And there is the issue of censorship. as in the response when I sent the same post to the listserv: Your request to the AAUP mailing list Posting of your message titled “Once again, let me raise the simple issue of replacing this Listserv with something more modern .. it is called a blog.” has been rejected by the list moderator. The moderator gave the following reason for rejecting your request: “Your message was deemed inappropriate by the moderator.” Any questions or comments should be directed to the list administrator at: [email protected]
The only source of pubic discussion for UW faculty is a listserv run by the AAUP. That listserv is terribly important because of the historic devotion of the AAUP to free speech.
The AAUP listserv is an antique.
Many faculty think the listserv is private. That is not so. Since the list uses UW email anyone can read the posts, simply by making public records request.
Worse, it is very hard or impossible to follow a discussion on the listserv. No matter how well written, today’s posts on the listserv will poof off into the curved space of email depths .. driven by the black hole of email search.
For those who do not want their inbox filled up with trivia, listserv emails add to the clutter, rather like the AM/FM/TV waves that obstruct astronomer’s ability to listen for messages from intelligent life outside our little sphere.