[Sigia-l] Evidence of list success (was Ziya, constitution, rules, etc.)

[Lyle_Kantrovich at cargill.com]

As someone who's been subscribed for just over three years, I'd like to 
offer a few thoughts:

- I have seen the tone and membership of this list change over time - 
not always for the better.
- I have talked to people face to face who've left because of or feel 
intimidated by some of the discussion here.  (i.e. flames aren't the 
same as healthy debate nor do they invite new voices and perspectives)
- Nobody's perfect.  I've probably over-reacted to a post here once or 
twice in the past, as a matter of fact I've even been told to tone it 
down by peers at least once that I recall.  (I've also had others goad 
me on in the same "debate" - just because others encouraged me doesn't 
mean I was right.)
- While this may be a regular "community" for some, we can't forget that 
there are always newcomers, and that first impressions are often lasting 
ones.  (e.g. I'm concerned that newcomers this week think this list is 
about bickering about running the list, not IA.)  
- Ziya once said "I don't know the history of the list. I never needed 
to use the archives. So I don't even know that they exist."  (Tue Dec 18 
2001 - 22:27:25 EST) 
http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/0112/0147.html  The archives are 
great :-) and we should point people to them in as helpful a way as 
possible.  We should also keep in mind that they are not the most usable 
- as this quote from a list members shows "If you could find it and 
point me to it, I'd appreciate it. I checked the archives, but must have 
been using the wrong keywords."

This list is still a great resource for me, even though I don't read it 
every day or even every week. I still refer newcomers to IA/IxD/UX to 
this list.  

We are all hosts and moderators here in some way.  I found the following 
list and think it outlines things we'd all like to achieve here -- and I 
pledge to try.

WHAT AN ONLINE HOST WANTS TO ACHIEVE: 
- The ongoing goal is civil discourse: all kinds of people having 
conversations and arguments about a variety of subjects and treating 
each other decently. 

-Authentic conversations -- from the head, the heart, and the gut. 

-A feeling of ownership. Participants become evangelists. 

-A spirit of group creativity, experimentation, exploration, good will. 

-A shared commitment to work together toward better communication, 
better conversations. If this is achieved, nothing else is needed. 

-A system where people figure out where the conversation is going, by 
themselves, and settle conflicts among themselves