RE: [cobalt-users] Hitler

[Phoenix <phoenix@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> i just felt like sorta taking a break and getting you to step out and take a
> look at how petty and stupid it all is. getting so uptight about it. i've
> been on the list since last september.. which isnt a long time
> comparitively.. and if theres an OT post i just skip it.. why should i waste
> my time ( something which people argue about..) reading it and then
> complaining about how they wasted my time reading this OT post. and moreover
> writing above or below text or removing text etc etc... geeze. i talked to

Kai,

Please read the list policy at
http://list.cobalt.com/pipermail/cobalt-users/2000-December/027031.html  It
explains several of these issues.  Particularly section 4:

4.3. Do not post in HTML (sometimes called Rich Text).  This really 
winds some people up.  There are many reasons, not least of which is 
that for people subscribed to the list digest, it appears as raw HTML, 
and in other words is practically unreadable.  If people can't read it, 
they certainly won't reply to it.
 
4.4. Do not top-post.  That is to say, when replying to a post, give 
context to your post in the form of just enough quoted material, and 
put your responses *after* the quoted material.  Put a space between 
the quoted material and your response, and again before the next section
of quoted material.
 
4.4.1 Again, consider the effect top-posting has on the digest form 
of the list, and consider how when you were searching the archives 
(as you were, remember?) the most useful replies were the ones that 
came *after* the question.  Further argument about this point can be 
referred to RFC 1855 and just about every guide to newsgroup and 
mailing list etiquette ever written.
It is not a "personal preference".  It is a standard.

5.5 You will find that threads veer off onto totally unrelated subjects.
People have way more tolerance for this than they do for threads that
start off off-topic.  Don't criticise people in such a thread for being 
off-topic.  Do, if contributing, consider changing the subject line, and
adding "[OT]", or similar.

(RFC 1855 - Netiquette Guidelines is available at
http://www.stanton.dtcc.edu/stanton/cs/rfc1855.html)

> my sister, of whome knows NOTHING about computers and is more in touch with
> reality than i (as a computer geek) is.. and she seems to think we're a
> bunch of computer geek nerds with a serious problem. and i look at us and
> think. yes! why get sooooo upset at such a trivial thing??!?

Because it waste MY time and MY time is valuable.  Try subscribing in digest
mode for a week or so.  Using digest mode, I can't "just skip" OT post, I have
to at least scroll past them.  This is *much* easier to do if the post are in a
standard format (ie. quoted message at top, reply at bottom).  Unfortunately,
using digest mode also means I can't killfile annoying twits.

This list exists for a specific purpose and the policies exist to make the list
usable for it's stated purpose.  I doubt any of us subscribed to the list purely
at random which means most of us want to the list to be usable for it's stated
purpose.  The list policies help that happen.  I don't think that's so hard to
understand.  Kinda like if your sister joined the cheerleading squad and found
out they were actually going to spend all their time volunteering in the local
soup kitchen.  It might be a worthwhile cause but it's not what she signed up
for.

> i've never seen such bickering and such a feeling of competition and
> bitterness. whats the go?

This is actually a very tame and well self-moderated list compared to most.

(Sorry to waste everyone's time with this but this list is pretty unreadable. 
And, yes, I'd still be annoyed if I was receiving individual messages.  Top
posting and including the whole message thread still makes difficult reading
even in individual post.  If you've got something worth saying, take the extra
few seconds to present it in a format that other will bother reading.  If it's
not worth the extra few seconds and you don't care if anyone else can read it,
don't post it.)

--
Laura Bettag
Phoenix Rising Consulting
http://www.phoenixrc.com/