Hello All,
Of the 23 messages I've received so far this morning for this list, only
4 of them are related to the primary purposes of this list. It seems to
me that there has been a marked decline in recent weeks in the number of
list messages from people requesting information about using TB. I know
I used to receive alot more messages every day and almost all them were
actually about TB. Is there some relationship here or are there simply
fewer people trying out TB, fewer people on the list or joining the
list? I don't know, but I've seen alot of mailing lists and discussion
groups take this turn - they become cliquey, one or two strong
personalities discourage, usually unintentionally, others from posting,
etc. - the whole familiar electronic group dynamic.
My understanding from the list guidelines is that, first of all, the
purpose of the list is to discuss _The Bat!_ with a primary focus on
providing user-to-user support and a secondary focus on discussing
suggestions for new features and improvements. The latter, for as long
as I've been on the list, has always generated some lively debate, but
without the acrimony and personal aspects that characterize most of the
recent debates - not to mention, the verbosity. Secondly, off-topic
posts are to be limited, that is, it's not OK to discuss anything and
everything as long as you put an OT in the subject. It's not always easy
to draw a line between what is OT and not, but now folks are introducing
topics that aren't even remotely related to the list purposes. It's
tempting to turn a mailing list into a social club, but in my experience
it ends up undermining the primary purposes of a list like this one in
the long run.
This list is very loosely moderated; therefore, it is very much up to
the long-term subscribers to set the tone for the list. Most of us want
TB to succeed. I think that success depends in no small measure on this
list, at least as long as the documentation continues to be so outdated
and inadequate. It's nearly impossible to tap the potential of the
program, or even learn how to use some of the basic features, without
the assistance of other users. I think, however, the list is drifting
quite far from fulfilling this role. As Marck noted, many new
subscribers are unsubscribing shortly after joining. Maybe this has
nothing to do with what's going on on the list, but I doubt it.
For all of us, I suggest: (1) use the TakeItOff thing that Leif
suggested for general discussions of interest, but not particularly
relevant to the purposes of this list (it may not be ideal, but it works
fine), (2) take some of these discussions about developmental philosophy
to the Beta list, where they might be more appropriate, (3) keep public
comments impersonal and do not make discussions about personalities -
take it private, and (4) quit making the snide references to users being
lusers. You're not just talking to each other. That stuff discourages
alot of people from posting or even staying on the list. Whether you
think it should or not is not at all relevant. This isn't the place for
personal crusades to change people or the world. Finally, I'll repeat
here one of Leif's rules for the list:
Play nice, don't be rude. Try to be nice. I know some people irk you or
a question [or a suggestion!] seems absurdly stupid, but not everybody
is as computer savvy as the rest. Try not to be too sarcastic either.
Sometimes the information someone has provided is wrong, so just correct
them without resorting to name calling [...or sacrasm or making it
personal].
Think about it, people, and keep your eye on the objective.
--
Paula Ford
The Bat! 1.35 (reg)
Windows 95 4.0 Build 950
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