william wrote: > how about just dropping the list and inviting those who want to join to > join a NEW list, which you set up on a commercial (as opposed to > university) listserver. So everybody gets small ads on the bottom but > you get total control of who you will allow to join the new list. > > -- > - bill - > co-owner Irish Wolfhound Discussion List Actually, a former listowner did just that on Topica. The problem with that is that he was not loved and admired by a fair amount of the list membership due to some rash actions while he was a listowner. He unsubscribed the two main troublemakers but didn't stop there. He then unsubbed people he personally didn't like. Then he himself left the list in a huff. This was distinctly against list policy at the time. And in my opinion, he was one of the people fanning the flames though I'm sure he'd be shocked to find that anyone thought that. The other listowner at the time (and a current listowner, not me) was much more level headed and set things right. The "loose cannon" listowner returned as a member then left then returned then left, like a yoyo. He has undermined the credibility of the listowners to the point were some of members sneer at us every chance they get. His list, which I joined, started slowly but is getting better but he has already tossed someone he disagreed with for what IMHO was not an offense. Many will probably return when the fires are out and many, like me, are on both lists. I don't see it as a competition and wish him luck. Anyways, back to the point, yes, we are looking to set up a new list and kill the old list. But we want to move the membership minus the troublemakers. This has been requested by the majority of the members. In my opinion, we are not the "owners" as much as caretakers. But we need to find a happy medium between a democracy and dictatorship. A benevolent dictatorship. -- Walter Potter