symbol sets in British perspective [and Constitution of the List]

[Koontz John E]

On Wed, 12 Jun 2002, Anthony Grant wrote:
> Yes, we do get $ here - it's above the numeral 4 on my keyboard.
> Does £, above 3 here, come out as a pound sign?

I see the character after "does" as an accented u.  What's above 3 on a
standard US keyboard is a thing called the pound sign, basically looking
like a tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses) cross-hatching.

> I tried to get on the iroquoian list which JEK mentioned an never got
> a response.

I got on, but only saw one or two posts, of a marginal nature, and years
ago.

> I'm surprised that there aren't more lists of this sort in general,
> though most of them get spanmmed fairly swiftly.  (I tuned out of an
> Austronesian list once one of the participants started putting large
> chunks of his political/erotic novel on the list every weekend.)

About the only policing I've needed so far is this:

- Only subscribers can submit traffic (others occasionally try).
- Only people I know to be lingistically interested in Siouan languages
  get on.  I have the list set up so that I must approve all subscriptions.
  I ask questions of anyone whom I don't recognize.  A miniscule but
  increasing applicants fail to answer these questions.  Note that
  approval is not needed to leave the list.
- I very occasionally warn somebody about inappropriate topics.  Maybe
  twice, and one of these cases asked nicely beforehand.  I would delete
  anyone posting clearly inappropriate (or wildly irrelevant or
  significantly irrational or really rude) material immediately and
  arbitrarily and ask questions (maybe) later.  This has never happened,
  though I think we've bored a few people to death.  Sooner or later it
  will happen, of course.  I have no precise criteria for inappropriate,
  irrelevant, or irrational, but I generally know them when I see them and
  if I'm ever in doubt, I'll ask.
- I do not have things set up so that I have to approve postings,
  and I most certainly don't edit anything.
- If I fall out of touch with the will of the subscribers, I assume they
  will let me know.  I'll be glad to let anyone better in touch handle
  things.  The Chief Executive, responsible for firing me and
  replacing me if it becomes necessary is David Rood.

JEK