Quoting Larry Bloch on Tuesday March 22, 2005:
| 
| Are there list rules? If so, can you post them to the list?

There are no strict rules, rather a guiding principle which is on the web
page which reads:

   The DNS list is an unmoderated forum for discussing issues relating
   to .au. There is no formal charter at this time. A light-touch
   administrative policy applies whereby members will be removed if they
   seriously breach the harmony of the list.

However I'd add that I do not consider a discussion of 20 or so emails
to be anything of consequence, given that this list in previous years
was accustomed to up to 50 emails a day on a regular basis.

| I'm not so sure that "no news is good news" in this list's case. I think
| its probably fairer to say no news is an indication that the real issues
| are not being raised in this forum, and that is a pity. Why are the
| issues not being discussed here? Because the list lacks credibility as a
| place where useful debate happens, and that’s an historical fact.

I am not so quick to agree. When there have been matters of substance
raised then I think there has been some useful discussion. I think if
anyone wants to instigate a discussion all they probably need to do is
raise a provocative issue and there will be meaningful contributions.

| This list has been over used for outbursts (as we have seen yesterday),
| vitriolic personal attacks, loony conspiracy theorists, hatchet jobs and
| the like.

Just like every other list I've been on that is open, and discusses
issues people are passionate about with often opposing views. I would not
say it is ideal, but I am yet to find a balance where you can entertain
all points of view and stay reasonably open. I think the best approach
is to encourage posters to remember "trolls" (to use an over-general
term) survive on replies - if people are contributing nothing, don't
give them air and ignore them.

kim