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Hi, I've been reading some of the messages on the list recently about humour, the new list SPARKLE etc. (for the record, SPARKLE runs on my company's servers, although I don't follow the list myself). From what I can see, there are some negative feelings about SPARKLE, or any other list, and they seem to be routed in a sense of loyalty to and membership of the PARKINSN community. I feel that loyalty too. I've been a member of this list for a some considerable time, and try and do my bit to help it along (list archives etc.) What I feel loyalty to is the Parkinson's community created by The Internet. That's everyone who is interested in Parkinson's who has Internet access. Most of us are on, or have been on, PARKINSN. You can find us in other places as well. Having put my cards on the table, sometimes its easier to explain things in metaphor, so here's my metaphor for what's happened over the past few weeks. ------------ Imagine if the Internet was a town. In that town, there are various halls where people who have different interests can meet. In those halls people can take their turn up on the stage to address the audience. Around the entrances to the hall, people huddle together to natter about various things. Over time, the hall gets more and more popular. The queue to speak on the stage gets longer, people struggle to be heard, and tempers are frayed. The room's full to bursting, the air conditioners can't keep up, and people are quietly leaving because they can't cope with the overcrowding. Its obvious that Something Must Be Done. Then people have a bright idea and build an extension to the hall on that bit of spare land next door. This new area is linked to the original room, but has have its own stage, to help with the queues. So people know what stage to go to when they want to speak, people decide to use one stage for humour and fun stuff, and the other for more serious learning. People who are interested in both subjects can stay in the middle and join in both conversations, and those who are only interested in one particular aspect can get closer to their favorite stage. There's more room now, and more people can join in. Everyone gets to listen to what they are interested in. People get on with what they came for, helping each other. ------------ The largest place we meet is PARKINSN, and its been around long enough to be one of the first places people come to. But there's nothing to say the we can't meet in other places. SPARKLE, CARE, and others are part of the PARKINSN. They grew from PARKINSN, their members are usually members of PARKINSN, their formation was discussed on PARKINSN. You can be a member of PARKINSN and other lists without a problem - its all the same people, the same community, the same helpful spirit. You really won't notice the difference. Having different lists brings gives people choices, and being able to accommodate different choices allows more people to join in. It brings the benefits of our community to more people who need it. Needing other venues isn't a sign of disloyalty or a community breaking apart, its a sign of growth and maturity. If we confuse the community with the room we meet in, we all lose. Simon --------- My opinions are my own, NIP's opinions are theirs ---------- Simon J. Coles Email: [log in to unmask] New Information Paradigms Work Phone: +44 1344 753703 http://www.nipltd.com/ Work Fax: +44 1344 772510 =============== Life is too precious to take seriously ===============