You're Right -- It was HARSH -- NOT!

Rob Cozens rcozens at pon.net
Tue Dec 13 11:19:29 EST 2005


Dear Ken, et al:

>I'm not saying that a thread won't or shouldn't evolve (devolve?)
>into a philisophical or business acumen-related discussion; it's just that
>as soon as we notice we've gotten off track, we should either take the
>discussion offlist, or to another list, or end the thread, so that the
>primary purpose of the use-list can remain focused on technical issues
>related to using Revolution.

I think splitting the List is a mistake.

No one is forced to read every post on every subject.  I have Eudora 
deliver all my use-rev mail to the trash.  I read the threads and/or 
responders whose opinions I have found worth reading, transfer any 
messages I want to keep to another mailbox, and when I quit Eudora 
the rest is gone.  I doubt I read half of the posts I received this morning.

You can already see the effects of list-splitting in today's mail: an 
eConversation among long-time correspondents turns from technical to 
philosophical, and someone posts "take that to another list."

Imagine, if you will, that we are a team of programmers working 
together on a long-term project.  What kind of synergy develops if 
every time someone brings something personal or not directly 
project-related into the conversation, another person responds, "I'm 
not interested in listening to the rest of you discuss this, so [as 
Judy so elegently put it] piss off."

People who come to the List only wanting free help with Revolution 
programming ought to accept desire of those who provide it to discuss 
other issues among themselves on the same list.  If a thread evolves 
from technical to philosophical or humorous, it's because some 
members of the List want to continue the discussion in that vein.

The only reasons I see for not letting a thread run its natural course are:

         * Collaboration on a long-term project, or ongoing subject 
(eg: rev_ipc group)
         * The same two or three people continue to discuss a subject 
while no one else participates.

I said it to the HyperCard List and I'll say it here:

The best way to end a thread you are not interested in is to delete 
the messages on the subject unread and get on with your life.

Rob Cozens CCW
Serendipity Software Company

"And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
  Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee."

  from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631) 




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