Moderator wanted

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    While the subject of improving this list is on our minds,
    I do have an announcement.  Brother Robert Brown
    (rj@eli.wariat.org) is kindly providing the resources to
    host a moderated discussion list for Apostolics.  (The
    free-wheeling open discussion list will still exist,
    BTW).  He hopes to have that running by the New Year.
    What that means now -- we need some moderators (at least
    two, three would be better).

    Moderating a discussion list can be quite time consuming,
    and is hard work!

    The moderator must be technically astute about the way
    mailing lists work (or willing and able to learn).

    The moderator must have reliable Internet access every
    day.

    The moderator must know the social and psychological
    aspects of running a list.  As Brother Robert Brown wrote
    previously:

      "He must have pastoral abilities without pastoral
    authority.  He must intercede in situations of conflict.
    He must help in situations of both ignorance and
    arrogance.  Plus, on top of all that, he must be
    qualified to moderate in the subject matter of the list.
    He is a refereee of an academic journal that publishes
    every day.  He is also the editor -- he may even have
    legal liabilities regarding what is said on the moderated
    list, just as na editor of a newspaper has such
    liabilities.  I do not know about this aspect, but I
    would look into it myself before deciding to moderate a
    serious discussion list."

    One item that makes moderating a list much easier is
    establishing a clear moderation policy -- what's
    acceptable, what's not.  There is established netiquette
    on how unaccepable postings are rejected.  Having
    multiple moderators helps to ensure that messages are
    rejected purely from personality conflicts; it also helps
    to spread the work load.

    So, does anyone volunteer?

    Richard