I'm sorry ..  Really I am, but that's how they come across to me..  and
so far I've only spoken to the actual issue not the delivery, but since
my delivery has been called into question I think it only fair to point
out we each have our own PERCEPTIONS and that it might not be the best
behavior to point fingers at one's delivery but rather stick to the
issue.
 
So in this same vein of PRESUMPTION (to presume or form an opinion before
garnering facts)... the accusation against many of us as yelling has to
do again with PERCEPTION , You (again pl) see certain writing styles as
yelling while others, ok like me, see it as emphasis, because I too am
an emphatic speaker... and while I can yell with the best of 'em I don't
automatically assume that someone is yelling just because they used
capital letters... and that does not make me or anyone else a bad person
or a bad poster... BTW - confession... I also know that if I am trying to
be a horses butt that I will automatically assign yelling as the intent
to all caps, but I know that I'm doing it on purpose to be totally
Ornery...
 
This too is BASE human nature... self-defense of a perceived attack or
one-up-manship or survival of the fittest... fight or flight... it's a
reaction not given any thought and it is 'logic cast to the wind'..  it
is pure gut REACTION to an unpleasant situation - defensive.  It's
neither evil nor calculating..
 
Now the response that is meant to cut to the quick after careful thought
is mean, maybe evil, calculating and totally unsociable and unfriendly.
It's what used to be called cat-fighting... it's childish and just
hateful.
 
No matter who says, or how authoritatively they say that those posts were
not intended to make people feel bad, "gee it wasn't meant to blah blah
blah", the bottom line is that the tone of the messages posted were
perceived by many as negative --- not positive, and were SUGGESTIVE to
many of us that advertising should not be on the FML.
 
For peace and clarity sake... let the ones who posted a no-ad or too many
ads message reply to what their intent is/was.  PLEASE Quit telling us
what THEY meant unless you can provide some sort of proof that YOU do
have special insight and that you know what they meant... for surely only
they know their intention.
 
Now if you posted a "too many ads" message, then please do answer, and
please be honest enlightening us with what you intended... you certainly
are entitled to your opinion just as others are entitled to their opinion
in response - if you really wanted no more ads then say so to put this
issue to bed... and have the courage to not change what you originally
meant --- tell us what you meant... "inquiring minds want to know" - lol
and frankly I've never seen anything posted on this list, other than info
concerning animal abuse, worth going to war over.  A good discussion is
very mentally stimulating and then let us let bygone be bygones...
 
Psychological/sociological point!  With direct, blunt, clear comments,
or even with just a suggestion, it is human nature to take anything that
does not reinforce or agree with one's own point of view as negative.  A
concerted effort must then be made by a listener to level the perceived
impression to an even keel, if you will, or to a positively constructive
comment, rather than a negative condemnation.  Now Sukie has wondered
about what she perceives as yelling and here's that perception' that I'm
talking about... I and others see the capatilized words as emphatic
oratory not yelling --- at least not in the sense of anger.  PERCEPTION
 
I also wonder about the several people who say someone MUST post a
delightful or informative message if they are going to post an ad... well
as Bob quoted Dr McCoy..  POPPYCOCK... and for me -- Sez WHO?  who are
you to require a whole nother bunch of time-consuming comments when the
person offering stuff in ads is just trying to get through another day
saving ferrets and trying to fund that operation... this list is for
ferreters to use as it best helps them and their ferrets - isn't it?  or
is it for YOUR pleasure, your demand?  If someone quits the list because
"there's too many ads", then let them take their darned ball and go
home...
 
You, whomever YOU are, can post to your hearts delight stories about
ferrets and questions about ferrets OR HATEVER and I personally LOVE
them... I LOVE to read most everyone's concerns and sharing and Q's and
A's.
 
I skip what I don't want to read or can not read (reading the entire
digest of the FML is really not a prerequisite for ANYTHING and no one
will die if they don't read the entire thing - well not that I know of -
and as many have pointed out the FML is a living site and it is
constantly evolving..  so longetivity of membership has no bearing on how
the FML is used TODAY... no it's not like it was a decade ago ... I only
first joined in 98...ferretfrenzy   Oh and there is stuff on here that
I simply can not read - so I don't read it... I scroll past it... and
nothing bad has happened to me yet not-- well not because I scrolled
past a few messages.
 
BUT I certainly don't think that I have a right to tell someone else
what they can post or that they SHOULD satisfy my desire to read a nice
ferrety story before I can read that a shelter has something to offer me
and/or my ferrets.
[Posted in FML issue 4863]