Listees... I'm the so-called "flame quencher" on the Help-Team, so I know first hand the few occasions of serious disagreement between Listees that have required intervention -- and I'm quite pleased to report there have been very, VERY few. Many of us have been participants -- either contributors or lurkers -- on TWList since its inception following the inaugural WMTFest in Port Orchard, WA in 1996. The quality of the information exchange via this forum has been -- for the most part -- incredibly valuable and, as I already said, without many displays of temper, bitterness, acrimony or so-called "flame wars." A real tribute to Georgs and his crew, I think. I think we can all appreciate that when it comes to communicating with each other, there really isn't anything that can substitute for an "eyeball-to-eyeball" exchange. Using the written word (i.e., e-mail) omits voice inflection, body language, facial expression, etc. What can be intended by the writer to be a gentle nudge in the ribs in jest can sometimes be interpreted by the reader as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Especially if the reader has had a particularly bad day. We've all been there & done that. So, if someone pushes your "button" on TWList, go ahead and vent! Fire a salvo across his or her bow! BUT..... before you 'click' on that "Send" icon, maybe you might want to go back and read what you've just written. Better still, go back and read what the original post to the List said. Maybe it was just a case of misinterpretation. Good rule of thumb: Write it & be as angry as you like. Then put it into the "Drafts" file and come back and read it tomorrow. Bet you won't send it! ;-) On another note: Occasionally contributors will post opinions to TWList that don't set well with some readers. As Help Team Member Alex Hirsekorn recently said, if you don't necessarily agree and wish to respond, first consider if your particular contribution will help to advance the thread constructively. Is there a chance it will just be considered part of the background "noise?" If the former, then by all means post to the List at large. If not, maybe a private reply is more appropriate. Probably safer, too. In some instances, maybe no reply at all is the way to go. We've all seen the occasional post that is so ridiculous that it requires no response -- and I'm sure we ask ourselves why it was even sent to the List. The other side of this coin is the inane reply: "Right On!" or "Way to go!" or "Me, too!" Pretty ridiculous, don'tcha think, and not really necessary. There have been a couple of cases, however, where a response was an outright "poke in the eye." They were provocative and downright mean. It hasn't happened, I'm happy to say, very often. That's where I've had to weigh in -- and I have done it privately with a Cc: copy to the Help Team. A couple of times I've asked Georgs to suspend someone & let them cool off. Usually, the Help Team weighs in with a vote prior to suspension, but not always. TWList is not -- in the strictest sense -- a "First Amendment" forum. Our Listmeister pays for the List and therefore sets the rules. Georgs is a pretty tolerant chap, except when it comes to "his" List. It's either his way, or the highway. Initially, in the early days of the List, he was loathe to suspend almost anybody and was more than charitable in giving the benefit of the doubt. Not so now. The List is approaching One Thousand members. I'd like to suggest that from time-to-time we all should go back and read the TWL "rules of the road" received when we signed on. Those rules are what keep Trawler-World-List what it is: One of the most civil forums on the Internet. There is an inordinate amount of valuable information exchanged here. I congratulate all the members for making my job on the TWList Help Team relatively easy. Cheers & regards. j Jerry Munson, TWList Help Team Anacortes, WA 98221-3158