Dale!........................This be your castle and run it as you like, hell if I'll have anyone invading mine to do as they like!...Not a chance!!!!!!!!!!!
BC
Baron C...................And the gang!!
Renaissance cycles,
Eindhoven Holland.
> I have been waiting a few days to form my thoughts and be concise in my
> response to the recent discussions about what are appropriate topics for
this list,
> who decides and who, in fact, owns the list.
>
> Let me explain my view of all this..
>
> Things are not evolutionary here on the CR list. I think the folks who
have
> been on board since the beginning will support that statement. The goal
and
> purpose of the list has been steady. The CR time-frame has been relatively
> consistent and the "rules" have been included in the Welcome message sent
to every
> single new member since the list went up. (Some folks, maybe many, did not
take
> the time to read the rules, but they have been there.)
>
> The CR list was very different, and still is, from most other web based
> forums. That was purposeful and based upon a certain logic.
>
> One of the very first premises was that this list would not be a "chat
list".
> Stream-of-consciousness messages, typed out as they occur in the author's
> mind, were not solicited. What was desired was meaty, useful information
sharing.
> Crisp, minimal mail. Mail that meant something, each post having content.
In
> the beginning, and even more so now, it was seen as undesirable to have a
> great volume of e-mail.
>
> In addition, other high standards were set for the CR list in civility and
> personal responsibility. Members were supposed to deport themselves with
> politeness in dealing with other members, on and off list. Members were
required to
> use their name and town and not to hide behind anonymous nick names. This
was
> to be a true person-to-person environment.
>
> I thought it was clear (perhaps not enough) that this was my list, I
created
> it did and do all the grub work. It is as if I invited you all to my
garage to
> talk about old bikes. I am the host and it is my garage. As long as
members
> behave in an appropriate manner (to be decided by the host) you are
welcome and
> I will extend all my hospitality. If a guest is unable to abide by the
house
> rules, they are reminded. If that guest realizes they had gone astray, is
> reasonable and cooperative, all is well, no permanent harm done. If that
guest
> flares up at the reminder, calls the host a horse's ass and says "I can do
any
> damn thing I want", they will be asked to leave...
>
> As the list grew from 15 or 20 people to 700 or so folks, it became
> increasingly difficult to maintain a cap on the mail volume. Topic
"wander" was
> rampant, people argued with me and others and attacked one another. Things
went from
> bad to worse. I was becoming depressed. At a certain crucial point, maybe
3 -4
> years ago, I decided this was not how I wanted to spend my spare(?) time
and
> I dumped the list, canceled it, finito.
>
> After a few weeks or a month, all of us who had become such friends in the
CR
> list started it over again. We had missed it. But I had learned a lesson,
lax
> administration of the basics would not again be tolerated.
>
> Despite the rules and necessity to maintain the concept, I have tried to
be
> flexible. I have not jumped on off-topic posters unless a tangent thread
> threatens.. Even then I have asked, always off-list, that the aberrant
behavior be
> curtailed. If the posters involved are cool with that and cooperate with
my
> request, no problem. If the poster gives me a "ration of s__t", they are
booted
> off the list.
>
> I get requests from every direction to expand the topic range, include
their
> favorite cycling area, a new variant. But, in reality, from a pragmatic
point
> of view, the topics should be tightened, reduced in breadth, not expanded!
You
> all know that the sheer volume of e-mail is still a huge problem with this
> list. So it will remain as is...
>
> Recently I have had a few nettling zingers thrown my way; for instance,
> statements that I cater to & allow off topic posts from certain well known
and
> in-gang folk. This irritates me as I have sent warning messages to every
single
> "famous" person on this list! At one time or the other, I have had every
> "luminary" po'ed at me! Yet I hear this favoritism crap. As you can see,
that irks
> me!
>
> Just to be absolutely clear, I "talk to" folks about being on or off
topic,
> off-list. I do not embarrass them nor force a "public" confrontation. No
one,
> except a few trusted CR members who I occasionally ask to be my witnesses,
> knows who is contacted by me for "discipline." I spend a helluva lot of
time
> asking folks to stay on topic or to follow the rules, and no one is
treated
> differently. For anyone to say that I am preferential is for them to speak
without
> any supportive information.
>
> Finally, the ownership issue.
> I think the Internet has fostered a sort of communal-think in regard to
these
> forums. I know nothing of that. All I know is that I thought of the CR
list,
> developed it, spend inordinate amount of timing screwing around with it,
with
> little or no personal benefit except that I like it. I have absolute
control
> over whether it continues or ceases to exist. I cannot understand how
someone
> else could assume "ownership" in something like the CR list in which they
have
> no active role or responsibility for, save writing a message to it when
they
> wish.
>
> The CR list is a reflection of my personal value code and is lovingly
offered
> to be shared with friends and I feel lucky to have you here with me. In
> short, like it or not, I am the darn owner! If you somehow object to my
role, you
> too can own an e-mail list tomorrow! All it takes is imagination and a lot
of
> hard work.
>
> Meanwhile, welcome to my garage. We are talking about old bikes up until
1983
> or so. Here are the <A
> HREF="http://www.classicrendezvous.com./CR_list_rules.htm">CR list
rules.</A>
>
> My deep thanks to all the very wonderful friends I have made here on the
CR
> list and I hope we can continue exploring and discovering these wonderful
old
> bikes together.
>
> Thanks,
> Dale
>
> Dale Brown
> Greensboro, North Carolina
> <A
HREF="http://www.classicrendezvous.com./main.htm">ClassicRendezvous.com</A>