I feel a little bit of futility in this line of conversation because it
seems that the list is a dynamic system with a rule system of its own
regardless of what rules we may want to impose from above.
Conversational interactions that have a lot of rules imposed on them,
debates for example (rules for turn allocation, topics, time for each
participant, what each participant may address and so on), tend to be on
the more formal and restricted end of the conversational continuuum.
Rather than rules, how about two participant strategies:
For the speaker: don't try to score points off your fellow participants
(be kind in your words, this is a collaborative and not an adversarial
enterprise, we're all learning).
For the hearer: assume goodwill (be kind in your interpretations, allow
for others to make mistakes, collaborate in the joint accomplishment of
repairs).
--Rosa
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