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Re: A modest proposal (A Modest Amendment)



I usually stay out of the moderator vs. freedom of the 'net debate, mostly
because I am ambivalent about the matter, but let me add just a couple of
quick comments.  First, as others have attested, there are moderated lists
that do not squelch lively debate about professional topics; some even
permit tangentially-related threads to occur for a while, usually until the
point where a few folks repeat their same comments ad nauseam.  Second,
there seems to be this idea out there that a moderator will necessarily
behave in a specific manner.  Moderation can be loose or strict, depending
on the guidelines by which he or she operates.  We could have a moderator
who rules with an iron fist, stamping out every bit of non-archival humor,
but we could also have someone who merely serves as a bit of a filter,
halting the flow of advertisements, and acting as a check (not a censor)
for hastily written posts that contain material that is more inflammatory
than substantive or contains ad hominem attacks.  Such a moderator could
simply enforce a "cooling off" period; i.e., writing to the poster, "are
you sure you want this to go through to the entire list?" and following the
author's (re-)considered wishes.  I am not advocating a specific course of
action - indeed, if it comes to a vote, I would abstain and be happy to
live with what the majority wants - merely pointing out that we could
appoint a moderator who follows guidelines the community generates,
debates, and, as necessary, modifies over time.

Joseph M. Komljenovich
Assistant Archivist
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
joseph.komljenovich@ny.frb.org

Any comments or statements made in this transmission reflect the views of
the sender and are not necessarily the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York.



                    "Golding, Elisabeth"
                    <EGolding@MAIL.DOS.ST       To:     ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
                    ATE.FL.US>                  cc:
                    Sent by: Archives &         Subject:     Re: A modest proposal
                    Archivists
                    <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MU
                    OHIO.EDU>


                    09/27/2001 04:04 PM
                    Please respond to
                    "Golding, Elisabeth"






A very sensible proposal, John, and one that has been made in the past to
resounding silence.  Perhaps it might be reconsidered.  I, too, am on a
number of other professional/academic listservs, almost all of which have a
moderator and none of which exhibit the level of noise of this list.
Having
a moderator does not mean allowing only certain opinions or stifling
debate;
the moderated lists I am on are characterized by lively, healthy discussion
and debate RELATING TO THE TOPIC OF THE LIST.  On the other hand, having a
moderator would resolve almost every major complaint people have had about
this list; it would eliminate the ME TOO!!! responses, the REPLY replies,
and the EARN 4 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE HOUR spams, and it would certainly
reduce the gratuitous WHAT-ARE-YOU-SOME-KIND-OF-IDIOT verbal sparring.

That last, I might add, feels particularly jarring at this time.  None of
us
has cornered the market on anger or grief, nor on the "real reasons" for
the
tragedy or the "right way" to prevent a recurrence, and I'm reasonably
certain we won't find the answers by challenging each other's motives or
integrity on this list.

Beth Golding
Florida State Archives
egolding@mail.dos.state.fl.us

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