Sinister: Admin: PLEASE READ

[honey at xxx.org]

All listees please note.

The list mums are hereby issuing notice that there's a few too many
nearly-flames flying around on the list just now.  A "flame" is an
inflammatory or personal statement about another list member that is
practically guaranteed to incite an angry reaction of equal or stronger
proportion.  Lots of lists allow flames, or don't specifically rule
them out, but the Sinister rules expressly forbid them: Public Enemy
Number One.  This applies to all list members equally.  The lists that
allow them sometimes attract fans for a little while, but as the
arguments degenerate to two person squabbles, those lists often don't
last very long.  Sinister's approaching its fourth birthday, bless you
all.  Please do remember that you agreed to abide by the list rules
when you signed up, and flames just won't be tolerated.  Miss Print
says so.

Statements such as the above are often misinterpreted, and the list
mums are very tired, so *please* try and understand before you shout
about personal liberty: this is not an attempt to quash opinion.
Sinister thrives on well-tempered, thoughtful strong opinion.  Many of
us will have our own opinions about the arguments going on here and the
extent to which wires are getting crossed: are we *really* debating the
rights and wrongs of a band doing a tour in a particular location? or
the more general question of what responsibilities an artist has
towards its supporters? or the tone of a particular email?  I don't
know, but please decide before you mail a response to prolong this
thread of conversation, if you have to, and please try and make it a
good-natured and open response with something new to say.  Treat the
list gently, it might break; and make sure you send things to the list
you'd like to read, and would continue to read, from 10 other people a
day.  You get the list you make.

There's also a lot of mails coming in at the moment: it's
understandable with feelings running high, recent concerts, tours
planned, and those mails about Ken jogging naked with a policeman's
helmet on.  Please therefore be particularly sparing with those send
buttons at the moment.  People will have a tendency to get fed up, or
drop off as they are swamped with mails.  While you might like 35
deliciously random mails (or jokes, or one-liners) a day if you've just
joined, if you've been getting 35 a day for three years you might
appreciate some gentle restraint or special thought just now as to the
1500 receiving your mails.  Not that any of you aren't delectable.
It's just, we need to sloooow down just now, because previous
experience on the list teaches that this is the time when tempers get
frayed.  Special restraint please, including the tendency to talk about
whether we should talk about it.

And if you *haven't* ever posted, and are shy but have something
thoughtful, or witty, or apposite to say that we might all like, don't
let this put you off: you're probably exactly the person who should be
chewing their pencil right now and setting to it.

Meant kindly.
List Mum Honey xx

P.S. I said I'd take over again from surrogate list mum Linda in July.
It's August.  OK, I'm mum again as from this post, but Linda becomes
list auntie who will sometimes come around to take you to the park /
spank bums gently when required to as per terms and conditions, when I
need to sit on the sofa and eat chocolates all afternoon and watch a
weepy movie.  OK?
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