From: Ryan Cassidy, Anthony_Boyd, James Pumarejo, Ron Mottern (Original Message) Sent: 15/02/2003 9:36 PM

Growing Pains

It is encouraging to see the membership of our community continue to grow. From a small and very quiet community, it has become vibrant, multicultural, multidisciplined and very active. We are now fortunate enough to be able to have a wide variety of opinions, views and ideas on almost every subject posted. The recent explosion in the number of messages in the community is evidence of this. However, with growth, comes growing pains.

With cyber-communities of this nature, it is all too easy to be complacent about posting. The nature of communication across borders and cultures, between people that, for the most part, have never met, requires certain decorum. This community is un-moderated and the managers would like to see it remain so. You, as a member, are your own moderator. Towards that end, the managers of this site encourage you to read the following list of guidelines before you post.

Site Etiquette

- Don't be shy. Your questions and input, no matter how new you are to HDGD, are VALID and APPRECIATED. Even if it has been asked before, someone else likely has the same question and is waiting for someone else to ask.

- Consider your topic. Is what you are posting relevant to HDGD? If not, does it belong on this site?

- Consider your audience. Does what you are posting involve the entire community, or would it more appropriately be addressed to an individual or limited group?

- Don't post angry. Before you post something you regret, take a moment, an hour or a day and try to see things objectively.

- Consider the language you use. While the instantaneous nature of email and bulletin board communication tends to make them feel more like verbal discourse, they are still written discourse. It is very difficult to read things like sarcasm, tone of voice, facial expressions and other body language. Also, with an international membership, we have many members for whom English is not their first language. Consider those people when you write.

- Proofread before you post. You are your own editor. Before you post something, read it and decide if it; says what you want it to say and; is something that you are willing to put your name to. (assuming you use your real name)

- Remember RESPECT and TOLERATION. For whatever differences may arise on this site, there is at least one thing everyone here has in common; a love of Haidong Gumdo. We may practice under different masters, in different federations, in different countries, but, we still share some common ground.

- Remember the tenets of HDGD. Does what you are saying reflect the ethics we as practitioners of HDGD are taught and in turn teach to others?

Thank you for participating in this community.

Ryan Cassidy, Ron Mottern, James 'Dae San' Pumarejo, Anthony Boyd

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