Rick Everett. Hillbilly white rat and scourge of the pharmaceutical industry (they just don't know it ) I guess I'm close to being an oldtimer by now. Driven to help PWP (even when they don't want it) and deeply appreciative of this place. Might remind the management that I scarfed the name on behalf of all. Typical parkie hero child maneuver.


Having earned my soapbox, my thanks to John for actually meeting with us. Those from BT know what a difference there is there. As to you concerns about losing people, I'd point out that many other boards have similar rules and I don't like them a bit, especially those darned "Health Boards" series. I suspect that somewhere along the line someone who did not understand the Net and its implications wrote that into their rules and it was copied ad infinitum. The thing is that most of us would not abandon a good board for another good board - we'd enjoy both!

There is an opportunity here for NT to stand head and shoulders above the rest by taking the attitude that we're so darned good we don't care about the other guys. Our people are Free, not locked into some cyber-equivalent of the Company Town like those other guys. So long as nobody is rude and abusive (not to be confused with offensive) then let free speech be the rule. And if someone gets out of line give us - the community members - a chance to pin their ears back. If it gets rowdy then we can call for help but I bet we can handle a large part with simple peer pressure.

I know that "the other guys" pride themselves on their efforts toward new communities such as Second Life etc but they are fooling themselves. If the rules go beyond maintaining civility and into control, as theirs do, it ain't no community. This place has the potential to be one.

Now, back to saving pWPs- John, read my ginseng thread with your dad in mind. And thanks. For this place.
-Rick