I said the "F" word

... on the clayart listserv. Do you subscribe to clayart? I have for nearly five years. I mostly just read and not comment. I haven't commented mostly out of fear. There's a lot of mud slinging going on over there and sometimes it gets nasty. I like to compare posting on clayart to calling in to the Howard Stern radio show. If you do, be prepared for the attack.

About a week ago there was yet another problem with their server. It stopped sending the list in a digest form and was sending individual e-mails from everyone that posted to the list. I was getting more than 50 of these e-mails a day! This problem crops up every couple of months. In between that, the system decides to unsubscribe you and you have to go to the web page, resubscribe, and re-do your settings.

After deleting all the junk e-mails I decided to send a post asking if the group ever considered switching to a (here is where the "F" word comes in) Facebook group . Facebook would make the list easier to manage for admin, cost effective (no hosting fees), as well as easier to post to. There was lots of discussion about my suggestion. Many agreed, it would be easier and more dynamic. Others like the outdated listserv and of course many expressed their disdain for facebook. It was a good conversation where everyone was able to express their opinion.

and then it got ugly.

I received an off list personal e-mail, from a guy named Kyle, dressing me down for being extremely rude for suggesting FB on the list. He said I should have sent a private message to the administrator with the suggestion and then I should offer to help facilitate the group. He accused me of being a "newbie" who felt I had the right to tell the group how to run their business. I wonder how many more years I would I have to be a subscriber to not be a newbie anymore? I have a feeling Kyle was in high school when I joined the group! There was more to it but I won't bore you with the details. He ended his rant to me by saying I was lacking in "netiquette".

After sending Kyle a personal reply, attempting to clear up his misconceptions, I posted once more to the group. This time I apologized if mentioning the "F" word was rude and also that I didn't appreciate off post private messages, attacking my integrity. Then, in so many words, said that clayart and I were going our separate ways.

I unsubscribed.

The conversation about how I was treated (and how MANY others were mistreated in the past) continues. You can once again follow the archives online but can't post without a subscription. There is a wealth of information on clayart, but I just don't get why there are so many meanies on it.

There is a nice group on facebook called Clay Buddies. They are informative, pleasant, and, yes... nice. There are conflicting views on things but no one gets ugly.

That's my rant for the day. I will leave you with a photo that will make you smile. Piggies make everyone smile...