[RP TownTalk] Respect

[Alan K. Thompson]

Dear TownTalkers,

Due to a confluence of school closings, doctor's appointments, long
meetings, and a bunch of necessary errands, the list wasn't being
watched by a moderator for several hours this afternoon.  I apologize
for that, but real life does intervene for the volunteers who keep
these lists going.

A few postings mentioned "tone" and "tenor."  The posting guidelines
state "we respect the opinions of our fellow citizens" and that
respect extends to tone as well as the words themselves.  I prefer as
list moderator to interpret just the words, as tone is a subtle thing
in e-mail, but the words AND the tone must be respectful, or the
posting violates the posting guidelines.

It's all too easy when writing an e-mail to forget that the person
you're writing it to is, in fact, a human being, with feeling that can
be hurt.  In the case of an e-mail list, an attack on a member can be
felt sympathetically by dozens of other list members, many of whom the
attacker may not even know are reading their message.

At this point in the day, I think we should all stand up from our
keyboards, stretch, find a friend, family member, or pet who needs
some face-to-face interaction, and relax for the evening.  We can
start again tomorrow to passionately, but respectfully, discuss the
issues our town faces and possible solutions.

Regards,

Alan Thompson
E-mail List Administrator
Town of Riverdale Park