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Re: We'll try this for awhile...

Hello, Art and the list.

I don't know what the results of your informal poll were on this subject, but
I think your plan to change the "reply to" may well cause other problems. If
your intent is to cut down on some of the controversial (yet informative)
posts of late, I think that might be better handled by a private note from you
to the culprits (including me, if necessary) as needed.

Your plan will turn a lot of message activity into one way communication with
questions going out to the group and many (most?) answers going back
privately. People who read the list for information will be left out or will
have to ask for the information again; errors in replies or incomplete replies
may go unchallenged leading to the dissemination of false or incomplete
information; people who might otherwise reply may not, assuming someone else
has, leaving the questioner dissatisfied; conversely, the questioner might be
flooded with several messages when one or two replies on the list would have
sufficed.

It seems that the vast majority of messaging on this list is in the form of
group discussion or common interest questions and answers. The very
occasional, misdirected private message will teach the sender to be more
careful. The occasional flare-up of personalities is normal in a discussion
group and educational as well. So far, you seem to have controlled it nicely
with a warning when things get out of hand, but since most of the problem
areas seem to involve dealers or their actions, let them stand or fall in the
light of day. The good dealers will survive. I am not aware of any "cat
fights" resulting from different opinions over meteorites or their various
theories.

Part of what you need to decide is if the meteorite list is an open discussion
forum or a dealer feel-good promotion. Personally, I find how dealers treat
each other as informative as the science of meteorites and as much a part of
the collecting hobby.

Gene  

Art Jones wrote:
> 
> Good Evening;
> 
> After much deliberation, I've decided to change the list so that each
> 'reply' should go to the sender by default (I'm testing it now), and not the
> list. Hopefully this will cut down on the excess of junk mail that has been
> flooding the lines!
>
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