Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: ELF

[John Gear (catalyst]

On Thu, 6 Oct 1994, Rob Sandelin wrote:

> getting a bit out of the realm of Cohousing eh? How about taking this 
> discussion off Cohousing-l and into private mail?  Or pulling it back 
> into the realm of Cohousing a little more.
> 
I have mixed feelings about this; I am a newbie and know that this is an 
important aspect of netiquette (staying focused).  However, I got quite a 
bit out of the cross-talk; the systems described were new to me and not 
at all what I had in mind as "radiant heating."   Paul 
Brodeur notwithstanding, perhaps they are worth considering.  I posted 
one of the 
notes that said "Don't bother with them," but learned something 
that I perhaps would not have learned otherwise.

As my wife and I explore cohousing (we are trying to find a spot to rent 
or buy in one of the Portland area communities) what people keep telling 
us is 
to expect more discussion than usual, certainly at first as key decisions 
are made.  I didn't object to the cross talk on ELF either, although as 
an engineer and technical communicator I am very wary of risk 
communications that oversimplify complicated issues into absolutes.

So I guess the point is that I saw a benefit to people who are or may set 
up cohousing communities; my bet is that this issue will come up.  
Wouldn't it be nice if people could be directed to a FAQ or other 
resource for  things that a lot of communities will face (how do you heat 
your place?)?  I don't know how to do that unless the thread is first 
created and shared.  This could be ignorance on my part and if so, I 
apologize.  I am still in diapers here as far as navigational ability.

I hope this is not out of line.