FOM: Moderator/Subscriber

[Julio Gonzalez Cabillon]

 On August 5, 1999 [01:56:17 -0500 (CDT)] Robert I. Soare wrote:

 "...
     I would like ESPECIALLY to hear your OPINIONS on the MODERATOR
     and whether you can SPEAK FREELY.  Some have said they are afraid
     of speaking up because the Moderator is so harsh and they are
     afraid of being sharply criticized, especially if their views do
     not agree with his.  One person wrote me that one had to be very
     'thick skinned' to speak up.  How do you all feel?
  ..."



 Dear Mr Robert Soare,

 1. Moderator Simpson

 Let me firmly state I firmly disagree with those that say "they are
 afraid of speaking up because the moderator is harsh". As far as I
 am concerned, the *moderator* is MOST polite, and perhaps too mild
 sometimes when he gives green light to irrelevant or frivolous
 submissions.


 2. Listmember Simpson

 It is an open secret among FOM subscribers that Mr Simpson's posts
 often tend to be very sharp and intimidating. The reasons that some
 members do not contribute much to FOM may be read in many ways:
 Knowledge, time, and Net-taste are (at least) three ingredients a
 listmember should possess to contribute to FOM - let alone a fine
 command of the English language.

 Let me end this (f.o.m-free) note saying that I often disagree with
 listmember Mr Simpson's *tone* and *style* of many of his exchanges
 and discussion on FOM. As I already told him privately (at least
 twice), in certain cases the FOM list seems to be overwhelmed with
 posts that in the end are not about f.o.m. matters whatsoever but
 about who is right and who is wrong, following a line-by-line
 semantical dissection of smartly picked-up paragraphs - responses
 are more geared to scoring points than to casting light on the issue
 involved.

 Sincerely yours,
 Julio Gonzalez Cabillon

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         Professor Julio Gonzalez Cabillon

         Address:
            Emilio Frugoni 860 / apto 002
            11200  Montevideo  -  URUGUAY

         Phones:  +598 2 409 1977
                  +598 2 401 2951

         Emails: Owner-Historia-Matematica at Chasque.apc.org
                 Cabillon at Montevideo.com.uy,
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         URL: http://www.chasque.apc.org/jgc/historia.html

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