>I would thank for some advice from Seniors on the following:
...
>There have been problems with some subscribers. All of them are .COM
>ones: (a) Language usage is unproper; (b) Announcement guidelines
>were deliberately violated; (c) No very ethical and nothing to
>contribute to scientific discussions; (d) Using e-mail list for
>private purposes, again violating our guidelines.
...
>(1) Who, in the US, get .COM accounts other than profit enterprises ?
>
>(2) Would it be unfair to discriminate all future .COM subscribers ?
>
>(3) What would a Senior list owner do in such a case [to avoid
>    negative interferences by unqualified subscribers on academic
>    discussions].
>
>Thank you.
>Aldo-Pier Solari.
 
Anyone who can pay for access to a .com account can get one from the profit
enterprises (e.g. Delphi, America Online).  And it WOULD be unfair to
discriminate all future .com subscribers -- why penalize those who are
serious about the subject because of a few idiots?
 
Our list is an academic discussion group on the occult in all its aspects.
We face similar problems, not from .com accounts, but from posturing
would-be mages who would fight "I'm a badder wizard than you are" battles.
Consequently, we try to keep fairly tight guidelines (some say too tight),
without being heavy-handed about it.
 
What I would do, some of which you probably have already done, is: (a) send
each new listmember a copy of your guidelines and post the guidelines to
the list periodically, with a reminder that transgressors will be removed,
with or without prior warning depending on the severity of the
transgression; (b) set the list to send = private and subscription by owner
only, so that your listserve will accept postings only from listmembers,
and so that you can unsubscribe a listmember who proves not to be an asset
and make sure that person does not REsubscribe.
 
Then enforce the rules.
 
If your listserve program is listserv as such (i.e. Eric Thomas'), this can
be done -- it's how we've set it up.  (We also ask that each new subscriber
fill out a brief profile. Adding the subscriber is pretty well a rubber
stamp procedure, but it seems to scare off the flakes a bit.)  If your
program is something else, you will have to find out what the equivalents
are.
 
It's a pity that this sort of thing needs to be done, but as more and more
get onto the 'Net and treat it as an anything goes toy, there isn't much
choice for a listowner who intends to maintain a serious and productive
discussion group.  Takes more work, though, which is one reason why we have
a multiple listownership, to share the load.
 
Mario Rups, co-listowner, ARCANA
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