Shrabonti Bagchi wrote:
http://factordaily.com/silk-indias-oldest-mailing-list-history-geek-culture/
How very flattering to be mentioned favorably in such august company; especially in a week where I find myself dangerously short on positive energy. And to be called a philosopher to boot, well....
It seems that perhaps I have written with more elegance than information if I am thought primarily a railroad engineer. True, I was a railroad conductor part-time for six years, but mostly I've worked as a reference librarian and technical writer -- backed up for economic reasons with being a college instructor in electronics, tech writing, and subatomic physics -- and now in retirement I manage a non-profit historical society where my specialty is heraldry.
If I do have wisdom to share from my years in the electronic trenches, it's knowledge paid for in blood. Mostly my own, but also that drawn (inadvertently or not) by my keyboard from others. I suspect that any reasonably intelligent person who has been actively online for over thirty years would have learned as much if they pay close attention -- and are able to keep their ego at bay (something my countrymen are notoriously poor at, vis the Cheezy Poof we have running for president).
But the secondary point of the article (after Silk's historicity), is that online groups can indeed conduct civil conversations over long periods with minimal disruption. I think Silk's main advantage is not so much our 2.5 rules than Udhay's careful allocation of invitations. That, and a certain amount of self-selection when pot stirring generates no response, or worse, gentle ridicule.
The challenge is to find ways to translate this talent for civil discourse into civil society. This is a non-trivial task in this uncivil age we live in. I suppose my best hope is to practice here more, and hope it rubs off onto the rest of my encounters with humanity.
Can't hurt to try. Cheers, / Bruce /
