Hello everyone,

I hope no one minds this post  I tried to check in with GW before I posted here, but Spike is gone, I couldnÂt find a direct email to the new guy, and other members attempts to contact GW/iVillage through the "Contact Us" page seem to have gotten no response.

My name is Diana, and I spend most of my time at GW at the Iris Forum. I am a college student, pursuing a double major in Biology and Horticulture. I would like very much to find a niche for myself in the green industry. I sometimes read this forum because professional topics interest me as I try to learn more about the industry and decide where I might fit into it.

Enough about that  on to why IÂm posting.

This semester, I am taking a beginning anthropology class. Our main assignment is for us to join four email lists/groups  one for each of four types of social groups we have identified: social/cultural, need-based, recreational and professional. This is my professional list. I tried to find a "traditional" email list on this subject, but couldnÂt find one anywhere that was active enough. So, with the instructorÂs OK, IÂm using another type of online group: a forum. Ethics require us to introduce ourselves to our lists and explain why we are here. This is easier on email lists  one email covers it without creating a whole separate post and thread. I apologize for having to introduce myself this way here.

Anthropology studies cultures, subcultures and groups, and because the class is online, it is fitting that we examine online cultures/groups. Until this class is over, my purpose here is observation and study, because as an anthropological student, I must be non-judgmental and not interfere with the flow of the forum. I may need to ask questions from time to time, however, I will be careful to do so in a manner that is as unobtrusive as possible.

We students are required to act professionally and ethically on the lists we join. I may save posts for later reference as I complete my final project which is due in December. I will observe strict confidentiality  no names, email addresses, organizations, businesses, or other identifying information will be included in my final project. If I feel that a direct quote will be useful in my final project, I will ask permission of the poster and only use the quote only if I am given explicit permission to do so. I will be happy to provide the context in which it will be used as well. Finally, if anyone is interested in seeing my final project or hearing what I am learning, I will be happy to share it with interested parties; please drop me a note at phantomfyre @ yahoo . com (remove spaces) if you are. (Feedback would be helpful, too!)

I am sincerely grateful to all of you for tolerating my presence here. My education is very important to me, and I promise to be respectful of everyone, their privacy, and their views.

Again, I thank you, and look forward to learning here.

Diana