OT-Chat: taking a sabbatical
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: OT-Chat: taking a sabbatical
- From: R* T*
- Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 21:06:04 PDT
Having been a list member for 3 years now, I've seen most of the changes
that John mentioned, as they happened. I remember those first few months I
was online, I soaked up every bit of information I could-- I read *every
single* message that came through-- I was amazed that there was so much to
this. It was wonderful and exciting.
The past three years on this list (in its various incarnations) have been,
for the most part, a wonderful experience. I've met so many people, and
made so many new friends. I've also done some growing up-- which can be
painful when you choose to actively participate in an adult forum when
you're operating at a completely different maturity level/ life experience
level/--completely different place in life than virtually everyone else on
the list. And it led to a few problems along the way.
There are things I've said, in the frustration of trying to get 300 people
to understand where I was coming from, that I do regret. I've always tried
to be a productive member of our little society here, and , for the most
part, I think the lady, who in my first weeks online told me "don't you dare
leave our list", would be proud. I hope she would.
In fact, it is a sense of duty that has kept me from unsubscribing for
months. But I finally realized that it's no longer "our" list. All of the
people I loved corresponding with; the people I learned so much from, have
disappeared: among the many-- Rimat, Donald Mosser, Marte in the Mtns, Celia
Storey, Ruth Simmons.
Maybe it's my disappointment at the self-aggrandizing behavior of some of
our members. Or my disappointment at the apparant apathy of our other
members. Maybe it's because I realize that, as a "newbie," I wouldn't have
survived 3 days on the list in its current state, and would have given up
irising forever had I been greeted with the kind of behavior I've witnessed
this past year. Maybe it's the fact that I know that one of my dearest
friends was treated hatefully by one of our (respected) members right before
her death. For whatever reasons, posting--and even *reading*--email on
iris-talk leaves a bitter taste.
So, to keep myself from burning out, I am unsubscribing. Not permanently.
But for a long time. And it is my sincerest hope that when I do return,
our community resembles something more friendly, something more like the
iris-l of old. I count John and Joanne among my dearest friends. I cannot
even begin to fathom the work he puts into making this all work, into making
this a forum for *all* iris lovers. And how many times have we seen that
ruined for a new list member because of self-appointed netiquette enforcers?
Please, y'all, let John do his job.
That's all. Any comments, please send to RTburg@hotmail.com, or if you want
to post an on-list reply, CC me. I am unsubscribing upon receipt of this
email.
Again, thanks to all who made (and still make) this list a wonderful place.
Rusty Thornsburg
Member, Fort Worth Iris Society, Iris Society of Dallas, AIS, RIS, TBIS
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