In a message dated 8/21/1999 3:56:21 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Dear Jim et al;-
         Here's what happens: There's only so much you can say about a
seashell.
 There's a lot more to say about a seashell collector. And the collectors
 (even the scientists) occasionally want to tell someone about sinking a
 30 foot putt. The delete button is designed to be the easiest used
 button of all. You know very well that you have to sift through a lot of
 rocks, mud, and debris to find a shell worth collecting. It's the same
 with discussions. We supply a lot of rocks, mud, and debris as well. But
 Then there will appear that matter you are interested in.
         Take heart.
                 Art

  >>
Art
E-mail  can be very time consuming to go through.  And many people have very
buisy lives and don't have time to sit at the computer for two hours a day
sifting through "junk mail".  Don't forget, after many of us get home from
our jobs or school we have "snail mail" to sift through and telephone
messages to respond to.  E-mail is just one more mode of communication that
we have brought into our daily lives that takes TIME.  And if you add
children and or a relationship with another person, this is time away from
them.
Even with the delete button- it still takes those few seconds to open the
message and then glance over it to realize it isn't something you want to
read.
I appriciate that you enjoy chatting on this listserve because you enjoy the
people who are on it.  But don't treat this listserve as a pen-pal chat room.
 That is not what this is all about.
So PLEASE, keep on the topic!
Thank you.
April