[xsl] Civil Discourse Required on XSL-List

[Tommie Usdin <btusdin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Friends 

I really hate to put on my List-Mommy Hat, but it looks to me like it
is time once again to remind all participants that in order for this
list to continue to be useful discussion on the list must be:
  1. on topic, and
  b. courteous.
Some recent discussion seems to have deviated from one or both of those
requirements.

In off list discussion both of these precepts have been questioned lately.

One participant justified off topic discussion because this is a great
place to get the attention of a lot of smart people. That may be so,
but it wont be for long it the list doesnt stay on topic. It is, in
essence, an argument that it is OK to destroy something of long-term
value for short-term convenience.

Another participant justified rudeness because other list participants
have been rude. I think of this as the but he hit me first excuse
for punching a kid on the playground. It shouldnt work in grade-school
and it doesnt work here!

Remember that list messages are plain text email. They do not include
tone of voice, facial expressions, or context. It is easy for people
to misunderstand what is intended to be playful bantering as hectoring
when they are reading plain text messages. This is a medium in which
rudeness can easily escalate and in which people take offense where
(perhaps) none was meant.

Several of you have written to me off list suggesting that one or
another list participant be banned for anti-social attitudes. I have
written (off list) to the people you named and have asked them to
play nicely with others. And I am sending this message to the whole
list:
  a. asking everyone to pay attention to their tone on the list, and
  2. telling you all that the Manners Police have been engaged on
     XSL-List.

I do have the ability to remove people from this list, but for many
reasons I prefer not to take that approach. Instead, I am asking
each list participant to be sure that your postings to the list
are clear, helpful, and polite. That does NOT mean that I want to
stop disagreements or discussion of controversial subjects. Rather,
I want to enable discussion of points on which we may disagree by
creating and environment in which we can discuss them respectfully
and courteously.

OK?

 Tommie Usdin


======================================================================
B. Tommie Usdin                        mailto:btusdin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street                           Phone: 301/315-9631
Suite 207                                    Direct Line: 301/315-9634
Rockville, MD  20850                                 Fax: 301/315-8285
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mulberry Technologies: A Consultancy Specializing in XML and SGML
======================================================================