[MD] Changes in 2011

[Dan Glover]

Hello everyone

On Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 11:37 AM, John Carl <ridgecoyote at gmail.com> wrote:
> Many good points, Tim.  To keep from diluting I'd like to just applaud this
> one though:
>
>
>
>> [Tim]
>>   I can imagine situations in which 'noise'
>> might be a barrier to real discussion.  I don't think such a contention
>> holds water here.  If you think everyone here is an idiot, that's cool,
>> but it isn't the 'noise' that is keeping all the geniuses from typing up
>> their posts and responses.
>>
>
>
> John:
>
> That's a key issue, right there folks.  Its not "noise" in the common
> parlance of the debate halls or classroom.  Here there can be many, many
> points raised and the noisy, irrelevant ones ignored.  "Genius"  might be
> quashed in a forum where there is only so much physical space for the sound
> of words in the air, but on an email forum this is not true.
>
> Think about it.

Dan:

Yes it is noise, John. That is precisely the problem, and one that
keeps me (and I imagine a lot of others) from posting more often.
Maybe you like wading through post after post of one-liners and a
constant barrage of u-tube nonsense, but I simply don't have the time.

"Think about it" is great advice. If more contributors followed it,
there wouldn't be a problem. You know I've railed against this in the
past... cutting and pasting large segments of text (or typing it out
as the case may be) with no commentary at all by the contributor is
just one problem. Is it so much to ask that people do actually think
about it before posting?

That is why (I think) Magnus suggested starting up the focus group
again. But since it has been tried several times in the past without
any real success, it seemed to me maybe we could try something
different. I don't know if it would work or not. But why keep trying
the same thing over and over again? It doesn't make sense.

I certainly don't think everyone here is an idiot. Otherwise I
wouldn't have hung around as long as I have. I do however think there
are those here who could do better. And that bothers me. I see certain
contributors who are actively seeking to better themselves, and it
seems they are attacked and ridiculed over and over by those seeking
some sort of weird status quo.

Think about it, indeed.

Dan