All --
I am becoming very worried about the future of this list. TVB and I
have deliberately tried to maintain a light touch, trusting that the
positive value of the technical conversation here would outweigh the
inevitable noise.
However, it seems like self-restraint is a disappearing quality here and
the inevitable result will be that the smart, knowledgeable people
who've contributed so much will tune out (and I have reason to believe
that some already have).
So, these are the ground rules from now on:
1. Cute or fun as they may be, there's no place here for threads that
aren't related to precise time and frequency and (closely) related
technical subjects. Please take them elsewhere.
2. We all know that even on-topic threads will drift. As long as the
topic remains related to precise time and frequency and (closely)
related technical subjects, that's OK. But please, everyone, stay
focused. Every word you type is sent to about 1000 peoples' screens.
Will those thousand see your post as signal, or as noise?
3. There's no place here for smart-assitude, nationalism, or
mean-spiritedness. Sarcasm and irony don't translate well through email.
4. If someone violates #3, most of the group are smart enough to notice
it. It's hard to sit on your hands when you've been wronged, but this
isn't a schoolyard and there are no points for getting in the last word.
The group will think more of your silence than your response.
So what happens if these rules aren't followed? I don't have the time
or desire to be a policeman, and I don't have any plans to moderate the
list or take other drastic action. I'm an incurable optimist, so I hope
that you'll all take this message seriously and act in the best interest
of the time-nuts list.
But the real threat, and it's one you should all consider carefully, is
that if things here don't improve, those with the most to contribute are
likely to move somewhere else. They'll take all the signal, leaving
only the noise behind.
John
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