Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site othervax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!micomvax!othervax!ray
From: ray@othervax.UUCP (Raymond D. Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.flame
Subject: Re: The Great Net Cleanup Part II
Message-ID: <445@othervax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Aug-85 15:27:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: othervax.445
Posted: Tue Aug 13 15:27:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Aug-85 23:51:40 EDT
Reply-To: ray@othervax.UUCP (Raymond D. Dunn)
Organization: Philips Information Systems - St. Laurent  P.Q., Canada
Lines: 52
Xref: linus net.news.group:2797 net.flame:10630
Summary: 

References:

>..flame...flame.....whats going on here.........flame...flame....
>..mumble..mumble....threats to resign...........mumble..mumble...
>..bitch...bitch.....leave this group alone......bitch...bitch....
>..grumble.grumble...unilateral group removal....grumble.grumble..
>..etc.....etc.......etc..etc....................etc.....etc......

Half burner on:

I can understand the outcry when a newsgroup becomes congested with irrelevant
material, or its content threatens the very existence of the net because of
cost or legal implications.

I can also understand why those who have *chosen* to become 'net gurus' like
to keep their house clean (as they see it), and that it is only reasonably
to become upset when flamed at.

However I believe that volunteers are rarely altruistic.  Even though they
may provide a valuable service relied upon by others, they do the job
because they find it satisfying and self fulfilling in one way or another,
and this is rarely based on other than internally generated motives
(generalisation...generalisation...generalisation (what is experience if not
that?)).

Whether or not this is true in a specific case, volunteers should be no more
immune to criticism than if they were doing the job professionally.  Dealing
with their public, with all the frustration and sometime nastiness that that
implies, is an integral part of that job.  'Threats' to resign are neither
professional nor facing up to the realities!

So, compromise a little!  Resist some of the things you personally are dying
to see changed on the net but which dont' matter in the *least* to the
scheme of things, are changes for their own sake, and will cause a minority
to flame!

Why start a long discussion as to whether net.xxx should be removed because
it has *LITTLE* traffic.  If it does, then it is an innocuous little beast
and should be left sleeping!  Else it may bite (and at the least cause major
wailing come Easter when resurrection is attempted)!

Let the gurus respond to the net rather than the net having to respond to
the gurus!


Keep up the good work guys, you're doing a great job!


Ray Dunn.      ..philabs!micomvax!othervax

P.S. How about removing net.general? - everyone has been so intimidated that
     there is so little traffic on it these days it is obviously redundant -
     just think of all that space its directory entry is wasting on all those
     machines!