In message 0acc01c0ac79$eacabf70$0a00a8c0@codex, Una McCormack una@qresearch.org.uk writes
Jacqueline wrote:
And a request to Calle: please don't ever start something like the roll call on lysator. Being told what to post and when to post it at anyone's whim (the two times I saw it happen, it generally started with someone going "ooh, let's do a roll call again") is so offensive to me that I had to leave Freedom City because of it. So when someone (I forgot who) suggested an obligatory posting to show everyone who we are, my first thought was "oh no, please don't drive me off this list, too!"
Jacqueline sums up my only concern about it, which is that I know some people detest the idea and wouldn't want to take part.
Personally, I'm happy to post to a roll call and I love reading other people's roll call posts. But I would never want it to be compulsory.
Replying somewhat late, as I've been away from a modem for a while. I had better state up front that this is simply explaining my personal views on the subject of the roll call, and that I have no problem with other people not sharing them.
I'm one of the people who really, *really* likes the idea of compulsory roll calls on The Other List. In my case, it's *because* I'm a believer in the right to privacy. (Anyone seriously want to accuse me being a fluffy friendly bunnie-wunnie who wants a hugs and kisses list?)
The City is a private, (theoretically) unarchived list, that's supposed to provide a safe environment for people to witter on about things they might not care to talk about in a more public forum. A private club, although one where the membership is not restrictive. As part of that, I want to know who those members are. I want to know who that is who's listening to me. I think I should have the right to know who those people are. Not necessarily their Real Life names, or their Real Lives, but who the net personae are. That belief was, I understand, one of the original City's founding principles. I, and others, get pretty uncomfortable with the idea of someone who wants to listen to me talking about some pretty personal and/or controversial stuff, without doing me the courtesy of letting me know that they're there. I can understand why other people feel the opposite way, but for me, unpleasant (and dangerous) real life experience made my concerns about who's listening give top priority to the need to know who that is hiding in the corner, rather than the need to hide my own identity.
The Lyst is different. It's a very public forum, and I know that when I post. The older archives are available to anyone with web access, and until the advent of the spam trap you didn't have to be subscribed to post to the Lyst, so until recently it wasn't as if a subscription list was any use in telling you who was out there, anyway. I don't see any need for a roll call - and to be accurate about it, I don't see any need for a long, detailed response to the roll call on The Other List. My paranoia is more or less satisfied by a list of subscribed email addresses:-)
Yes, it's nice to have some idea about the other people on the lists, and on a compulsory roll call Over There I will and have made rude comments about responses that consist solely of the email address, but I don't actually want to know where you all live and how many children you have. If I want to know anything at all, it's only those things that bear upon on-topic discussion. Most of those will show up sooner or later anyway (go on, name members who do maths, physics, sociology or law for a living...), the roll call wibble is simply a quick and friendly way of keying in newcomers, and giving the shy ones an excuse to post *something*. To be honest, we could do most of that equally well on the bit of Judith's website given over to potted biographies of list members. (Hi, I'm Julia, I'm an INTx and a founding member of the RABSH, and I'm not *quite* as frightening in real life. Honest.) At least we could, if more than half a dozen of us had bothered to do so:-) Yes, I know, and since it was my idea in the first place <smacks wrist>...