Communicating on Electronic Mailing Lists and Web Sites

As founder and owner of the Psychohistory Mailing List, , I want to express my opinions on the subject of online communication on this mailing list. First, it must be noted that the quality of communication on mailing lists varies enormously. Participants often exhibit a positive, caring attitude toward others on the list. I, and others, often craft words carefully so that readers can form pictures. I have learned that when I fail to take sufficient care, my meaning and intention may be misunderstood. Yet, I must also note that there are moments when I feel slighted, upset, and saddened after carefully crafting a message with much effort and receiving little to no response.

At its best, mailing list communication helps to enrich my understanding of psychohistory and provides moments of joyous interaction; at its worst, it leads to feelings of isolation and even rage. I ask myself, what factors lead to these reactions?

We might ignore a well-crafted message if it provokes us to ponder. Other messages touch us, and we are moved to express and respond in the “heat” of the moment. We may feel close to one writer and become social with a quick response to them privately or on mailing lists for all to read. Or we may feel angry with another writer without much conscious thought. In this way, our actions do not reflect the best in ourselves, yet our silence and our messages have been delivered.

The readers of our hastily written messages, too, may feel sympathetic and respond in a social way. Or, antipathy may arise and lead to a “flame war” message for all to witness. Is the content of these exchanges helpful to the task of exploring psychohistory? Usually not, but for most of mailing list subscribers, these exchanges were minor distractions which added to their weariness.

I ask myself how else might communication be facilitated by a computer? Can the best of our work remain unforgettable and remain unforgotten? Can others help us clarify and improve our understanding and creative work? Can we use computers together more responsibly?

Those readers new to online communication may ask how a Web site is different from a mailing list? A Web site can provide a richer, more accessible record of our thoughts and interactions than a mailing list. Related thoughts and ideas can be woven together using navigational “links” to provide a forum for exploration and for interaction with others. Here, in a collaboratively constructed Web site, we may find a more supportive model for healthy interaction as we engage in the exploration of psychohistory together. Consequently, I have

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created such a Collaborative Web (CoWeb) site.

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