Re: OT: List etiquette question.

Walter A. Moores wrote:
> 
>         Richard, you have not done anything wrong and therefore don't need
> to apologize.  If you will check the archives, these so-called ogres have
> also posted OT items and nobody has gotten uptight.  I don't know what is
> wrong with them.  Both need a laxative!
> Walter Moores



You know Walter, I think I even said at one point that I have sent, and
will occasionally in the future send, an OT post. However, I don't think
that I have ever been insulting or pejorative to anyone. No one has been
flamed (at least publically) on the list, and certainly not by me.

I am not sure why you felt the need to do so. There have been
disagreements on the list before, but we have always been courteous.
Bill and I (at least that is who I think you mean) are not the only ones
who feel the the volume of OT has risen substantially. Others I hear
from privately, for their own reasons, don't wish to mail to the list. I
was actually surprised by a comment such as that coming from you.

If you go back to what I said you will find that I never said that
Richard should not have posted his request for information on night
blooming plants. I asked that those interested in continuing carry on
the discussion privately.

As an old timer on this list, I am more concerned with the volume of OT
posts than a post on any specific subject. I am merely suggesting that
if a subject comes up that is not iris related, those interested in a
discussion do so among themselves privately. What is so difficult about
that? Make up a group address list. Using the list to find others
interested in a particular subject isn't a problem. As Tom said, maybe
it will turn out that a large number of folks will be interested in an
OT subject, in which case those not interested, should appropriately use
the delete key. Once again a judgement call.

That being said, however, I do not think the existence of the OT label
should be an excuse or "fair warning" for folks to mail on any subject
their hearts desire to whatever extent they feel like. Forcing other
people to do extra work (deleting masses of messages) just to indulge
oneself is discourteous at the least. Not every email program has
filters, not everyone knows how to use them. There might even be (can
you imagine) an OT post that would catch my interest!!! If I had filters
on, I would miss it. 

I am concerned about the people we are losing because of the chaff. I
was a member of this list when there were only 25 of us. I can probably
count, without using any toes, the number of them that are still here.
When I signed on I knew zip-o about irises other than I loved them. I
learned an incredible amount from some great people. I am very sorry
that some of them left.

There are lots of other resources for gardening information on the WEB.
Other lists, News and Use groups, chat rooms and the like. Why not take
advantage of them. The Iris-l was conceived as an iris list with the
flexibility to cover other subjects as an occasional diversion. I for
one am not in favor of it diversifying as much as it has in the last 6
months or so.

All I am advocating is moderation and courtesy. 

I have said my piece, I will get down off my soap box now.

John                     | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

John Jones, jijones@ix.netcom.com
Fremont CA, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay) 
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
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