Today Eric Thomas said: >
Look  mister  wide spectrum,  if  you  have a  problem  with  me I  would
appreciate if  you would have  the courage of  stating it clearly  and of
referring  to me  by  name,  instead of  hiding  behind your  (incorrect)
interpretation of the  words of someone else and  using expressions which
allow you to claim you weren't in fact talking about me should there turn
out  to be  too many  people  standing on  the  other side  of the  line.
Ironically,  I recall  hearing  a plea  from  you for  a  general ban  of
anonymous postings, based on the fact that people should have the courage
to stand by their opinions.
 
  Eric<
 
 
Eric Thomas has fallen into the danger we all face
as list moderators:  thinking we're in charge of our listee's lives and
opinions (and thinking we have license to throw our weight around).
Everyone seems to agree he's done wonderful things for the
listserv community; I accept that and his technical capability.  I think
his rudeness is inexcusable, as common as it is to see it in the technical
world where people assume personal superiority out of possessing particular
skills.
 
Ms. Tillyer's comments about the purpose of what we do being service to the
using community remains relevant.  The corollary, to me, includes levels of
personal politeness and easiness in relations as a way of making that service
more effective.
 
Peter Graham, Rutgers University Libraries
Moderator, ExLibris
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