Dear Subscribers,

Well, I've caught up with the flood of posts since Friday.  First off
let me say thanks for all the votes of support.  It was not my intent to
fish for accolades, I merely wanted to open discussion unfettered for
comments on how the list runs.  Again, my thanks.

I was surprised at the volume of posts.  Some took the opportunity to
post comments that would never have made it through moderation, which
made me think moderation is a good thing. There were the usual responses
sent to the list that should have been sent to the list server, and the
person who forwarded the entire digest back to the list made me certain
that moderation is a good thing.  But back to the volume: I was
surprised at how it jumped when, moderation was turned off, and how
quickly it dropped after I turned moderation back on at 10:30PM EST last
evening.  To subscribers this might look like the moderators are holding
back on approvals, which is not the case.  Two snipes have been withheld
since last night, and one submission was returned for clarification.
Perhaps it's merely coincidence that volume dropped Sunday night as
quickly as it jumped Friday evening?  Perhaps it was a weekend thing?

Also surprising was how few suggestions there were regarding how the
list might be changed for the better, making me glad that Jim is on
vacation.  Mike's suggestion regarding the "Minimal Quoting" guideline
is under consideration, but I doubt I will sway much.  I did not (nor
will I) go back to the sysadmins requesting they reconsider their
storage concerns.  Resource utilization in the entire state of New York
is a very hot topic right now given the dire financial situation on Wall
Street and its ripple effect on NY budgets.  And as Allen has already
pointed out, excessive quoting clogs archive searches, and frankly,
excessive quoting is simply lazy writing not worthy of a University
environment!  I try to be lenient regarding quotes at the same time that
I try to hold the line.  Some of the flack I catch comes from posters
objecting to having an article cut due to quotes, and they offer
examples of posts they feel contained excessive quoting.  It's a
slippery slope.

A word about the number of moderators: At one time there were 5.  Just
as discussion on BEE-L sometimes puts contributors at odds, so too does
the occasional disagreement amongst moderators.  The 5 have dwindled to
2.  There have been "guest" moderators, and some recruits have
respectfully declined the offer.  At times when I have considered
recruiting volunteers, I realize am thankful not to have the added
stress of maintaining peace amongst a large number of volunteers.  I'm
not sure the stress of moderation is worth jeopardizing the friendships
that develop.

Finally I was reassured by the vote for keeping the discussion informed.
As I stated last Friday, there are some topics that come up on BEE-L
that although interesting and thought provoking, require at least a
modicum (or perhaps a leap) of faith to accept and practice, and said
topics have been and continue to be a force that makes sailing on BEE-L
less than smooth.  Also observed last Friday was the fact that at times
so great was the upset that lists splintered off.  Witness beesource and
Organic Beekeepers.  I do welcome cross posting from other groups, and
as noted at least some recognize the benefit of the scrutiny applied to
ideas posted on BEE-L.  I continue to encourage cross posting, but at
the same time I feel a need to curtail the level of unsubstantiated
claims allowed on BEE-L and request that ideas that remain
unsubstantiated return to the forum splintered for their discussion.
I'm not picking on any idea in particular here, but what's the
difference between CCD and ccd?  Answer: ccd is what you get if you rely
solely on small cell beekeeping!  And please, no flames, it's a joke!

My goal is to keep BEE-L running smoothly.  I welcome the introduction
of what some call "fringe" ideas.  But at the same time I recognize a
need to present an idea for thought provoking consideration, and if it
gets to a point that the idea has been discussed to a point that it
obviously requires "faith" beekeeping I will end the discussion.  I hope
this does not relegate BEE-L to a list solely for stodgy thoughts; I
enjoy thought provoking ideas as much as anyone.  But at the same time,
repeated assertions of unsubstantiated practices do not make them so.
When ideas on BEE-L become like shampoo (wash, rinse, repeat) it's time
for everyone to move on.  If at some time in the future there is reason
to reopen the discussion based on newly substantiated facts or research,
BEE-L will still be here!

Sincere thanks for continued support,
Aaron Morris

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