Subject: REC.BOATS when it was about BOATS..
From: (Gould 0738)
The content of the site is controlled by those who contribute, not those who
primarily spectate.
Those who "spectate" are not part of the problem. The problem is those who
"contribute" nothing but OT post and those contributers (be they normal boating
contributors or just OT contibutors) who can't keep their hands from the
keyboard everytime they read an OT post.
Post a boating topic here. It will get three or four responses, maybe, and
then
disappear unless somebody calls somebody else a name or mentions a political
issue,,,,,,in which case it will go on for weeks.
Most boating topics only require 3-4 responses to "solve" the problem. Sounds
like you're trying to justify OT posting as if it's some way to keep the NG
going. I disagree. I've seen other NG's where people refrain from responding to
OT's, where the daily numbers may be much lower and sometimes real low,
but....so what?
It should be a boating newsgroup. Boaters should participate. Can't have one
without the other.
A newsgroup is not of value because you see a large number of postings.... it's
value is in the quality of it's postings relating to the subject matter.
A casual browsing through newsgroups indicates that many groups, dedicated to
a
variety of topics, seem to have identical problems.
This is a given, but the quality of many remains high because most regular
posters refrain from commenting (for the most part) to OT post.
Has the NG format outlived its usefulness as a primary resource for FAQ and
general information? Do folks with a question about, say, small craft warning
flags still hunt down a boating NG, post a question, and wait a day or so to
see if any answers emerge- or do they go to Google, type in "small craft
warning signals", and get an answer almost instantly that is probably at
least
as credible as the info emerging from a newsgroup where people spend half
their
time calling names?
Most questions would not require that much waiting time. What they do require,
is too much time, wading through the OT BS trying to find their post and
responses.
If the non-boaters posting to rec.boats as a political sounding board
disappeared, there would be three or four new threads per day. Maybe, most
days.
So?
Do you know of an unmoderated boating NG without any OT posts and personal
attacks?
Nope, but I've seen many where it's obvious that group ettiquette keeps these
in check for the simple reason that the "regulars" refrain from being drawn in.
Sorry, but it appears to me, you're making excuses as to why we should continue
to allow the status quo in this NG regarding OT posting, and I disagree.
However!!! BG I'm off the soap box!!!
Shen