I sent all the results of the list census out today -- one copy of each file to the list, and then copies of each message to each person whose address is included in it. One part of the transmission process doesn't seem to have worked. 25 readers sent in a focus which didn't fit a predetermined category. So I redirected each one individually to the list as an email, with a copy to the original sender, a copy to myself, and an appropriate subject line. I have no idea what happened, but none of these messages have returned to me -- either as a list post, or in the form of the cc I sent myself. This entire second batch seems to have fallen into a black hole. I no longer have the original messages -- most were just a blank email with a subject line, and I deleted them as I redirected them to the list. RootsWeb has been known to have delivery problems from time to time, and certainly all of us are familiar with the slowdown that occurs when a major part of the internet crashes somewhere. So we'll wait 36 hours. If your particular research focus doesn't appear by Tuesday morning, I'm afraid the only thing to do is to re-post it -- not as a "vote," of course, but in the form of a regular query. I didn't screw this up, honest ... I watched each of the messages go out. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS I've received about this "census" -- Ask the Perfesser: Q1: "What do you want from us?" A1: Nothing, really, and I'm not offering much either. :-) I agreed to collate and circulate lists of the major common research interests among our 197 subscribers. I've done that. What follows, if anything, is up to you folks. My previous attempt to set up active focus or working groups was a failure. I don't have the time to lead these things, and several of the groups had no pulse whatsoever except when I *was* leading them, or playing cheerleader, or both. So we're not reprising that experiment this time. I'm simply telling you, "These are the other folks who say they're also working in your area," and whatever followup communication does or does not occur is up to you. The fact that less than half of our subscribers took the 30 seconds to respond to the poll tells me I'm right to conserve my time for more productive tasks. Q2: "I hate to kvetch, but my email address is actually [email protected], although the header reads [email protected], on the X-sender line. " A2: It's not kvetching when I screw up and you're nice about it -- it's a "gentle correction." Thanks, and please note the corrected address for Eve Grogan above, should she appear on one of your own interest lists. Q3: "I made a trip to [Burptown] a couple weeks ago and talked with the town historian and discovered other generations of the Brooks family. As a result, please add the following locations to my areas of interest." A3: I have no "master list" or to which to add your new interests. Each and every one of you is more than welcome to announce any new interests in the usual manner -- send a post to the list. My only request, as always, is that you write a useful subject line -- NOT "Brooks" or "Help" or "My Brick Wall." Q4: "I really appreciate …the way you keep on top of things in the Brooks NE list. It is quite a contrast with our [surname deleted] list, which runs on autopilot most of the time with an apparently absentee list owner. It is a much better feeling when there is a firm hand like yours on the helm." Thank you. I have called a fascist, wannabe genealogist, "list police," and other things elsewhere on the 'Net. Here "at home," it's good to see that you know your place. <vbg> Seriously ... any list is only as effective as the contributions its readers make. In that regard, we've been blessed. We'd be even further blessed if we could entice more lurkers onto the dance floor with us. :-) Chris