Here, Here, couldn't have set it better myself, and definitely not with
as much tact.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carol [SMTP:car@texas.net]
> Sent: Friday, August 29, 1997 10:48 AM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: 4WD MGBs and Messerschmidts, et al
>
> Trevor,
>
> Just WHO is off-topic with your post? (I know I am with this reply..
> but...)
>
> FYI, I have been deleting all the messages with "Subject: 4WD MGBs
> and
> Messerschmidts, et al" because I had no interest in the topic.
> "Subject:
> Frank Zappa" has ceased to hold my interest as well. So, one click of
> the
> mouse and the message is GONE... Unopened. Unread.
>
> However, I saw your name on this one.
>
> Here you are complaining about off-topic posts whilst having written
> just
> that! Long message = Lotsa' bandwidth. If people have an MG
> problem/question they're gonna' post it. If not, they're gonna' chat
> about
> the weather or cats or Frank Zappa or some other thing. We're all
> friends
> here. We don't sit in silence, hands folded, until called upon by a
> higher
> power.
>
> I, too, subscribe to several lists. I scan the names of the posters
> and the
> subjects on the other lists and delete those messages that don't
> interest
> me. I read most of the mail on the MG list unless it's about something
> that
> interests me not. I'd rather delete the mail that doesn't peak my
> interest
> than to only receive one big technical message per day. Interaction
> amongst
> us is the only way we'll "know" most of the posters.
>
> Without replying, I (like Larry Hoy) can scan 70-80 messages in 20
> minutes
> or less. I respect your right to subscribe to as many lists as will
> fit on
> your hard drive. However, when you get buried with mail, don't come
> hollering around here -- unsubscribe from this or another list until
> you
> can manage the volume, or deal with it! We're not here to solve
> problems
> you seem to have created for yourself.
>
> I don't know why you seem to insist that WE are causing a problem for
> YOU.
> If you weren't so nosey you wouldn't read every single message only to
> find
> out that you didn't want to read it in the first place. 'Sure seems
> odd to
> me....
>
> I recall your chastising me for limiting your "rights to free speech"
> --
> which I was not doing, BTW.
> So can you tell me what you're suggesting here with your megaphone
> analogy?
> Limiting OUR rights to free speech??! [And I do NOT want to get into
> any
> personal/civil rights discussions here or in private... before you
> launch...]
>
> Have a nice weekend! I need to go get Darlin' to prettify her for
> Fifth
> Friday Brit Car Night here. It'll be a nice night for a run in an
> MGA...
>
> Carol
>
>
> [My apologies to the other list members for taking up yet more
> bandwidth on
> this subject. I shall not post on it again.] [And they all said
> "Whew!]
>
> BTW, on other lists, when the discussions are off-topic, the subjects
> are
> usually prefaced with [NC], meaning "Nonsense Chat" which clues
> readers to
> the fact that off-topic info is in the message. We could try it here.
> I try
> to remember to do so.... Whatever...
>
>
> At 12:00 PM 8/29/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >Randy Rees (Volt Computer) wrote:
> >> As for the off the topic subjects , its kind
> >> of like having a party, not everyone will talk about the same
> thing, but
> >> everyone sure had fun.
> >
> > No, there is an enormous difference.
> >
> > Think of this as a party where everybody wears duct tape
> >over their mouths at all times, except there is one
> >megaphone.
> >
> > In order to say something, you pick up the megaphone,
> >take off the duct tape and say your piece.
> >
> > When you chat at a party it doens't have
> >to be on topic so much because only a few people
> >listen. But here, every little detail gets read
> >by everyone. Everyone stops what they are doing
> >to listen, and doesn't have a choice.
> >
> > You know when you go to a car show and there is
> >always some idiot leaning over his car saying stuff
> >like "Oh I gots me a good trick, I just puts me
> >a little dog turd in every fillup. That and a little
> >spit and I gets me 300hp".
> >
> > ...or the guy who walks up to your MGB and says
> >"I never liked these italian cars, with the damn
> >engine in the back".
> >
> > There, only the people around him get annoyed. Here,
> >everybody on the whole list has to read it. And worse,
> >it's usually not even car nonsense, it's pure
> >nonsense.
> >
> > There is also a group that says "Well, it breaks up
> >my day". I bet these people only subscribe to
> >one maillist. I've said this before, but here it is
> >again.
> >
> > Many people, including me, subscribe to many maillists
> >on many topics. Cars, computers, sports, you name it. The
> >problem is that YOU might have time to read 100 bogus
> >posts about just anything. That might be tolerable or
> >maybe even acceptable to some. But when you are on a few
> >lists, that becomes 500 bogus posts.
> >
> > The effect is that you have to drop off some lists that
> >you want to follow and feel you could profit from. This
> >because everybody thinks "Oh I'll just throw this in
> >as chit-chat, nobody minds it's only one more post".
> >
> >--
> >Trevor Boicey
> >Ottawa, Canada
> >tboicey@brit.ca
> >http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
> >
> >
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