I think that generally in a public forum there are those things that can easily offend or form permanent perceptions in the minds of those who might have something to do with your future (tenders or employment) and in a list like this , those things could be

1.Politics
2.Religion
3.Spam 
4. Abusive language(or insinuations of such) 

If we steer clear of those discussions and items, then chances of offending people could be much less. I dont see why any of those 4 have to feature in a tech forum with diverse opinions and views 

Plus it DOES matter where you are coming from(email wise). If you are working for someone and using their domain, im sure they want to be represented well. Otherwise use your gmail or yahoo. Names are brands. If my domain extension is safaricom.com , or governmentofkenya.co.ke then people will perceive me through safaricom or GOK  lenses. If its mwtfk.com then people dont know what to think cos its not a brand that represents something . if a person uses a personal mail, even if we know them from other circles, we take it to be their personal opinion. If they are using company mail(and endorsing a product in the process) then we take it they are speaking for the company.....

My 3 cents 


On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 7:55 PM, Michuki Mwangi <michuki@swiftkenya.com> wrote:


saidimu apale wrote:
>> IMHO, am afraid we shall be creating a mob mentality instead.
>
> Hmm... interesting point, food for thought. Though I think mob-mentality
> will always happen, with or without obscured email-addresses (exhibit A: the
> poor chap from KDN). I agree that verifying, and standing behind, one's
> identity is crucial. But how can this be achieved in a public mailing-list
> context?
>

I think its all about perceptions.

> I'm curious: for those who don't actively participate on the list, what
> hinders them? (I'm assuming list membership implies interest in the topics
> being discussed).
>

IMHO, it varies from one individual to another. However the important
thing to note is that the lists culture can either be encouraging or a
complete putt-off.

Regards,

Michuki.
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