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- Hi All --
- Those of you who have set a mail action or filter to auto-trash anything with "OT" in the subject will never see this.
- I'm stepping out of the shadows at the request of a respected colleague to give some perspective on the brouhaha. Until recently I would have been unaware that this letter would constitute breaking the law, but my esteem for the members of the group dictate that I do indeed present my opinion if asked.
- Email is tricky. Most of us struggle with a mixture of hatred of emoticons, and the realization that without them the most innocuous exchange can seem sarcastic (reread the first sentence of this paragraph, and realize I truly wasn't trying to put anyone down). Understand that all my comments here may be somewhat joking, (my personality,) but still reflect my honest feelings (my respect for you all (again, not sacrastic)).
- The original intention of THUG was to bring together mac users from throughout the area to share ideas and help, but also to see how others used their computers. That was why we often rotated meetings from host to host.
- Once we made the switch to on online newsletter, we no longer had any need for dues, which had been collected to defray postage costs. The abolition of dues, believe it or not, remains the biggest upset in THUGS history. Many felt that without dues, we shouldn't be considered a club. Finally, it was decided (again, not without major contention) that a person would be considered a THUG if they signed up for the list-serve, THUGplug. I was at the meeting where it was decreed (I don't recall a vote) that if you signed on, you were a THUG, and if you didn't, you weren't. Pardon my Francais, but merde du taureau. And yet, thats where it stood.
- This turned out to be a tempest in a teapot, as everyone soon realized that the list served as a vital link between meetings, and we all learned (each in our own time) to use subject lines to indicate whether the letter was of personal interest. I understand that there are THUGs who wish not to be bothered by any mail that is not directly of interest to them (wait, that describes everybody - what I meant is not "off topic"). My feeling is that narrowing the focus too much is a disservice to the original spirit of THUG. Maybe that means we'll all have to break the law sometimes, or look the other way when others do. Would we all be eager to attend THUG meetings if there were no pre-meeting meals, and all small talk or "off topic" conversations were banned? That was rhetorical. The answer is no. (Again, sounds sarcastic when I read it, is really just my bad sense of humor.)
- This letter is longer than I intended, and will probably bring the internet to a screeching halt as it chokes the bandwidth of our venerable series of tubes. If you have questions, comments, concerns or complaints, feel free to write me directly at moss at bard dot edu, or perhaps, maybe even just share your thoughts with us all.
- Sincerely,
David Moss
THUG member since the last millennium and first webmaster
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