Subject: Re: (usr-tc) Stupid Question

From: K Mitchell <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 23:08:00 +0000

At 01:29 PM 6/14/00 -0700, Aaron Nabil wrote:
><rant>
>
>These off-topic posts really bug me, there are a dozen better mailing
>lists and newsgroups.  What bugs me even more is people answering off
>topic posts BACK TO THE LIST.  
>
></rant>

  Sometimes off-topic posting does get out of hand, but small
transgressions such as Jeff's certainly aren't as earth-shattering as
you're making it out to be. Especially considering the amount of help
Jeff's given this list. Why should he be forced to join yet another list
just to ask a question that many people here can answer and won't
significantly disrupt the list?
  Personally, I consider most of the lists I'm on to be a community of
professionals who share equipment, software, or other interests, not
hard-assed "this topic only" question and answer forums. Some are stricter
than others, but most allow for some small amount of digression from the
stated topic, and that's fine.
  Then again, maybe you flew off the handle simply cause you're having a
bad day. If so, I hope it gets better for you. Personally, this week has
been horrid for me, but I haven't quite gotten to the point of snapping a
keyboard over my knee yet.

-- 
Kirk Mitchell-General Manager    [email-masked]
Keystone Connect                 Unlock Your World
Altoona, PA  814-941-5000        http://www.keyconn.net

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From: Aaron Nabil <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 00:40:05 +0000

> significantly disrupt the list?

Any single piece of spam can be rationalized the same way.  The problem
is that it's never just one.  Then it's not just his post, it's the
additional off-topic followups.  I'm not picking on Jeff, but do you think
if I browsed the archives that was the _only_ off topic post he made? I
can guarantee you it isn't because the line /dev/nulling him is still in 
my procmailrc, just commented out.  It all adds up.  It adds up to a
lot.  Off-topic posts have to get stored and archived as well, the s/n
degredation is permanent.

On this list, I need to read every piece of email on that has an ambiguous
Subject: like "stupid question" just in case it's important, or actually
is an on-topic question that I can answer.  People who post off topic not
only impact the other list users directly, they also make it
less likely people like me reading the list to _answer_ questions
will continue to do so.  If you don't believe me, look at
inet-access, it's impossible to keep up with because of all the
garbage and weenie questions.  That's the direction this list is
heading if it's going to be the "defacto ISP information group".

> stated topic, and that's fine.

Most of the list you are on may be exactly that kind of list, and that's
fine, I subscribe to those also.  Do you think usr-tc is that kind of
list, ie, the USR-tc social club, or a technical list?

Thanks,

> . . .

Aaron Nabil

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---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 04:25:37 +0000

***SIGH***

Anyone else seeing the irony here? Shaddap, both
uh yuss afore I bonk yer heads togedder. 8-)

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   Network & Computing Systems
   735 Rhodes Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
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