> This email account does NOT show up on my iphone or ipad, so I had 
> received the article via my gmail account from my local VA beekeeper group 
> and was concerned... I had NOT been able to read all the BEE-L news prior 
> to sending the query, so was not up to date on all of the developments.

First, thanks for meeting this head-on and explaining your experience, 
rather than feeling hurt and hiding out.  Obviously this is a 
misunderstanding and I am glad you gave us the details of what happened. 
(More on the misunderstanding later).

Second, let me sympathize with you about the off-list flames.  We often 
wonder what happens off-list, and any of us who stick our necks out have, I 
am sure, received uncivil emails after posting.  I've even had to add a few 
list members to my personal kill file from time to time.  Such is life. 
People who may be perfectly polite in person sometimes become quite abusive 
by email.

On another point, BEE-L members assume that people read the list up to 
present before posting, but I also know that many reply as they read through 
the list and hit 'send', without looking at the latest messages.  I know 
that because we get redundant replies to questions which have already been 
answered.  We also get posts asking questions which have just been asked and 
answered completely, such as yours.  Occasionally, in extreme cases, the 
moderators just dump such messages (and maybe you wish they had dumped yours 
instead of OKing it) but yours seemed fair enough, if read carefully and 
understood.

Back to misunderstandings: Your recent experience sheds some light on the 
problem.  Portable devices and cell phones used for email present new 
difficulties due to their limited screen real estate, editing and formatting 
options, and email capabilities generally.

We already have had problems with HTML email for some time now.  HTML seems 
to be the default setting these days, making it difficult for 
unsophisticated writers to clearly identify quotes,  The result is BEE-L 
posts in which it is difficult and sometimes impossible to know what is a 
quote and what is the commentary.  We also get attribution lines ascribing 
words to people who actually were arguing the opposite in a previous 
message.

Most older members know enough to use plain text email or to place carats 
">" or quotes """ before each line quoted, or -"-- begin quote ---" and "---  
end quote---" to set off a section with  but many do not, and the result is 
a jumble.  When people get new devices or computers, they often find that 
the email reply feature works in unfamiliar and frustrating ways.

I confess I had to read your original post several times to before I figured 
out what was your friend's words and what were yours, and I read it on a 
computer screen with full line lengths, not a tiny pocket device which would 
have made deciphering even more difficult.  You did make the distinction 
clear to a careful reader, but I know from experience that even when the 
message is perfectly clear and formatted according to convention, some here 
skim, see a few trigger words, then shoot from the hip.

Also, after I read and understood who said what in your message, I had to 
wonder.  You have been active here in the past and made good contributions. 
How could you not have seen Jerry's pain and suffering at the hands of 
yellow journalists and his protestations of innocence?  You explained that, 
too.  Cell phones again.

> I am now feeling a bit shocked at the response and anger directed at me 
> and trying to get my head around the fact that an honest inquiry would 
> have released such venom. It was quite a surprise to be so bombarded... Is 
> this an open forum in which it is safe to ask questions without having 
> folks then descend aggressively on one's personal email?

Sorry.  This is an open and civil (although sometimes pointed) forum and 
your participation is welcome and appreciated, BUT post here are read by 
hundreds of people, and not all of them are always stable, it seems.

You saw what happened to Jerry for doing a good deed.  We all get some abuse 
from time to time if we do anything worthwhile.  It goes with the territory.

Keep on posting, please, and thanks again for confronting this head-on and 
with good humour.

 

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