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RE: "discussion" list

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html


I think that Richard is right in one context, but I feel that the context is
a different one than what applies to this list.

> If i think the entire list can benefit from what i have to say, then i
> reply to the list.  Otherwise, i reply to the sender.  Of course, if my
> reply is off-topic, i'll respond privately.

	The problem here is that no-one knows who else might benefit from the
response, if not now, maybe years from now.

> I recall from old netiquette writings that it was customary to respond
> privately to questions, and then the person with the question would post
> a digest of the answers he got.

	I belong to a couple of more technical lists where this is still the norm,
but I think the premise is that you would get 2-300 answers of which only
2-3 worked, or solved your problem/question. So you would filter out the
inapplical posts so as to cut down on traffic. On this list you are lucky to
get 2-3 answers -at all- and any cross discussion you can fan up is all to
the good.
	This was also more common when 1200 baud was the hot technology... I still
have a 300 baud modem that works.

> This may be just a holdover from the
> days when the Internet community was small, and people could be expected
> to behave in certain ways.  That certainly has changed today.

	Although fido and usenet had their flamers and stalkers, I think you are
right that these seem more common now. But on a mailing list, something I
never heard of until the `90's, I think good behavior is easier to enforce,
and much more common. In fact, the only really crude behavior I have gotton
from this list has been in private posts from people claiming to be Doctors,
Lawyers and Educators... people you would have had back in the 'good ol'
days'.

>But
> sharing the knowledge from your responses is something you can always
> do, if the responses weren't posted to the list.  But beware--i think
> there is also a rule against posting private e-mail to a public forum.
> Common sense should be the guide here.
>
	This is a real problem. I hope no-one here ever has to face the law suits
that could result from publishing private email on a unrestricted list.
Since the sign-up page does not mention anything about compiling and posting
summaries, there is no reason to expect that anyone would do so. Therefore,
if you do send a private response, it should -never- show up on the list,
unless you are sure that the private nature was a mistake and are willing to
take that risk.
	On those lists where summaries are the rule, Summaries are the -RULE-. When
you post a question, the subject must begin with the word "Question" or it
will be bumped. If it is not bumped, you get an autopost that instructs you
as to your duty to post a summary of relevant responses. If it does get
bumped, you get a nasty-gram explaining how to find the FAQ and what to do
with it when you do...

	For my taste, a discussion list should include discussion, even some
ranging off-topic. This is a community building process, not a
question/answer forum.
	After all this I almost pushed send when I noticed that I had Richard's
E-mail address and not SQFT's...8-)


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