[Harp-L] posting and the very steep learning curve of subtext

[owner-harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx]

While it's not readily apparent at first read almost every post you'll see
on this list has some deeper hidden meaning.  There are an awful lot of
injokes zinging over the vast majority of subscriber's heads.  Mine
included.  Very rarely do I intercede in any of this.  After all when you
wrestle with pigs you're apt to get muddy and no I'm not calling anyone
names here.  It's just that I finally know better.  Count to 10 and then
post.  While a certain amount of joking amongst friends is fun it's also a
way to exclude people.  If I don't get the joke I'm apt to feel stupid,
worse yet if I misread a post as an insult that's a joke and I react
incorrectly then I'm apt to feel pretty well tricked and perhaps
humiliated.  These are not situations that promote communication and
bottom line harp-l is about networking and communication amongst the world
community of harmonica players.  That includes young and old and diatonic
and chromatic and it especially includes someone who has just happened to
stumble onto our list for the very first time.  This is not an exclusive
club it's an inclusive one.  So please do think about the posting
guidelines when you submit something to the list and if you're seeing what
you think is an outrageously insultingly post perhaps wait a bit and see
if the dust settles differently than you thought it would.  Finally I've
noticed that just about every time I post something to the list form the
owner's mailbox posts stop dead in their tracks.  Not a result I'm trying
to acheive.

fjm harp-l-listowner