I was a bit disconcerted to receive that notice that a new discussion group [PsychTeacher] has started up under the official sponsorship of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. As their stated aims seems rather close to those given for TIPS, one wonders why we need the duplication. However, after joining and finding out more about it, I can see that the lists serve different communities, and probably complement rather than compete with each other. PsychTeacher is rather unusual among lists in requiring that each contribution be first approved by an editorial board before it can be released for posting. This is apparently intended to protect subscribers from the inane, the off-topic, and the offensive. So it may well be preferred by those who have fled TIPS over the years because of their dissatisfaction with its failure to control such problem posts. The promise of sanitized posts on PsychTeacher may be one of its most attractive features for these people. On the other hand, some prefer to make their own decisions concerning what they choose to read, and mistrust any attempt to substitute someone else's judgement for their own. Also, my guess is that limits on acceptable topics will be enforced strongly on the new list, as there's no point in having editors who don't edit. The result is likely to be that some of the discussions I've particularly enjoyed on TIPS would be considered unacceptable on the new list. Instead, the content of PsychTeacher posts are likely to be uniformly on-topic and serious. And dull, I'll bet. So for the moment at least, I think I'll use my dual subscriptions this way. Lurk on PsychTeacher, but post on TIPS, where discussions have more opportunity to be lively. BTW, as far as I can see, Linda Woolf is no longer a subscriber to TIPS, so we owe her a special thanks for returning just long enough to let us know about the new discussion group. Think this one would have made it through the editorial board at the other place? -Stephen ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
