The L: Warwick's e-mail discussion group

The L made its debut during the 1997 Old Home Days when Ed Hawes, its
founder, walked around the Town Park, handing out a flyer that announced
its existence and told people with e-mail-equipped computers how to
subscribe. Its purpose is to make up for the fact that there is no
longer any place for Warwick folk to bump into each other by chance. The
L is meant to foster cohesion and communication among townspeople.

Today it has about 150 subscribers and an estimated 250 readers. Between
July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, subscribers received some 1,300
messages, up from 1,000 the previous year. Anything pertaining to the
town and its people is appropriate for sending to The L.

Everyone who lives in Warwick, whether full or part time, or has ties to
the town from a distance, is welcome to subscribe to The L. This is done
by writing to <the-l-owner@warwickma.us> and including the subscriber's
full name, street address, and phone number.  People who don't have a
Warwick address should include a sentence about their connection to and
interest in Warwick matters.  The purpose of this requirement is to keep
out people who would like to use the list of email addresses for
commercial purposes.

Through The L, subscribers receive agendas for selectboard meetings,
meeting and hearing notices from some (but not all) town boards and
committees, some (but not all) other announcements that are posted on
the Town Hall bulletin board, occasional newspaper-style reports on
actions of the selectboard and other groups, and background on town
meeting warrant articles.

To participate, a subscriber sends an e-mail message to The L, which
relays it to every subscriber at once.  The list managers see messages
at the same time everyone else does; there is no attempt to control or
censor what is said. All that is required of participants is the kind of
civility we expect to see on Town Meeting floor: no personal attacks, no
questioning of others' motives or character, no messages sent to all
that are intended for only one person. The rare transgression is met
with a private and polite reminder to the sender.