Hugo has motivated me to cover a few housekeeping topics to help keep the
list running smoothly and keep it beneficial for everyone.
First, I am *really* proud of the quality and diversity of the
conversations lately. In the last week we have had posts from list members
on every continent on the planet. This level of participation is
outstanding and demonstrates the high level of professionalism in our group
worldwide. Keep up the good work everyone!
Hugo wrote:
>1. First of all, thanks to so many private answers to my doubts and
>questions. Don't have here al the list but remember names like vince, Bob,
>John, Ken, David, Barry, Rick, etc.
>I wonder if this private answers aren't usefull to other people in the group
>as well. For instance, I would like to see the answers to questions that
>others members of the forum have posted. I suppose is the way this
>"colective or organizational learning" (Fifth Disicipline) works. We are an
>organization after all. Our product is knowledge, our objective is safety,
>and our benefits is the satisfaction of a job well done.
I share both Hugo's gratitude and concern. When you respond to a mailing
list post, consider carefully whether others will benefit from you
response. Some replies are personal and only of interest to one person.
If that is the case, address it to that person individually. As an
example, we often offer resources to members of the list. Rather than
sending your "I would like a copy too." reply to all 250 list members, it
can effectively go only to the offerer.
On the other hand, if you are sending thoughts and information which the
wider group can benefit from, or which will promote further discussion,
send it to the entire list. The little bit of data you work with daily and
think of as ordinary could be just the missing piece that another member
has been looking for.
A minor problem I *have* noted is that we sometimes get requests from
members which do not get a response. An important part of a group like
this is the sense of community which we have built. When we see a fellow
member posting for the first time, or needing support with a professional
issue, we need to jump in, welcome them to the group, and share what
information we can. If the information is of possible interest to the
entire group, we should post it for everyone to read and discuss.
>2. Secondly, it is interesting for outsiders like me, to observe the
>cultural and idiomatic difficulties some time arrise in this place. Someone
>asks for puting an "emoticon" to better understand some sentences, others
>can't translate exactly what they mean, and there are some people like
>myself that can't express properly and sometimes even can't understand te
>slang some other memebrs are using. I suppose no other things happen in a
>multicultural cockpit. There are a lot of people in this forum that simple
>prefer to remain in silence. Are they afraid "copilots" ?. Dont have they
>even questions to make?
First, Hugo, you are not an outsider. You are a vital member of our group,
as are all the others who subscribe to this list. While language is
sometimes a barrier, we have all done an outstanding job of communicating.
We can work out the minor misunderstandings and comfusion through open
discussion. If you want to see a REAL language problem, I will start
posting in Texas street Spanish. =:-O
We all have an obligation to speak up if there is terminology we don't
understand. Many of us have done so in the past and I hope that continues.
We all have something to contribute to the group. This forum belongs to
everyone who subscribes and all should feel free to participate.
Finally, from time to time one of us may need to leave the group for some
reason. If so, please don't send your request to the entire group. The
instructions are available on the CRM Developers web site at:
http://www.caar.db.erau.edu/crm/maillist/
If you have trouble getting unsubscribed through the automated system, send
me an email directly. And, of course, remember that you can still follow
the discussions on the web site archives.
Thanks, Hugo, for getting me started.
Best regards,
Neil Krey
neilkrey_at_why.net
http://users.why.net/neilkrey/