too much O.T. <Correcting some misconceptions>

[David Skolnik]

David N -
This is my short response to your post.  The longer, more considered one 
takes time, and thus may never actually make an appearance.  While I agree 
with the underlying sentiment, I feel it important to address a few basic 
presumptions:

At 01:07 AM 3/18/2003 -0700, you (David Nereson,) wrote:
>Isn't the content of this list monitored, and edited at least for the 
>archives?

We'll save Andy at least one email chore...the answer is  NO to 
both.  Maybe it's time.

>     If people in other music-related fields are referred to this list or 
> the archives for edifying information regarding their piano problems and 
> questions, what will be their impression of the Guild, when the 
> discussions include the above-mentioned crap?  These people could be 
> performing artists, college music professors, amateur rebuilders (some of 
> whom could be new PTG members seeing this list for the first 
> time),  technicians from other countries, and other professionals, 
> perhaps doing research for a book or considering going into the piano 
> service field.

Whereas we have been, to this point, concerned with the impact of this 
increasing chaos upon the 'list' membership, NOW we need to be concerned 
with how our disfunctionality appears to the public, as though we suddenly 
became aware of living within glass walls!  A wide ranging public, I might 
add, to whom we seem  (from the passage above) significantly 
obligated.  Who ever said that a rambling, informal forum was supposed to 
provide authoritative, reliable information?

>     All this off-topic stuff "cuts a bad figure" for a PTG-related newsgroup.

What makes this mailing list  "PTG-related"?  It uses a PTG server, and 
many (most?) of the participating subscribers are members, but it is not 
exclusive to PTG members.  This distinction is frequently overlooked.

>   There are thousands of other groups and chat rooms available.  Use them 
> for your diatribes, not this list.

Diatribe isn't the point.  The question is, how do we visualize this 
virtual gathering of ours?  Which definition of "SYMPOSIUM" are we:  1) In 
ancient Greece, an entertainment characterized by drinking, music, and 
intellectual discussion; OR  2) Any meeting or social gathering at which 
ideas are freely exchanged,  OR  3) a conference organized for the 
discussion of a particular subject.   While the amenities of definition #1 
are at the discretion of the individual,  we seem to be looking for some 
balance between definitions 2 & 3.

The collective WE needs to decide what it wants this forum to be and how to 
accomplish and maintain that.


David Skolnik
Hastings-On-Hudson, NY