[Dailydrool] A Modest Proposal

[Linda Dianis]

It's the weekend, and it's spring, and I have looked long for the  
right moment to say my piece on the drool.

This is a great group who, yes, has a very occasional display of  
insensitivity, but also an increasing frequency of oversensitivity.  
The touchiness makes me even more wary of saying what I want so much  
to say, but here it is:

The mods give a lot of their time just to process posts. We all have a  
lot to say. Each time a hound dies, many droolers want to express  
condolences, and the posts surge. I have been on the drool 7 yrs., and  
I cannot guess at the proportion of posts that are public condolences.

I suggest people consider sending the person a direct message instead  
of posting to the DD. The sender's address is always at the top of the  
message, and after all, the message is--or should be--for that person,  
not intended as some public show. Private, individual emails would  
avoid the painful (but understandable) comment Becky recently made  
about losing Purple--and Becky is an icon! I always send personal  
messages, and almost always get personal replies--tho some people do  
post a public acknowledgment because of overwhelming volume. That  
seems a better use of Drool and mods' time. So if others may think me  
unsympathetic from an absence of public mourning, so be it.

I am sure that the public condolences are well-meant, but would urge  
posters to consider sending privately instead, to direct the message  
where it needs to go.

Okay, flame away. I have Otis and Nelly here sprawled over my lap, so  
I'm not going anywhere....  :)

Linda, with Otis and Nelly