and a better understanding of how the world works.
I have long given up this activist attitude and like to do quiet work
on changes and transformation.
However I often find some parents trying to connect the simplest of
parenting talk to complex world issues. For example I tried to start a
discussion on "not always completing that which we start with
parenting and unschooling in mind" and get responses on food crisis,
on dams, and oceans and mining and what not. Parents who I feel try
and connect these to how they are being with children.
Since I Iike to speak plain and direct I cannot sometime be "nice" to
such responses.
Am I wrong in feeling this way? Should I just keep quiet and
backtrack? What can I do? Or am I just overreacting?
Dola
Heather
I do not think you are over reacting. You have to have a clear vision for your group and stick to it. The people who are there to learn more about unschooling will appreciate it. If you are too soft people will not think you are serious. But I do think there are kind ways to be direct and I am sure you can point people to the idea of making an activist list to discuss those other topics. Explain your place in life now, as you have to us. Good luck, Dola. :O)
~Heather Brown
~Heather Brown
--- In [email protected], dola dasgupta-banerji <doladg@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I have an issue on which I would like help from all of you.
> Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
> a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
> parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
> on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
> not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
> organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
> clearances and all such things.
>
(snip)
>
> Am I wrong in feeling this way? Should I just keep quiet and
> backtrack? What can I do? Or am I just overreacting?
>
> Dola
>
plaidpanties666
dola dasgupta-banerji <doladg@...> wrote:
It can help to steer the discussion in the direction of principles and ask people to think about How they developed the values they have - are they identical values to their parents' values?
http://sandradodd.com/haveto
Here's a snippet:
"Easy versus hard had nothing to do with choice or must. Many times we freely choose to do things that are far more difficult and unenjoyable in the moment for some later ease/ enjoyment/ positive outcome. The key is to remember the choice, the personal commitment, because that is what changes something from drudgery to joy."
---Danielle
---Meredith
>> However I often find some parents trying to connect the simplest ofThat's not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself - parents do need to figure out how their personal values relate to parenting and natural learning. Where I find people tend to get "stuck" is that they have all these strong values that they want to give to their kids - teach or impart or guide their children toward.
> parenting talk to complex world issues.
It can help to steer the discussion in the direction of principles and ask people to think about How they developed the values they have - are they identical values to their parents' values?
> Since I Iike to speak plain and direct I cannot sometime be "nice" toAre you the moderator in some capacity? Part of the onus of taking on that role is that people will take offense, sometimes when you've bent over backwards to express yourself in the kindest possible way! There's a certain value to directness, though, and a certain value to shutting down discussions firmly when they can't be gently steered back on topic. "On topic" is the key to keeping a list focused on a particular issue. We all have our pet projects, favorite causes and passions, but comparitively few places to discuss unschooling.
> such responses.
>>For example I tried to start aAre the responses on the order of "we Have To teach children to complete what they start or else..."? It might help you to see the issue of "have to" as The biggest challenge most adults face wrt understanding unschooling.
> discussion on "not always completing that which we start with
> parenting and unschooling in mind" and get responses on food crisis,
> on dams, and oceans and mining and what not.
http://sandradodd.com/haveto
Here's a snippet:
"Easy versus hard had nothing to do with choice or must. Many times we freely choose to do things that are far more difficult and unenjoyable in the moment for some later ease/ enjoyment/ positive outcome. The key is to remember the choice, the personal commitment, because that is what changes something from drudgery to joy."
---Danielle
---Meredith
Joyce Fetteroll
On Sep 24, 2010, at 8:32 AM, dola dasgupta-banerji wrote:
forum is. People join a group with their own expectations. They assume
what's important to them is important to a group with a similar
interest. And if there isn't a clear notice to tell them the group is
different than their expectations, it's likely they'll cling to their
assumption and think you're mean and controlling ;-)
It can be helpful, like Sandra suggested, to give them another forum
for such discussions. They have a need to talk about these issues with
people they believe share them, so if you give them another place to
meet that need, they're less likely to keep trying in the unschooling
area.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> But I sometime feel the real focus ofIt helps to have a very clear description of what the purpose of the
> parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
> on the group
forum is. People join a group with their own expectations. They assume
what's important to them is important to a group with a similar
interest. And if there isn't a clear notice to tell them the group is
different than their expectations, it's likely they'll cling to their
assumption and think you're mean and controlling ;-)
It can be helpful, like Sandra suggested, to give them another forum
for such discussions. They have a need to talk about these issues with
people they believe share them, so if you give them another place to
meet that need, they're less likely to keep trying in the unschooling
area.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-That's not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself - parents do
need to figure out how their personal values relate to parenting and
natural learning. Where I find people tend to get "stuck" is that they
have all these strong values that they want to give to their kids -
teach or impart or guide their children toward. -=-
The problem is when those people want to "give" those values to every
other homeschooler!
When I was first online with homeschoolers, I would get "I cannot
BELIEVE you linked to something that is pro-choice; how can you call
yourself a homeschooler!?"
Or I would get mail asking me to contact my congressman immediately
to shut down Planned Parenthood.
And still, there are large groups of people who think unschooling
should NOT involve TV or that homeschooling should NOT accept or
condone modern culture and technology, but should harken back to the
1950's (or better yet the 1850's, little-house-on-the-prairie style).
Those are all political views, though.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
need to figure out how their personal values relate to parenting and
natural learning. Where I find people tend to get "stuck" is that they
have all these strong values that they want to give to their kids -
teach or impart or guide their children toward. -=-
The problem is when those people want to "give" those values to every
other homeschooler!
When I was first online with homeschoolers, I would get "I cannot
BELIEVE you linked to something that is pro-choice; how can you call
yourself a homeschooler!?"
Or I would get mail asking me to contact my congressman immediately
to shut down Planned Parenthood.
And still, there are large groups of people who think unschooling
should NOT involve TV or that homeschooling should NOT accept or
condone modern culture and technology, but should harken back to the
1950's (or better yet the 1850's, little-house-on-the-prairie style).
Those are all political views, though.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
When I ran a Tolkien forum, it was already about a make believe world
not something that directly influences family life very much (or not
usually). I still had folders for off-topic discussions like Sandra
mentioned one can do. I didn't want the forum to be swamped by
political or religious infighting ALL over the place just wherever it
might pop up. So I didn't allow it.
People could bring articles and stuff like that to the correct folders
for discussing Off-topic things. But still, I moderated those folders
to watch for people who "get into it" with others and start fighting.
The main forum was kept lively with Tolkien trivia contests (whoever
won could be the trivia master for the next contest), Tolkien chats
which were pretty crazy and not at all serious, an adult folder for
crazy adult humor/trash talk geared for people who admitted to being
over 13 (no way to know real ages but for those who didn't want to see
it they had some protection from it being right in their face because
it blocked access to those under 13). The main forum was for talking
about Tolkien stuff. And that was it.
The forum attracted people interested in Tolkien stuff since the main
forum was strictly about Tolkien and his works and related items.
There was very little going on in the side folders for nonTolkien
issues. Not enough people wanted to argue in special folders set aside
for arguing. ;) Funny how that works. Arguing for the sake of arguing
didn't interest people.
I don't know what email list provider you're using or what kind of
controls you have over various aspects of access. That makes a
difference. There were tons of pictures in the Tolkien forum and the
ability to block individual things from uninterested newbies or
"trolls." You couldn't lurk anonymously because by default who is
online at any given moment appears in a list to the side. Yahoo
doesn't have that, and if I had an e-list in Yahoo, I'd run it totally
without side issue folders in order to keep life simpler for list
owner and readers.
~Katherine
not something that directly influences family life very much (or not
usually). I still had folders for off-topic discussions like Sandra
mentioned one can do. I didn't want the forum to be swamped by
political or religious infighting ALL over the place just wherever it
might pop up. So I didn't allow it.
People could bring articles and stuff like that to the correct folders
for discussing Off-topic things. But still, I moderated those folders
to watch for people who "get into it" with others and start fighting.
The main forum was kept lively with Tolkien trivia contests (whoever
won could be the trivia master for the next contest), Tolkien chats
which were pretty crazy and not at all serious, an adult folder for
crazy adult humor/trash talk geared for people who admitted to being
over 13 (no way to know real ages but for those who didn't want to see
it they had some protection from it being right in their face because
it blocked access to those under 13). The main forum was for talking
about Tolkien stuff. And that was it.
The forum attracted people interested in Tolkien stuff since the main
forum was strictly about Tolkien and his works and related items.
There was very little going on in the side folders for nonTolkien
issues. Not enough people wanted to argue in special folders set aside
for arguing. ;) Funny how that works. Arguing for the sake of arguing
didn't interest people.
I don't know what email list provider you're using or what kind of
controls you have over various aspects of access. That makes a
difference. There were tons of pictures in the Tolkien forum and the
ability to block individual things from uninterested newbies or
"trolls." You couldn't lurk anonymously because by default who is
online at any given moment appears in a list to the side. Yahoo
doesn't have that, and if I had an e-list in Yahoo, I'd run it totally
without side issue folders in order to keep life simpler for list
owner and readers.
~Katherine
Sandra Dodd
-=-An article about them here <http://www.ijourney.org/story.php?
sid=20 .)-=-
Thanks for bringing that link, Aravinda, so that others can see an
example of an Indian family that homeschooled without a big support
network.
Because the family wasn't using computers, and they decided their
service would be the way they lived their own lives, it's a noble
picture but it didn't help others at the time their boys were younger
(maybe it did and it's just not in the article).
The think about a list such as this, or a "ning," or any message board
dedicated to helping others understand natural learning is that if it
becomes too broad and general, some people go away. There are other
places in the world and on the web to discuss diet, religion, farming,
simple living, etc. And there are many people interested in
practicing those things who have no interest whatsoever in unschooling.
I was in touch with a couple of the earlier attempts at Indian
networking. For many years there was a taleemnet webpage out there
with a lot of my writings. That went unattended for a long time, and
now they have a newer website; the older one is gone.
I think the original question here was simply how to keep an
unschooling discussion on topic, and the answer is to be willing to
explain frequently and to risk complaints for the good of the
discussion. People are rarely happy to have a post returned. There
were at least four posts returned from this list today. When such a
decision is made by me or one of the moderators, it's about the good
of those who are more focussed on unschooling, not about the feelings
of those who don't understand WHY we would want to have such an
unschooling focus. It's not easy to do that, but when no one does it,
a forum will fall into spammified chit-chatty ruin.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sid=20 .)-=-
Thanks for bringing that link, Aravinda, so that others can see an
example of an Indian family that homeschooled without a big support
network.
Because the family wasn't using computers, and they decided their
service would be the way they lived their own lives, it's a noble
picture but it didn't help others at the time their boys were younger
(maybe it did and it's just not in the article).
The think about a list such as this, or a "ning," or any message board
dedicated to helping others understand natural learning is that if it
becomes too broad and general, some people go away. There are other
places in the world and on the web to discuss diet, religion, farming,
simple living, etc. And there are many people interested in
practicing those things who have no interest whatsoever in unschooling.
I was in touch with a couple of the earlier attempts at Indian
networking. For many years there was a taleemnet webpage out there
with a lot of my writings. That went unattended for a long time, and
now they have a newer website; the older one is gone.
I think the original question here was simply how to keep an
unschooling discussion on topic, and the answer is to be willing to
explain frequently and to risk complaints for the good of the
discussion. People are rarely happy to have a post returned. There
were at least four posts returned from this list today. When such a
decision is made by me or one of the moderators, it's about the good
of those who are more focussed on unschooling, not about the feelings
of those who don't understand WHY we would want to have such an
unschooling focus. It's not easy to do that, but when no one does it,
a forum will fall into spammified chit-chatty ruin.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
Correction (or admission of confusion):
It was a different site that had those articles of mine, I guess,
because here's what I find for the older taleemnet site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051214103125/www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/articles/index.php
If it surfaces and I remember where this discussion is, I'll bring
that link, too, for helping to date earlier online support in India.
Sandra
It was a different site that had those articles of mine, I guess,
because here's what I find for the older taleemnet site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051214103125/www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/articles/index.php
If it surfaces and I remember where this discussion is, I'll bring
that link, too, for helping to date earlier online support in India.
Sandra
Sandra Dodd
Here it is. I had to go to my http://sandradodd.com/world page with
the waybackmachine, and then to this.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060717141631/www.multiworld.org/taleemnet/homeedu/experiences.htm
I LOVE the Internet Archive. For anyone who's unaware of it, you can
find older versions of many webpages, and it can be super useful when
links go bad or when a page is accidentally deleted or editing is
botched. They have sound recordings (I keep my longer sound files
there, and you can search for unschooling).
http://www.archive.org/
Sandra
the waybackmachine, and then to this.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060717141631/www.multiworld.org/taleemnet/homeedu/experiences.htm
I LOVE the Internet Archive. For anyone who's unaware of it, you can
find older versions of many webpages, and it can be super useful when
links go bad or when a page is accidentally deleted or editing is
botched. They have sound recordings (I keep my longer sound files
there, and you can search for unschooling).
http://www.archive.org/
Sandra
lotus
Dear Dola,
There may be different views on your statement that "Unschooling/
homeschooling forums is a new concept in India." For the modern sense of unschooling / homeschooling in India, I have seen such forums, both online and offline for 10 years or so and even they did not seem new, though I was new to them. Not all are continuing today and not all are online. New forums start from time to time, and I hope they continue. I myself was introduced to concepts of learning and parenting by one such online forum years ago, and there I found that these issues of personal family life as well as social issues and connecting with the communities that have traditionally practiced what we now call unschooling, were prominent and very much connected.
So it was, that in my "enthusiasm" as you so charmingly put it, I posted according to my own understanding and practice of unschooling in my family and in my learning community (some of whom came over for dinner last week - incl from a family, who was the first example of unschooling I had ever met, 12 years ago in Gujarat, and whose sons were now grown. An article about them here <http://www.ijourney.org/story.php?sid=20 .)
Cheers,
Aravinda
There may be different views on your statement that "Unschooling/
homeschooling forums is a new concept in India." For the modern sense of unschooling / homeschooling in India, I have seen such forums, both online and offline for 10 years or so and even they did not seem new, though I was new to them. Not all are continuing today and not all are online. New forums start from time to time, and I hope they continue. I myself was introduced to concepts of learning and parenting by one such online forum years ago, and there I found that these issues of personal family life as well as social issues and connecting with the communities that have traditionally practiced what we now call unschooling, were prominent and very much connected.
So it was, that in my "enthusiasm" as you so charmingly put it, I posted according to my own understanding and practice of unschooling in my family and in my learning community (some of whom came over for dinner last week - incl from a family, who was the first example of unschooling I had ever met, 12 years ago in Gujarat, and whose sons were now grown. An article about them here <http://www.ijourney.org/story.php?sid=20 .)
Cheers,
Aravinda
--- In [email protected], dola dasgupta-banerji <doladg@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I have an issue on which I would like help from all of you.
> Unschooling/homeschooling forums is a new concept in India. So we have
> a lot of enthusiastic members. But I sometime feel the real focus of
> parenting, inner growth and unschooling get sidelined by many writers
> on the group who like talking a lot about green earth, rights of the
> not so privileged in India, and issue like food crisis, pesticides,
> organic food, income for all, displaced farmers, mining, environmental
> clearances and all such things.
>
> I always feel difficult to encourage such discussions on a
> unschooling, parenting, homeschooling forum. I face a block here
> since even though in my younger days I have been a journalist and
> reported against all things wrong with the world in general. Now at
> this moment in life I like to focus more on the better and positive
> aspects of the Universe and the world. I feel by trying to live in
> harmony with myself and helping my children to do the same I might be
> successful in contributing in a small way to creating peace and
> compasssion and a better understanding of how the world works.
>
> I have long given up this activist attitude and like to do quiet work
> on changes and transformation.
>
> However I often find some parents trying to connect the simplest of
> parenting talk to complex world issues. For example I tried to start a
> discussion on "not always completing that which we start with
> parenting and unschooling in mind" and get responses on food crisis,
> on dams, and oceans and mining and what not. Parents who I feel try
> and connect these to how they are being with children.
>
> Since I Iike to speak plain and direct I cannot sometime be "nice" to
> such responses.
>
> Am I wrong in feeling this way? Should I just keep quiet and
> backtrack? What can I do? Or am I just overreacting?
>
> Dola
>
Pam Sorooshian
On 9/27/2010 6:19 PM, lotus wrote:
listed: green earth, rights of the not so privileged in India, and
issue like food crisis, pesticides,organic food, income for all,
displaced farmers, mining, environmental clearances and all such things.
I think forums/lists/message boards, etc., should be clearly described.
If there is a forum that is described as "Social Activist Unscoolers"
then all those topics would be appropriate and welcomed by the members.
If the forum is described JUST as an unschooling forum, I think they are
off topic.
There is no reason someone can't start up a list or forum for
unschoolers who share certain beliefs that aren't related to unschooling
and name it and describe it clearly and appropriately.
When I'm on a forum that is ostensibly about unschooling, I don't want
to have to wade through social, economic, political, or religious
discussions.
It sounds like you guys have an issue on some Indian unschooling list,
which is really not going to be of interest to many people here. But the
bigger issue might be that of unschoolers being identified with certain
social or even spiritual beliefs. I think it is a mistake to let that
happen and I resent unschoolers who perpetuate it (not when they do it
out of ignorance, but when they persist in it and insist on it, I mean).
I've been writing and speaking about unschooling for a lot of years and
I doubt more than a handful of people have a clue where I stand on
social, political, economic, or spiritual issues. I have never thought
it was appropriate to talk about them on an unschooling forum.
We can't answer questions about some specific forum - you guys need to
sort that out yourselves. But I can say that the solution probably is as
simple (and as difficult) as a clear description of the purpose of the
forum.
-pam
> there I found that these issues of personal family life as well asDola was talking about things that are not related to unschooling - she
> social issues and connecting with the communities that have
> traditionally practiced what we now call unschooling, were prominent
> and very much connected.
listed: green earth, rights of the not so privileged in India, and
issue like food crisis, pesticides,organic food, income for all,
displaced farmers, mining, environmental clearances and all such things.
I think forums/lists/message boards, etc., should be clearly described.
If there is a forum that is described as "Social Activist Unscoolers"
then all those topics would be appropriate and welcomed by the members.
If the forum is described JUST as an unschooling forum, I think they are
off topic.
There is no reason someone can't start up a list or forum for
unschoolers who share certain beliefs that aren't related to unschooling
and name it and describe it clearly and appropriately.
When I'm on a forum that is ostensibly about unschooling, I don't want
to have to wade through social, economic, political, or religious
discussions.
It sounds like you guys have an issue on some Indian unschooling list,
which is really not going to be of interest to many people here. But the
bigger issue might be that of unschoolers being identified with certain
social or even spiritual beliefs. I think it is a mistake to let that
happen and I resent unschoolers who perpetuate it (not when they do it
out of ignorance, but when they persist in it and insist on it, I mean).
I've been writing and speaking about unschooling for a lot of years and
I doubt more than a handful of people have a clue where I stand on
social, political, economic, or spiritual issues. I have never thought
it was appropriate to talk about them on an unschooling forum.
We can't answer questions about some specific forum - you guys need to
sort that out yourselves. But I can say that the solution probably is as
simple (and as difficult) as a clear description of the purpose of the
forum.
-pam
katelovessunshine
>Often answers are found in the questions.
> Am I wrong in feeling this way? Should I just keep quiet and
> backtrack? What can I do? Or am I just overreacting?
Some other questions maybe to think about: Do feelings require a value judgement? Is this harmful or helpful? Is it improved by this action? Is it more important to be right or get along with the people in the forum?
For a local homeschool group, the guidelines said simply: "no politics, no religion, we play nice" and that was enough to keep heated stuff off the posts.
I'm excited to hear what you decide for your group. My guess is that the most comfortable place for the most people will be somewhere in the middle.
Kate
Sandra Dodd
-=-I'm excited to hear what you decide for your group. My guess is
that the most comfortable place for the most people will be somewhere
in the middle. -=-
When someone creates a place for a particular discussion (at a
conference, in a home, at a picnic table, on the internet) they
usually state a topic. If people wander over after it has started,
and don't know the original intent, and want to stretch and change it,
it can be difficult for the moderator to get it back to the intended,
announced topic. But I don't think "what's the most comfortable for
the most people" should be the criteria, as many people are "most
comfortable" with fluff, while very few people are willing to go to a
picnic table, a home, a conference room or to create and maintain an
internet group or list to provide fluff.
I know I'm not.
Sandra
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that the most comfortable place for the most people will be somewhere
in the middle. -=-
When someone creates a place for a particular discussion (at a
conference, in a home, at a picnic table, on the internet) they
usually state a topic. If people wander over after it has started,
and don't know the original intent, and want to stretch and change it,
it can be difficult for the moderator to get it back to the intended,
announced topic. But I don't think "what's the most comfortable for
the most people" should be the criteria, as many people are "most
comfortable" with fluff, while very few people are willing to go to a
picnic table, a home, a conference room or to create and maintain an
internet group or list to provide fluff.
I know I'm not.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]