John Lyon wrote:

> > So, here's some questions:
> >
> > 1) How do you deal with rude list members? Moderation and editing of
> > posts is not an option.
>
> Then you have a problem IMHO. The first thing any owner should do is
> setup the list rules and actions taken for their violation before allowing the
> first subscriber. The owner is called the owner because that is what she/he is.
> Either go by the rules or suffer the consequences. Being allowed on a list is a
> privilege, not a right. I consider my lists my home, when you are in my home
> you go by the rules....period. The firmer you are the more respect you will
> get. Most people don't want to be on a list that is 50% off topic, full of
> flames and one liners quoting entire digests.
>
> I understand your particular situation, but if your list had an experienced
> owner to begin with, you wouldn't be here looking for a host.

Having never "met" the original owner I have no idea exactly how he ran the list.
From what I can tell the membership at one point insisted that the list be totally
unmediated to avoid bias. Now we have the bias of whoever yells loudest and
longest.

The really annoying part is that the flames a cyclical, the same old stuff keeps
coming back around. In my opinion there are two types of flame wars. There are the
ones where two sides disagree, call each other names, then retreat to their corners
agreeing to disagree. The other is much worse. This is the one where someone has an
agenda or is on a mission. Those people don't give up, they are out to "convert"
the other side with an almost religious zeal. It is the focus of their lives. And
they are going to cram their ideas down your throat no matter what.

> If you move your list I would start over from scratch. MHO of course.

There is much that is good on our list amongst the flotsam and the jetsam. We are
trying to save the good part.

> > 2) Does anyone know of a free listserv server that might accept our
> > list and let us regulate it?
>
> That depends on the topic of the list.

The Blues. As in blues music.

> Advertising you have a bunch of litigation happy 1st Amendment radicals
> isn't going to help you find a host though :)

Yeah but I think we can weed them out easily enough if the host would stand behind
us. Like I said before, there are some passionate people on our list, but I need to
also state that there are only two or three constant troublemakers. We had set up a
"three strikes and you're out" policy with warnings for the first two strikes and
then having posting privileges suspended after the third. Unfortunately it was the
first person who was suspended that went over our heads to the host who then would
not support us. During his time of suspension things were quiet and on topic with
only minor flare-ups. I think we can solve our problems with just a little help.
--
Walter Potter