[plug] List domains and netiquette

[Bret Busby]

Leon Brooks wrote:
> 
> > I personally thought Bret's post was justified in that it resolved a
> > question raised earlier on the list - does iiNet munge From: headers
> > (which had been causing problems for several list subscribers)
> 
> I thought Brett's response was useful, and Neil's comment on it
> unwarranted. Brett's response to Neil's comment, however, really took
> the cake.
> 
> There has been considerable off-list discussion of my previous comment,
> and one proposal which was floated was to add another list to spark,
> called something like "serious" or "technical", which would give people
> who are irritated by total-newbie questions a forum to inhabit.
> 
> The idea behind the list is that it is reasonably low-traffic, and
> either invitation only or read-only except for invitees. Questions that
> would whizz comfortably over the head of the average newbie could expect
> to return non-speculative answers and flamewars would cost you your
> invitation. I prefer the public-read-only idea, as a newbie could then
> monitor the technical list and ask consequent questions on the main
> list.
> 
> The con of this is that some experts would eventually drop the main PLUG
> list. The pro is that there would a be a list in which some who would
> otherwise drift away from PLUG anyway would be interested enough to
> participate.
> 
> Another idea which has been floated is the idea of a local FAQ; for
> example, questions peculiar to this list or the iinet hegemony could be
> answered there, and a distinctive link provided to it both on the
> join-the-list page of the website and in a one-line message footer:
> 
>     *** Want to unsubscribe? Other questions? See
> http://faq.plug.linux.org.au/ ***

I disagree with the above, as I think it makes it all too complicated.

Sometimes, people who may not have much knowledge, comparatively, may have
found, by stumbling or otherwise, a solution, which may be helpful to others.
Examples of this, are when a person who is new to Linux, has much experience of
vi and use of other UNIX's, but not Linux itself, and, the issue that was raised
last year, by Christian, about Tex, and LaTex, and involved Lyx, and the issue
of a textbook for teaching Linux, that was raised this year, and discussions
about databases, etc, etc. Such contributions, and feedback, which has been
sought via the mailing list, through survey questions, or other requests for
feedback, made by committee members, would be unable, I think, to occur, via the
mailing list, if posting to the mailing list was restricted on the basis of
knowledge and ability.

Also, the separation of the users into separate mailing lists, depending on the
knowledge and ability, could lead to elitism within PLUG, to an extent that
might not be good.

I think that the easy solution, would be the publishing of the netiquette thing,
as suggested below, and some moderation, even if it is light moderation, trying
to only eliminate personal comments (and maybe postings that are too unrelated
to bear any connection whatsoever with Linux, UNIX, PLUG, or the mailing list).
A moderator, or agreed person, such as Matt, or Tony, or someone, could liaise
(I think that's spelt right) with people, off list, to try to eliminate personal
comments or other transgressions, on the list.

Apart from the issue that involved me, over the weekend, I also remember a
thread that developed on the mailing list, that became solely concerned with the
sex life of one of the members of the mailing list, which we could have done
without.

As the person mentioned above, I had posted a message that had, I believe,
explained a problem that had been raised on the mailing list, with a solution,
that would have affected anyone on the mailing list who had replied to a message
that had included a set Reply To address, and, therefore, apart from responding
to the issue raised on the mailing list, regarding the iinet outgoing mail
server problem, the issue of responses to messages posted to the mailing list,
with Reply To addresses being set, may have been resolved, as, as stated in my
posting, from which all of this arose, for iinet customers, the knowledge that
they could do away with the Reply To addresses being set, could ensure that more
responses to messages posted on the mailing list, got to the intended
destination.

The personal attack that resulted from that posting, and, the fact that the
personal attack also referred to my involvement in another mailing list, were
offensive. Thus, I responded the way that I did.

I suppose it comes down to the comment that I have just seen in a comment in
Christian's posting;
"a set of guidelines on what should be posted to the list (e.g.,,
emphasising the "attack the idea, not the [wo]man" principle which might
have prevented the most recent incident)."

I think, in the circumstances, that is the simplest, and best solution, and I
believe that it has been raised many times before, as has the issue of the
netiquette web page.

> 
> I vote that the FAQ has a section summarising the One True Netiquette as
> well. (-:

Perhaps, as was, I believe, mentioned at the AGM last year, if anyone has the
time and the inclination, the "digest", or web site of FAQ's, could be created,
which could also make finding information easier, about Linux issues, apart from
information about PLUG and the mailing list.

Unfortunately, this is one of those things, that has been discussed on the
mailing list, and, remained only a discussion, without further action. I believe
Leon started a thread about this, sometime in the last couple of months.

-- 

Bret Busby

........................................