On Nov. 16, 2000, Denise Watson wrote: "If I see a question or comment on the List and wish to respond to that writer, is it more appropriate to do that using the MAUPIN-L or to just e-mail that writer at their personal email addy? I'm never sure about it, and do different things at different times. I noticed that one member was irritated about "one-liners", and I'm just wondering because I don't really know that much about the pros and cons of responding via the MAUPIN-L. Can somebody please enlighten me? Thanks, Denise" -------- Denise, That's a very good question, and I'm sure diferent folks will have different opinions on the topic. It's also a sensitive question because, depending on how one answers it, some might get their feelings hurt. But at the risk of ruffling some feathers, here's my opinion. I view these lists as a means for asking for information or help on an ancestoral line or some genealogical topic, and for passing on information and help to other list members. Sometimes, however, folks use the list for "one-liners" and replies to others' comments that are merely personal between the two people communicating with each other and which provide no benefit to anyone else on the list. I know, what's wrong with having a little fun on the list? Well, some of us have a very limited amount of time to spend checking our email each evening. Often one cannot tell from the "Subject" of the email exactly what might be in the body of the email. Not wanting to miss anything potentially important to my research, I dutifully open each email. Frankly, it's frustrating to open 49 MAUPIN list messages in a night and find a number of "one-liners" that have no list-wide importance. I wonder how William and Loren feel about this when they come home from an extended trip and find hundreds of messages waiting for them. So, that's a longwinded way of suggesting--If you want to banter back and forth with someone, and you expect that no one else will have any interest in your personal communication, don't hit the "Return" button; send it to the individual and not to the list. That person's email address can be found in the heading after "From:". I apologize if I have hurt anyone's feelings. Sincerely, Warren B. Wood [Gabriel ->Daniel ->Zachariah ->Mariah ...]