I've been doing a lot of thinking about civil discourse lately, because it was recently an issue in one of the online communities that I moderate. The discussion took the form of off-list email, in which the question arose as to whether specific messages posted the group succeeded or failed in meeting a minimal standard of civility.
This is a complicated question, and I will be pondering it for a long time. Those off-list emails were quite thoughtful and challenging! This comes as no surprise, since the focus of the group is on mission-based organizations,which are highly invested in the ideals of civil society... more »
