Hi all, I had to hammer things a bit yesterday, and it seems that I created some uncertainty about what *IS* allowed on the list. We've got a lot of new people aboard, so its going to take some time and effort to get us all on the same page.
Remember that my aim is to make the list useful and a good place to learn and share. That means balancing competing interests and appetites, controlling list volume while still encouraging a sense of community, encouraging diverse people to work together, or at least leave each other alone, and seeing that members' needs are met without others being hurt. I thank the members who raised questions with me in private. I need that feedback to know when things are straying. The following was posted a couple weeks back when I was reexamining and strengthening the list rules, and represents my current thinking: >>>>>begin included text... COURTESY ALWAYS: Civil, courteous, and considerate behavior is required at all times and in all discussions, regardless of topic. Aggressive behavior is not allowed. Attacks, ridicule or insults against the person, ideas, education, beliefs, or opinions of any other list member are not acceptable behavior. This applies equally to off-list behavior toward list members. Criticism of other list members' behavior or how the list is being run must be directed to the list owner, privately and not on the list. No List Cops! PERMITTED TOPICS: Any Colloidal Silver related topic or question may be raised and discussed until it is obviously exhausted. Any alternative health-related question may be asked, and answers may be given regardless of whether they are related to Colloidal Silver or not. HOWEVER... Alternative health related topics *NOT* related to Colloidal Silver will be ended or taken off list as soon as basic information is given and important resources identified. Brief heads-up messages about legislation, regulation, or politics of relevence to Colloidal Silver or *important* alternative health issues may be posted *occasionally*, with follow-up to be taken off list. A *modest* amount of humor, chit-chat, friendly banter and encouragement is condoned, and is indeed important for the well-being of the list. Such threads should be *brief*, seldom more than a small handful of messages. Such off topic "noise" must be allowed in order to foster the friendly, welcoming environment we seek. It is, however a privilege. Please do not abuse it. NO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY: This is a non-commercial forum. No vendor may participate except as a private individual. No promotion of any kind is permitted without my prior, explicit approval of each occurrence. No vendor or representative may promote a particular product or malign any other. Exception: Reasonable use of signature files and taglines is permitted. The list owner will judge what is "reasonable." No vendor sales or solicitation is permitted except in private e-mail. It is each member's responsibility to make sure all business is conducted privately and not on the list, but it is especially the vendors' responsibility to know *how* to reply off list to avoid violating this rule. PROHIBITED TOPICS: Experience shows that certain topics are clear losers, no matter how carefully they are treated. Politics is forbidden unless it relates *directly* to CS or *important* alternative health issues, as mentioned above. Do not discuss parties, elections, politicians, policy, or philosophy. Do not raise divisive issues -- you know which ones! Do not *reply* to political comments made by others -- Nope, not even to be "fair!" Religion, mysticism, or spirituality are to be avoided as topics for discussion. There is no comment you can make that will not risk offending someone. Overt evangelization is not permitted. Do not reply to religious remarks made by others. I am not asking you to de-God everything you say, do or think, however. Brief greetings, thanks, and prayer requests or offerings are acceptable. The occasional "God bless", or "you're in our prayers" will not be seen as a transgression. Modest tag lines or signature files may also be used. I say again: Criticism of other list members' behavior or how the list is being run must be directed to the list owner, privately and not on the list. No List Cops! OFF TOPIC POSTS: Posts that are clearly Off Topic are generally discouraged. Do not start an obviously off topic thread. Do not reply to off topic posts made by others. If a thread morphs off-topic, end it or take it off list! There should not be lengthy threads on obviously off-topic subjects. This does *not* apply to threads that result from someone's health related questions as described in the Permitted Topics section above. If in doubt, or you have a special need you believe justifies an off topic post, please ask me in private e-mail. >>>>>>>>>>end of included text Remember, we always have the [email protected] to use for discussion of religion, politics, or alt-health things unrelated to CS. Everybody who's a contributor to the list is encouraged to subscribe and use it for the overflow. List traffic is relatively high right now. We need to keep close to topic and do what we can to not overwhelm everyone. We've already lost a few folks who couldn't keep up. That said, we can't clamp down so tight it strangles our enthusiasm. I welcome your comments and questions. If anything is not clear I'd like to know it so I can tweak the rules to fit. Be well, Mike Devour silver-list owner [Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian] [[email protected] ] [Speaking only for myself... ] -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
