Oh, my!

Yeah, kids, I'm still here... just watching quietly on the
sidelines... until now.

I hoped EVERYONE understood there would be a few bumps in the road
during the transitional period; it was certainly no different when I
first took over from Stan. I think Thorn has done a dandy job and I
understand the trials and tribulations he faces.

I didn't intend to weigh in on this, but there are a couple of things
I did want to add to the conversation... nothing I haven't said a
gazillion times before, but apparently bear repeating.

And when the Thunder from Down Under jumped into the mix (hiya, Pip,
my brother) I felt compelled to say my peace 'cause you gotta do a lot
to get my man's dander up.

Verifications have ALWAYS been the biggest issue facing the swaps; and
unless you think the group moderator has time to require copies and
then wade through every verification, they ALWAYS will be.

Personally, I always assumed that most folks ran ads like they were
supposed to and the only reason I asked for verifications for myself
as long as I did was to check out other groups, their formats and
their content... never once checked to see what if any ads they ran.
Didn't know, didn't care... just assumed the best in people and slept
much better at night. Ignorance is indeed bliss.

That being said, other than fundamental fairness, why do most of you
even give a rat's ass? Unless your group/zine is FOR PROFIT, then you
have lost absolutely nothing when someone else either doesn't run or
verify your ad. Mine WAS for profit with a subscriber base well over
100k in its heyday and I still could find a few kb's of space to try
and help out a fellow group/zine. Surely none of you are so tight for
space that a couple of lines devoted to another group is gonna kill
you, even if it turns out to be a donation and not a swap.

My advice is now as it has always been -- try to let it go, and if you
can't then simply drop the other group owner a NICE note asking about
it. If that gets you nowhere, then ask Thorn to omit them from your
swaps in the future.

My friends, there is no reason to abuse Thorn or each other over
something so trivial as not getting an email from someone saying they
ran your ad. Think about it -- in the grand scheme of things is it
REALLY that big a deal. If it is, then I STRONGLY suggest you get
outta the group/zine game.

Now, you kids go play nice, eat your veggies, have a drink and send
your verifications.

And, as always, have a very LARGE day!

Fogie