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Re: Why I like this list but not OT (long)

Subject: Re: Why I like this list but not OT (long)
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "Etzel, Gary" <Gary -dot- Etzel -at- advanticagroup -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:24:47 -0500

Etzel, Gary wrote:


I think for people like me and Mary, we've reached a point where we are
deciding whether the value of on-topic posts are outweighed by the
hassle of the off-topic posts. A lot of people have already left, and I
think it's appropriate to consider why this is going on.


Gary,

I have a question for you. This may require the use of a mirror--perhaps you'd like to print this out and read it in the bathroom.

This question arises because you are a lurker. Other than complaining about inappropriate posts, I see about six posts from you, mostly questions, not contributions to answers. You and many other lurkers have occasionally come out of hiding to threaten leaving the list because of one perceived trend or another. My question is this: Why should anyone care? Now I'm not saying there's no value in having a large list with many contributors. Nor am I suggesting you're not a valuable human being whose feelings should be acknowledged. You've articulated your concern, and there's nothing wrong with that. What I'm saying is that when someone does not contribute to discussions but instead sits silently in the shadows and either learns or doesn't learn something from posts, how does that affect the health of the list, positively or negatively. I maintain it has no effect and therefore the presence or absence of such a person is irrelevant to the health of the list.

We've had situations where long-time active posters have up and quit over some issue (or just because they were moving on); and those announcements have understandably affected the value of the list to others (positively or negatively, as the case may be). But when a lurker finally surfaces for the purpose of threatening to quit, I have to wonder why they bother and why the rest of us should care.

Any thoughts on this?

Dick

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RE: Why I like this list but not OT (long): From: Etzel, Gary

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