TIME OUT 1 by Tom To everyone: (It might be relevant to note that I have not been keeping up with the forum these past few days as much as I usually do as I`m far from home in a place where my Internet access is determined by forces unknown in nature and therefore it is sporadic, and can disappear without notice. I hope I`m not repeating anything anyone else has already said) One of the better things about this forum is its general civility, Unfortunately in a couple of spots we`ve slipped a few notches in this regard. Please understand - this notice isn`t aimed at anyone or any thread, rather it is intended for everyone. Astrologers are a pretty diverse lot and this group is no exception. We have participants and readers from all over the world and to no one`s surprise there isn`t going to be much that we unanimously hold in high regard except our love of the subject. We are always going to run across things with which we disagree and a forum is the proper place to discuss those things. Turning our disagreement into personal attacks or peceiving a simple disagreement as a personal attack results in the loss of civility we all want. It discourages beginners who don`t want to be flamed and it keeps the better behaved from participating. It also invites retaliation. We need to remember that the printed word is not always received the way it is intended and what may be funny and inoffensive to the writer can be taken in a fashion opposite of its intent. Proofread. Furthermore insults are not mitigated by the addition of a smiley face. So we can allow for what seems to be the occasional slight and give the writer the benefit of the doubt that he or she is not intentioinally offensive and more importantly we can keep our tone civil and not personal. That way we`ll all continue to enjoy this outstanding forum and not let it degenerate into a free for all that other forums in other places have become. I`ll take the pledge first: I promise to heed my own words. Thank you. Tom PS I don`t expect reponses to this post; send me an e-mail to vent if you think I`m out of line. Quote Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:20 pm