too much O.T. <Correcting some misconceptions>

[David Skolnik]

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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?

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

At 10:13 PM 3/18/2003 +0100, Richard Brekne wrote:
 >Course the problem is, and has always been, how to make this just. Given 
the nature of the many forms of disagreements I find it difficult to 
believe at >best that monitoring can be fairly achieved unless several 
people are involved.


David Skolnik now writes:

First of all, it's not even a workable idea, and I never really meant to 
suggested it. Possibly, however, there could be a kind of sub-list, that 
people consciously post all the non-technical messages to.Those who wanted 
to enter into the OT discourse would do so voluntarily.  If such a list 
were available, what would be the excuse for someone to post OT to the 
technical list? Such behavior would appear more intentionally 
disruptive.  I'm trying an experiment, over the next few days: I'm 
separating the day's list mail into TECHNICAL and NON-TECHNICAL mailboxes. 
(I use Eudora).  Then I can see the proportion of each, and it gives me an 
idea of what such lists as I just described would look like.  Why not try 
it yourself?

This would not mean to preclude any personal  (OT) statements within the an 
individual technical posting, however, if someone were to wish to respond 
to the personal (OT) aspect, that would go to the sub-list.  For example, 
if, you were to pretend that this posting was technical in nature, and I 
were to make some comment, in passing, about the looming war, any response, 
specific to that sentiment, would be directed to the sub-list.  While it 
may seem contrived, think of it this way:  We're all in a bar (smoking / 
non-smoking?).  In a large, back room, is a table, around which sit people 
(mostly sober) discussing various technical issues.  In the front room, 
people are hanging out, talking about, whatever.  If a discussion in the 
back room begins to digress, or get uncivil, the participants get up and 
take it to the front room.  If the exchange becomes too distractive, even 
for the front room, they need to take it outside (private, elsewhere, etc).

Of course, any attempt to impose a conceptualized structure on an organic 
entity (the list) feels like genetic engineering.  You don't know what the 
repercussions might be.


David Skolnik
Hastings-On-Hudson



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