"YECs (and others) are always welcome on the Compuserve forums (I serve
as a sysop on RELIGIOUS ISSUES) but they seldom stay around very long
because the Compuserve members are so good at shooting them down in
flames!"
Keith wrote:
"I guess I count as an 'other' in this sentence. To be honest, Burgy, I
came and went from the CServe Forum not because people were good shots,
but
because I thought the level of discussion to be poor. I've stayed on ASA
longer because the shooting is better, even when I disagree or am on the
receiving end. I've been on a couple of private lists too and, frankly,
it's been even better there. Quality is a key issue and for all its
dangers (of which Glenn has subsequently posted an example), limitation
can sometimes be an aid to quality."
I have to agree with Keith on his assessment of the Compuserve forums.
One reason I volunteered as a sysop over there was to help change the
quality of posts. In RELIGIOUS ISSUES, I oversee the "Science and
Religion" and "Religious Humor" sections, and I like to think the quality
there is a cut above similar discussions elsewhere on Compuserve, such as
in DINOSAUR and THE RELIGION.
Going on from this -- I also agree with Keith about the quality of the
ASA and EVOLUTION LISTSERVs, -- it is still quite a bit higher (IMO, of
course) over those, including my own, on Compuserve. Terry Gray deserves
our heartfelt thanks! I used to read the ICR publications avidly, not
because I agreed with them, but they were the only folks around I could
find who were addressing the issues! Now, that situation has markedly
changed.
The SCICHR LISTSERV is about of equal quality, with a controlled
membership.
Higher still (at least most of the time) is the NTSE LISTSERV, set up
after the NTSE conference a year ago in Austin, Texas. But it is not as
active.
Burgy