[pct-l] Being a good list contributor

[edmond at mydogmeg.net (Edmond Meinfelder)]

Being a good list contributor

Mailing lists without contributions are useless, so it is better to 
contribute than not. However, mailing lists congested with ineffective 
posts are also worthless. I wrote these general guidelines to help the list 
keep its high signal to noise ratio. Please know I am not claiming to be 
above such problems. I admit to making all the following mistakes more 
recently than I'd care to confess.

1. Consider resisting public emotional impulses.

Matters of opinion often conflict and no one likes being told they are 
wrong, especially when they think otherwise. The usual first response to 
being corrected is to post an emotionally charged response "proving" the 
other person wrong. By itself, this is fine, however emotions run high and, 
even if not displayed in the exchanges, each opposing poster usually 
repeats their position until the other agrees, which rarely happens. 
Meanwhile, the community of list members has their mailboxes flooded with 
at best repetitious remarks and at worst, personal vendettas.

If you feel especially upset with what someone else posted to the list, 
consider talking to the other person off-line in a private discussion 
first. Then consider taking your results to the community, if the need 
still exists.

2. Consider when replying to a post, to not quote the entire message, 
especially if it is a digest posting.

Remember that many list members use public email boxes with limited space 
quotas. High-volume lists become higher volume lists when members blindly 
quote entire messages. When email boxes run to up their quotas, some list 
members do not get to see messages.

When replying to a list message, first edit the "To:" and "Cc:" lines so 
only the list is present address is present. The original poster probably 
does not want two copies of your wisdom, regardless of its merit. Next, 
remove any included quoted text from the original message that you will not 
be addressing. This is a kindness to the community and gives your message 
the context it needs to be understood.

Another consequence of entire message quoting is damage to the usability of 
the archives. A precious few list members diligently try to use the 
archives before asking a question. They search the archives for a target 
topic only to find the same question pop up time and time again as people 
regurgitate the question with wholesale-copied replies of digest postings. 
The result is old topics such as "bears and bear canisters" re-appear on 
the list with frequencies matched only by re-runs of Gilligan's Island.

3. Consider resisting the urge to write "Me too!" or "Amen!" posts.

If all you are going to say is, "I agree!" What are you adding to the 
conversation? Sometimes, you may feel the poster needs some support. The 
poster would likely be just as pleased to hear your support in a private 
e-mail.

Humorous posts are not worthless, but before auditioning to be the next Mad 
Monte Dodge of the PCT-L, you may want to ask yourself or a close friend, 
"Is this really funny?" The truth might surprise you.

4. Consider learning to differentiate between matters of opinion and fact 
and paying equal respect to both.

Confusing opinion and fact is surprisingly easy. Just because you believe 
in something does not make it fact. Likewise, when someone seems to be 
confusing the two from your point of view, it may be better to first ask or 
move towards a clarification rather than bludgeoning your point of view 
into the entire community.

Sometimes there are many ways to do something and perhaps some are more 
right than others. This is no reason to become pedantic, offensive or 
defensive.

5. Consider being patient and understanding at all times.

The point of any list is to exchange information through discussion. If you 
drive someone to either an offensive or defensive position, there is a good 
chance you may be excluding both yourself and that person from any positive 
exchange. Worse, you may also be driving others away as well. Each person 
lost from the discussion diminishes the exchange. Understanding and patient 
individuals make the best educators.


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