"HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey" etc.  Within the bounds of
decency and good taste, an open, and perhaps even spirited :-) exchange of
opinions is certainly welcome on HOCKEY-L; however, a few recent postings
force me to remind list members of the following two points:
 
1.  Flames are not -- repeat, *not* -- repeat again, NOT!! -- welcome on
    HOCKEY-L!
 
In addition to being rude, stupid, and worthless, flames can often offend
people other than the one(s) who they are directed to.  A flame-fest tends
to discourage people from participating in the types of discussion that keeps
lists like HOCKEY-L alive; in fact, there have been instances in the past
in which people have signed off HOCKEY-L or severely reduced their partici-
pation because of the amount of flame-like traffic on the list.  This is,
to say the least, counterproductive.
 
In short, if you feel offended or slighted by something that has been posted,
and you feel you must respond with both guns blazing, first ask yourself two
questions:  Does it matter that much?  And if so, do the other hundreds or
thousands of HOCKEY-L subscribers need to know about it?  Chances are, the
answer to one or both of those questions is "no".  So if you find yourself
in the position of absolutely, positively HAVING to flame somebody, then do
so *through private electronic mail*, not on the list.  (Personally, I hope
no one out there ever feels compelled to flame anyone else -- but if you do,
keep it off HOCKEY-L.)
 
Corrections, as opposed to flames, are of course welcome on HOCKEY-L.  But
there's a big difference between "Jones didn't score that goal, Smith did"
and "Boy, what kind of moron are you?  Anyone with functioning neurons would
know that Smith scored that one!"  The former is an appropriate, as well as
useful, HOCKEY-L posting; the latter is neither.
 
If you are unsure whether what you are posting is a flame or not, ask your-
self:  Is this something I would say to the person face-to-face, without
raising my voice?  And in the context of posting on HOCKEY-L, ask yourself
if you would say it to the person face-to-face in an auditorium full of
strangers.  By and large, the level of civility on HOCKEY-L has been pretty
good over the years.  Let's work on making sure the list continues to be a
friendly place for *all* college hockey fans to visit.
 
2.  Discussion of what is or is not appropriate for HOCKEY-L is NOT a valid
    topic for HOCKEY-L.
 
Postings of the form "I don't think it's appropriate for those folks to jump
all over anybody who disagrees with them" are not welcome on HOCKEY-L.  If
you believe that something on the list is inappropriate, either send the
HOCKEY-L administrator (that's me!) a note at
[log in to unmask] or join the HOCKEY meta-discussion list
by sending the following message to [log in to unmask] :
 
subscribe hockey your-name
 
Generally, the first method will get you the quicker response :-)  The
HOCKEY list exists for discussion of issues related to the college hockey
lists (HOCKEY-L, HOCKEY3, and INFO-HOCKEY-L).
 
Again, if you have any HOCKEY-L related issues you'd like to discuss, feel
free to send me Email.  Thanks for listening.
 
 
Bill Fenwick
HOCKEY-L Administrator
[log in to unmask]
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.