A quick note on Anita's note.  There are diferent ideas about running a
list.  I am a member of a list (h-demog) that covers the subject of
historical demography.  It is part of the h-net series of lists and is,
like many of them, moderated.  Messages sent to h-demog first go to the
moderators (actually two co-moderators).  If one or the other of them
approves it, it is sent on to the list.
 
This of course requires some time, and the moderators are looking for
another person to help in the co-moderation.  They ask for vitas as part
of the application.  All in all, they treat the mailing list as a
published news letter, an electronic publication, a place where only
messages which apply to the subject are wanted.
 
Since it was my first experience with such a group, I asked the moderator
if perhaps the moderation explained the relative lack of traffic on the
list, and he said that he is a member of several moderated lists which
have quite lively discussions.  I think (guess) that many of the h-net
groups are similar.  It's not really censorship, just a different way of
dealing with the medium.
 
Also I can point out that the mailing list programs (listserv, majordomo,
listproc, etc.) all allow mailing lists to be open, closed, moderated,
unmoderated, and so forth.
 
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Erich Schroeder                  Phone: (217)785-5996
Research Associate               FAX:   (217)785-2857
Illinois State Museum GIS Lab    Internet: [log in to unmask]
http://www.museum.state.il.us/0h/ismdepts/anthro/staff/erich/erich
 
These are my opinions, not those of the State of Illinois.
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