Charles Steinmetz (csteinmetz@redneck.efga.org)
Tue, 02 Mar 1999 04:25:21 +0000
It's interesting to watch the periodic discussions of the purpose of the
list and the appropriate content of messages. I'd like to point out a
dynamic that affects the issue, and that hasn't been raised explicitly
AFAIK.
The great virtue of this list is that it draws people who are truly experts
at the various alternative -- and by that I mean simply non-mainstream --
photo proceses. So, it is a great place to ask questions, because one is
almost certain to get several useful replies, from people who really do
know the process intimately.
In large part, the strength of the list is also its fragility. This is, in
general, such a great group of people that when an off-topic comes to mind,
we are inclined to want to discuss it with THIS group, even if there are
other groups that are more appropriate and/or have greater expertise in the
topic.
However, the most expert of the experts are often people who have the least
tolerance for off-topic discussions and, therefore, are earliest to leave
the list. So, the natural inclination to address off-topic matters to this
group has a tendency to detract from the very strength and essence
of the group. The very thing that tempts us to post off-topic material
is, itself, diminished by posting off-topic material.
Now, one can say, "I don't care how much (s)he knows about [insert your
favorite process], if (s)he's going to be that finicky, we're better off
without him/her." But I believe this is mistaken. When we lose
legitimate experts, for whatever reason, we should be very concerned.
Obviously, this post advocates keeping off-topic posts to a minimum.
Often, there is a more appropriate forum (photo theory list, photoshop
list, etc.). Might I suggest that those of us who would like to discuss
off-topics with the people here post the question/opinion itself to the
appropriate forum, and then post a pointer here: "There is a discussion
about ___ going on on the photo-history list. Interested parties can do
___ to participate."
And to those who say, "What's the problem? It's really no bother to skip
off-topic messages," all I can say is that it IS a problem for many
people, and they will solve it not by skipping messages, but by leaving the
list. Yes, filters are great, but they are more appropriate for
individuals than for dynamic things like threads, and many users don't have
the capability or aren't interested in learning to use them.
Other sources of excess posts are the many "me-too"s and uninformed or
purely speculative responses. If we all THINK before we post, and ask
ourselves, "Is this really something that 600 other people will be happy to
find in their in boxes?", much of the clutter can probably be eliminated.
In other words, just as with public speaking, we should concentrate on what
others need to hear, not on what we seem to need to say.
Best regards,
Charles
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Sat Nov 06 1999 - 10:06:54